The DVI port on my monitor died a few weeks ago. Due to a lack of spare parts, it wasn’t easy to figure out it was the source of my no-video issue… But I shan’t dwell on that unpleasant experience.
I switched to VGA and tolerated its noticeably lower quality and increased eye strain, as I cannot currently afford a new monitor. Boredom last night had me again searching for a solution. I expected to find tips for opening up the monitor and tinkering with the DVI port. Unexpectedly, my search led me to a (5 year old!) software solution aptly named “DVI Recover.” Apparently it remedies a power save issue with DVI ports. I hoped the tool wasn’t exclusive to Dell products, and would cure my Hanns-G monitor.
I burned the ISO to a CD, unplugged the VGA and plugged in the DVI, and rebooted. The monitor was still blank while the CD spun for a few seconds. When it finished, I rebooted… Sure enough, the display returned. DVI lives again!
Had I been open to the possibility my DVI port was sleeping and not dead, and believed a software solution existed, I would have saved myself plenty of grief. Ah well.
Should the above link ever vanish, I’ve mirrored the tool here. Either burn the ISO to a CD or use the EXE to create a floppy, and reboot. Be sure to set your boot options in the BIOS to check for the CD or floppy before the hard drive. Allow a few seconds for the CD or floppy do work it’s magic, and reboot.
