Question How to display BIOS on external monitor? Laptop screen disconnected.

[decepticon_megatron]

Hey everyone 👋

I’m really stuck with this one and could use some expert advice.

I’ve got an Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI laptop. The built-in screen is broken, so I’ve been using an external monitor through HDMI. Everything works fine once Windows boots, but the external monitor doesn’t show anything before the Windows login screen — meaning I can’t see the BIOS or troubleshoot anything that requires access before boot.

Here’s the situation in detail:

• I’ve completely disconnected the laptop’s internal display (both from the motherboard and from the cable under the screen).
• The external monitor is connected via HDMI.
• In Windows settings and DxDiag, it only detects one display (the external one) driven by the NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti.

So right now, I have no way to access BIOS or see anything before Windows loads.
Any help, ideas, or even wild experiments are appreciated! 🙏

 

[COLGeek]

Your best option is to replace the internal display. Otherwise, you aren't going to be able to access the BIOS.

 

[Flinto]

If your laptop screen is disconnected, you can usually display BIOS on an external monitor by connecting it via HDMI, DisplayPort, or VGA before powering on the laptop. Make sure the external display is set as the primary output in your laptop’s firmware settings if available. Some laptops also require you to press a function key combination (like Fn + F4/F8) to switch display output during boot.

 

[COLGeek]

If your laptop screen is disconnected, you can usually display BIOS on an external monitor by connecting it via HDMI, DisplayPort, or VGA before powering on the laptop. Make sure the external display is set as the primary output in your laptop’s firmware settings if available. Some laptops also require you to press a function key combination (like Fn + F4/F8) to switch display output during boot.

This is not true in many/most laptops. They require the internal display to show/access the BIOS.

In this case, the member has already connected an external display.