Solved! Is my laptop monitor broken?

[Jadenu]

Hey!
So I think my monitor, or maybe my video card might be broken on my laptop. It’s an alienware 17 r4, a few years old. It has a GTX 1060, if that’s important.
To the problem; when I try to boot it up, the laptop gets stuck on the Alienware logo screen, and the loading dots moving in a circle stop. The weird thing is, when I plug in an external monitor, it boots into windows perfectly fine, and it works perfectly. I have tried booting into linux with a usb, and that works on the laptop screen. It’s really weird.
Help!

 

[webworkings]

The external monitor and the attached display may well be using different graphics.

Try starting up the laptop in "Safe Mode" and see if it will load fully. If it does, and if you have the laptop set to use the additional GPU and not the Intel graphics, then the GPU may be having problems. Should that be the case, I would first try updating your driver for it (or if it was recently updated, try downgrading the driver). Should that not resolve it, then I would take it to a local tech and have them look at it to see if it indeed needs replacing.

How to enter "Safe Mode" when booting the computer.

In Windows 8 and 10...

As your computer restarts, press F8 (possibly a few times) to enter "Safe Mode"

a. Press the "F4" key to Enable "Safe Mode".
(The computer will then start in "Safe Mode" with a minimal set of drivers and services.)

b. Press the "F5" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Networking.
( Once "Safe Mode" with Networking starts, Windows is in Safe Mode, with additional network and services for accessing the Internet and other computers on your network.)

c. Press the "F6" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Command Prompt.
(In "Safe Mode" with "Command Prompt" starts Windows in Safe Mode, with a Command Prompt window instead of the Windows interface. This option is mostly only used by IT professionals.)

Now sign in to the computer with your account name and password. (If you have one set.) When you are finished troubleshooting, you can exit "Safe Mode" restarting your computer.


In Windows 7/Vista/XP...

1. Immediately after turning on the computer, or restarting it (usually after you hear your computer beep), tap the F8 key, repeatedly, in 1 second intervals.

2. The computer will then display hardware information and run a memory test.

3. Next the "Advanced Boot Options" menu will appear.

4. In the "Advanced Boot Options" menu use the arrow keys to select "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking" and press ENTER.

 

[webworkings]

The external monitor and the attached display may well be using different graphics.

Try starting up the laptop in "Safe Mode" and see if it will load fully. If it does, and if you have the laptop set to use the additional GPU and not the Intel graphics, then the GPU may be having problems. Should that be the case, I would first try updating your driver for it (or if it was recently updated, try downgrading the driver). Should that not resolve it, then I would take it to a local tech and have them look at it to see if it indeed needs replacing.

How to enter "Safe Mode" when booting the computer.

In Windows 8 and 10...

As your computer restarts, press F8 (possibly a few times) to enter "Safe Mode"

a. Press the "F4" key to Enable "Safe Mode".
(The computer will then start in "Safe Mode" with a minimal set of drivers and services.)

b. Press the "F5" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Networking.
( Once "Safe Mode" with Networking starts, Windows is in Safe Mode, with additional network and services for accessing the Internet and other computers on your network.)

c. Press the "F6" key to Enable "Safe Mode" with Command Prompt.
(In "Safe Mode" with "Command Prompt" starts Windows in Safe Mode, with a Command Prompt window instead of the Windows interface. This option is mostly only used by IT professionals.)

Now sign in to the computer with your account name and password. (If you have one set.) When you are finished troubleshooting, you can exit "Safe Mode" restarting your computer.


In Windows 7/Vista/XP...

1. Immediately after turning on the computer, or restarting it (usually after you hear your computer beep), tap the F8 key, repeatedly, in 1 second intervals.

2. The computer will then display hardware information and run a memory test.

3. Next the "Advanced Boot Options" menu will appear.

4. In the "Advanced Boot Options" menu use the arrow keys to select "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking" and press ENTER.