Laptop goes black screen. You can still hear noise

Troubleshooting a Black Screen with Audio on Your Dell G15 Gaming Laptop

Experiencing a black screen while still hearing audio can be a perplexing issue, especially when typical troubleshooting steps do not yield results. If your Dell G15 gaming laptop is randomly turning black but audio continues, and connecting an external display like a TV via HDMI temporarily restores the display, there are several potential causes and solutions to consider.

Understanding the Issue

In some cases, users report their laptop’s display going completely black without any apparent reason. Despite this, system sounds continue, indicating that the system is still operational in the background. Standard methods such as pressing keys or resetting do not bring back the display. Interestingly, connecting an HDMI cable to an external device like a TV temporarily restores the visual output, implying an issue related to the internal display, graphics driver, or hardware connection.

Preliminary Troubleshooting Steps Already Taken

Factory Reset: The device has already undergone a factory reset, which typically resolves software-related issues.
Driver Updates & Diagnostics: Running Dell’s driver updater and system diagnostics have not identified any immediate hardware or software problems.

Context & Recent Changes

This problem began after attempting to stream content using Moonlight/ Sunshine, which didn’t work due to monitor detection issues. After removing the streaming software and performing a factory reset, the black screen issue persists, indicating that the root cause may be hardware-related or linked to display drivers/settings.

Potential Causes & Solutions

Graphics Driver Issues
Update or Reinstall Drivers: Even after a reset, outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can cause display problems. Consider manually downloading the latest drivers from Dell’s support website or directly from Intel/NVIDIA, depending on your GPU.
Rollback Drivers: If problems started after a recent driver update, reverting to an earlier version may resolve the issue.
Display Connection Problems
Loose or Damaged Internal Cables: The fact that connecting an external HDMI restores the display suggests a possible internal cable disconnection or damage. Professional inspection may be necessary to verify and repair internal connections.
Hardware Faults
GPU or Display Panel Failure: Hardware failures could manifest as black screens. If the problem persists despite software troubleshooting, hardware diagnostics or professional repair may be warranted.
Power Management Settings
Adjust Settings: Sometimes, power-saving features or display sleep settings cause the screen to turn off suddenly. Check your power plan settings and disable