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I've got two HP ZR24w external monitors. Used for years. A few weeks ago, I turned the system off in the evening while it was still working fine, and when I turned it back on the next morning, one of the monitors started behaving oddly. Here's the current situation:

I just got a new laptop. When I connect the 'broken' monitor via an HDMI-to-DVI cable. The monitor shows an active DVI signal, but no image. Windows does not detect a monitor at all. I unplug the monitor and connect the DVI end of the same cable to the other monitor. It works perfectly, uses the native resolution and Windows detects the display.

I also ran a subset of the tests with Ubuntu 14.10. Bottom line: 'broken' monitor connected via HDMI-to-DVI cable doesn't work, other monitor is detected automatically. So it's not a pure OS problem either.

I think at this point, we can conclude that there's something broken with the hardware of the first monitor, possibly the EDID?

However, here's the oddity: I also have a DL-195, a USB-to-DVI converter. With that, I can connect the 'broken' monitor to my old laptop and it's working at the correct resolution, even though Windows lists it as "No Monitor".

Here's what it looks like when it works (even though it says "No Monitor", but the resolution is correct and it works perfectly well):

Windows resolution setup

When connecting the same setup to my new laptop, Windows will display "No Monitor" and give me a selection of resolutions. No matter what I choose here, the monitor will display 1280x1024.

Here's one more data point that I can't figure out what it means: when I connect the 'broken' monitor via the HDMI port to my old laptop, it gives me a couple of weird resolutions (e.g. 1920x1080, 1680x1050, 1400x1050), but not 1920x1200. The refresh rate is shown as 59Hz instead of the usual 60Hz. I can change it and apply the change, the screen flickers and the new refresh rate is displayed, but opening the same dialog will show it as 59Hz again.

Here's what it looks like when connected to the old laptop via HDMI, stuck at the wrong resolutions at 59Hz:

Windows resolution setup at 59Hz

You can see that I loaded the correct monitor driver. Changing the frequency does not work/has no effect, it will always jump back to 59Hz when reopening the dialog.

Frequency selection

In closing, there's obviously a hardware problem. But in one specific configuration, the monitor still fully works on the old laptop. Do I nevertheless have to throw it away and buy a new one? Or can I force its detection (in Windows) somehow to make it work on the new laptop?

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  • Strangely, it "just works" on my wife's much older, cheap, off-the-shelf laptop via HDMI-to-DVI. It's also stuck at 59Hz, but it displays the correct resolution. The monitor shows as a "Generic Non-PnP Monitor".
    – hheimbuerger
    Commented Apr 18, 2015 at 11:55

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Conclusion is obvious. Your monitor is partially broken. Something inside, could be in the connector itself, its not working properly, causing these issues. If the monitor has other connectors than the DVI one, try connecting to that one and see how it goes, otherwise replace the monitor with a new one.

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