Laptop HDMI port not working?!

Shad0r

Hi there,

I've had 2 Acer laptops now and both have had HDMI ports that have crapped out. On the last one I just switched over to using the VGA socket but on this one I don't have any additional video ports.

My question is:
Is there any chance that this failure could be a software one? i.e. drivers not working or some registry change that could be f%$ing up my HDMI port?

OR, is it definitely a hardware failure.

I'm running windows 8.1 on a 64bit system.

Cheers,
Neil

Alanstrainor

Impossible for us to say for definite without knowing more.

When did this happen? Is the port loose? Does anything happen when you plug in the HDMI cable? Have you tried other HDMI cables?

If you use the port a lot, it's not unreasonable to assume that something may have happened to the port. Especially on an Acer machine.

Titus Andronicus

Won't hurt to reload the video drivers anyway from the Acer site.
Also check your laptops display resolution, might be higher than your TV, roll that back & see if it clicks in.

MrWalsh

Has happened me on an Acer also. Had already had a repair to the power input so didnt fancy spending more money on it. Ended up passing the Acer to a family member and getting a Toshiba with Windows 8 which annoys me every time I use it. The hdmi port works fine on it though.

Shad0r

Port was working fine, and yeah I use it all the time. Literally.

It worked in the office connected to my 2nd monitor and then I went home the other night and plugged it into the tv and it didn't work. Now it also doesn't work on the 2nd monitor in the office.

tried 2 different cables and 2 different monitors without joy, so its definitely the HDMI port or the software for the HDMI port.

Not an issue with resolution as both monitors are full HD and my laptop is lower than that.

I guess because Im not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to Win 8+ and how it works with drivers etc I just thought maybe there was a chance it was software rather than hardware but I suspect hardware is the more likely culprit.

Cheers for the comments anyway
N

Alanstrainor

Shad0r wrote: »

Port was working fine, and yeah I use it all the time. Literally.

It worked in the office connected to my 2nd monitor and then I went home the other night and plugged it into the tv and it didn't work. Now it also doesn't work on the 2nd monitor in the office.

tried 2 different cables and 2 different monitors without joy, so its definitely the HDMI port or the software for the HDMI port.

Not an issue with resolution as both monitors are full HD and my laptop is lower than that.

I guess because Im not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to Win 8+ and how it works with drivers etc I just thought maybe there was a chance it was software rather than hardware but I suspect hardware is the more likely culprit.

Cheers for the comments anyway
N

No harm in looking for the latest video drivers for your machine and installing them. By the sounds of it you're right and the port is dead, but you have nothing to lose by trying new drivers.

It's unfortunate, but if you use it all the time, then I would expect it to wear on an Acer machine, which are known to be of lesser quality.

bonzodog2

Depending on how handy you are with a screwdriver, maybe it has the socket on a separate board, like one of these (you don't quote your model #):
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Acer-Aspire-3810T-Dual-USB-Ethernet-HDMI-Port-Board-w-cable-6050A2271201-/131162085654?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e89de9916

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Acer-Aspire-5810TZ-Audio-USB-VGA-HDMI-Board-Jack-W-Cable-48-4CR02-011-/380779602022?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a83ba066

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Acer-Aspire-3810T-Dual-USB-Port-HDMI-Ethernet-Board-Card-w-Cable-6050A2271201-/301543416872?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4635636428