Monitor and video problems

• Incorrect characters are displayed

• Blank screen issue or screen flickering

• Screen goes blank when you start some application programs

• The monitor has screen jitter, or the screen image is wavy, unreadable, rolling, or distorted

• The wrong characters appear on the screen

Incorrect characters are displayed​

Blank screen issue or screen flickering​

1. Connect the monitor to another display port. The following display ports (all on the front of the server) are available:

   • USB port 3 (with display support)
     Note

     It is recommended to connect a monitor to USB port 3 (with display support) while powering on the system. The output of error messages during system booting is from USB port 3.After entering the OS, if the monitor connecting to USB port 3 becomes blank, connect the monitor to another display port.
   • USB port 4 (with display support)
   • HDMI 2.0 connectors
   • Connectors on GPU adapter (in configuration with GPU adapter expansion kit)

2. If the server is attached to a KVM switch, bypass the KVM switch to eliminate it as a possible cause of the problem: connect the monitor cable directly to the correct connector on the rear of the server.

3. If the server is installed with the graphical adapters while turning on the server, the Lenovo logo is displayed on the screen after approximately 3 minutes. This is normal operation while the system loads.

4. Make sure that:

   • The server is turned on and there is power supplied to the server.

   • The monitor cables are connected correctly.

   • The monitor is turned on and the brightness and contrast controls are adjusted correctly.

5. Make sure that the correct server is controlling the monitor, if applicable.

6. Make sure that the video output is not affected by corrupted server firmware; see Update the firmware.

7. With Microsoft Windows OS, download and install suggested drivers to make sure that the display ports can work normally.

   1. Go to Lenovo Data Center Support and navigate to the support page for your server.
   2. Click on Drivers & Software from the navigation pane.
   3. Select the operating systems; then, download and install the suggested drivers.
8. If the monitor is a gaming monitor supporting Adaptive Sync and connects to USB port 4 (with display support), perform the following steps until the problem is solved. If you can not solve the problem after performing all steps, contact the monitor manufacturer for support.

   1. Connect the monitor to USB port 3 (with display support) to make sure that the monitor can work normally.
   2. If it is necessary to connect the monitor to USB port 4, change the refresh rate on the monitor. The following steps are for Microsoft Windows OS.
      1. Right-click on the desktop and choose Display Setting.
      2. Click on Related settings > Advanced display > Choose a refresh rate.
      3. Try different refresh rate to see if the problem is solved.
   3. Disable the Adaptive Sync feature.

9. If extended display is selected, there would be one monitor serving as main display while other monitors are subordinate. (Depending on the OS, the extended display option would be “Extend these displays” or others.) Subordinate monitors might not be always on in certain situations, such as a lock screen. Do either of the following actions:

   • Select duplicated display instead of extended display to make all monitors show the same image. (Depending on the OS, the duplicated display option would be “Duplicate these displays,” “Mirror display,” or others.)

   • Change the main display in display settings, and remember which monitor is main display.

10. The display connection paths to the server, including connectors on GPU adapter (in configuration with GPU adapter expansion kit), display ports (all on the front of the server) and XCC “Remote console” functionality, can be divided into three groups as below:

    • Group A: Connectors on GPU adapter (in configuration with GPU adapter expansion kit)

    • Group B: USB port 4 (with display support), HDMI 2.0 connectors

    • Group C: USB port 3 (with display support), XCC “Remote console”

    Depending on the OS, there are specific rules of connecting monitors:

    • With Linux OS

      With certain Linux OS, when connecting more than one monitor to the server, if the monitors connect to different groups at the same time, display problem might occur.

      The display priority is Group A > Group B > Group C. When there is any monitor connecting to the group with higher priority, monitors connect to the group(s) with lower priority would be blank. For example, when a monitor connects to the GPU adapter (Group A), another monitor connecting to an HDMI 2.0 connector (Group B) would be blank.

      To solve this problem, connect all the monitors to the same group, reboot the server, and see if the problem is solved.

      Note

      After changing a monitor connection from one group to another, reboot the system to make sure that the display connection works normally.

    • Using XCC “Remote console” functionality with Microsoft Windows OS

      1. When using XCC “Remote console” functionality, it is recommended to connect monitors through Group C only.

         Note

         After changing a monitor connection from one group to another, reboot the system to make sure that the display connection works normally.

      2. If it is necessary to connect monitors through Group A or Group B when using XCC “Remote console” functionality, make sure to select extended display and set the “Remote console” monitor as main display. In this situation, the subordinate monitors might not be always on, but the main display can be stable.

11. If the problem remains, contact Lenovo Support.

Screen goes blank when you start some application programs​

1. Make sure that:

   • The application program is not setting a display mode that is higher than the capability of the monitor.

   • You installed the necessary device drivers for the application.

The monitor has screen jitter, or the screen image is wavy, unreadable, rolling, or distorted​

1. If the monitor self-tests show that the monitor is working correctly, consider the location of the monitor. Magnetic fields around other devices (such as transformers, appliances, fluorescents, and other monitors) can cause screen jitter or wavy, unreadable, rolling, or distorted screen images. If this happens, turn off the monitor.

   Attention

   Moving a color monitor while it is turned on might cause screen discoloration.

   Move the device and the monitor at least 305 mm (12 in.) apart, and turn on the monitor.

   Note

   1. To prevent diskette drive read/write errors, make sure that the distance between the monitor and any external diskette drive is at least 76 mm (3 in.).

   2. Non-Lenovo monitor cables might cause unpredictable problems.

2. Reseat the monitor cable.

3. Replace the components listed in step 2 one at a time, in the order shown, restarting the server each time:

   1. Monitor cable

   2. Video adapter (if one is installed)

   3. Monitor

   4. (Trained technician only) System board (system board assembly)

The wrong characters appear on the screen​