8 Fixes For Generic PnP Monitor problem on Windows 10

A monitor is one of the most important parts of any computer. You can’t get a visual output without one. Some users like to work or play with more than one display and it can be difficult for them when one monitor goes down.

If that monitor is a Generic Plug and Play device, you might run into some connection issues. Though it is not usual, it needs to be fixed and it can be done at home. This article is your guide to fixing this issue on Windows 10 PCs. 

What is the Generic PnP Monitor?

When a device is connected to a computer, it recognizes the device and installs a driver to run without any issues. Likewise, when a monitor is connected to your CPU with the help of a VGA or an HDMI cable, the type of monitor is detected. One such type of monitor is the Generic PnP monitor. Here, PnP stands for Plug and Play. 

What is the Generic PnP Monitor Yellow Triangle error?

When a PnP device is connected to your system, it doesn’t need a driver to run on the computer. If the Device Manager tool shows the Generic PnP monitor, this means that the Operating System (OS) couldn’t recognize the monitor.

There is also a chance that drivers are installed on your computer but they aren’t as effective as the driver software developed by the monitor manufacturers. 

This may not seem like a very important issue. But one of the biggest symptoms of this issue is that users may not be able to adjust the display resolution on applications or change the screen refresh rate. 

Follow these steps to check if your display is recognized as a generic PnP monitor.

1. Right-click on the desktop screen and select the Display Settings option. 
2. Scroll down on the Display Settings page and click on the Advanced settings link, in the Multiple Displays section.
3. Under the Display Settings section, select the monitor and click on the Display adapter properties link.
4. In the Monitor properties window, go into the Monitor tab and on top of the window, you will be able to see the type of display that is connected to your system.

If there is a problem with the Generic PnP monitor, you’ll see a small yellow triangle, with a black exclamation mark in the middle. 

Why do I see the Generic PnP monitor?

These are the possible scenarios that can make you see the Generic PnP monitor device on your computer, even when the display hardware you use isn’t one. 

1. The Generic PnP monitor appears when the GPU driver software is uninstalled from the computer. 
2. If a monitor is connected to a PC with the help of an HDMI or VGA cable, the Generic PnP monitor is shown. The exceptions are laptops. 
3. When you get a system upgrade, the available monitor is replaced with a Generic PnP monitor device on your computer. This may or may not have the yellow triangle exclamation. 
4. When two monitors are being used as a screen expansion or external projection display, they are allotted by the PC as Display 1 and Display 2, the first one being the main display. In some computers, Display 1 is set as the real monitor, and Display 2 is a Generic PnP monitor. 
5. The installation of a new SSD can make the monitor device driver unstable at times and the real monitor becomes the Generic PnP monitor. 

Steps to Fix the Generic PnP Monitor driver error on Windows 10

These are your solutions to the small yellow triangle error for the Generic PnP monitor on your Windows 10 computer. 

1. Disconnect the Monitor and attach it back
2. Remove and reconnect the GPU
3. Update the Generic PnP Monitor’s driver software
4. Remove and reinstall the Generic PnP Monitor device driver
5. Update the Display card driver software
6. Start a System File Checking Scan
7. See if you have Windows Updates
8. Do a clean boot of the system

If none of these steps work for you, there is the possibility of considering hardware damage inside the monitor. You will have to send it to a service center or get a new one. The dealer who sold you the monitor should know more about this issue. Make sure you have the warranty for the monitor on you.

Fixing the Generic PnP Monitor driver issue on Windows 10

The Generic PnP monitor problem is a common issue and not something that will damage your computer. However, it will reduce the system user experience and could even make things harder for those who are trying to get something done. The following are the possible solutions that can make your Generic PnP monitor work, normally. 

Disconnect the Monitor and attach it back

Any form of wired computer hardware can be faulty when not connected properly. This is because when a loose connection is detected, the system refuses to recognize the hardware changes unless it is plugged in properly.

This will result in the device driver not being installed. Since all computer devices do not function without a driver that supports their functioning, users will see issues related to the monitor. 

Try disconnecting the display monitor video cable from the CPU ports and the ports behind the monitor. Wait for a while. Check if there is dust in the slots and clean them out, gently. Reconnect the cables and check if the monitor is no longer the Generic PnP monitor.

This will download the monitor drivers again and you will not face the monitor problems again. The unknown monitor (Generic PnP monitor/ Generic Non-PnP monitor) will be recognized at the real monitor again. 

Remove and reconnect the GPU

The Graphics Card and its respective display driver play a very important role in producing output through the monitor. The higher the GPU power, the faster and better the output. So it is not unusual to know that the GPU can be used to fix the Generic PnP monitor issue on Windows 10. 

Computer users with a desktop computer and not a laptop can open the CPU cabinet and remove the GPU. However, this operation must be executed with extreme caution as some parts of the graphics card are extremely brittle or bendable. Sudden movements can dent the graphics card or chip the motherboard. 

Removing the Video card will remove the graphics card driver from your Windows 10 computer. When it is reconnected, the graphic driver will be reinstalled on your computer. 

Note: If you do not know how to remove the GPU card, take it up with someone who knows how to do it or with a technical professional. 

Update Generic PnP Monitor driver software

The Generic PnP Monitor has a driver that can be accessed through the Windows 10 Device Manager. This is a standby driver that is available for updates and making small changes in the configurations. You can update this driver to the latest version of the available driver software and fix Generic PnP monitor issue on your Windows 10 computer. 

Follow these steps to update the Generic PnP monitor driver.

1. Open Device Manager on your computer, with the help of the Quick Link menu (Windows key + X) or the Run tool (devmgmt.msc command). The Device Manager window has a list of all the components present on your computer and the drivers that they use to run.
2. Locate the section named Monitors and unfold it into a list of the monitors on your computer by clicking on it.
3. Right-click on the Generic PnP Monitor driver and select the Update driver option from the context menu.

4. The Update Driver Software – Generic PnP monitor wizard will open. 

You will be shown two options here –

1. Search Automatically for updated driver software

This option will make the system scan for a driver update for your Generic PnP monitor and then, install it onto your computer.

2. Browse my computer for driver software

This will show you all the driver updates available on your computer and you can choose one of them. You’ll have to select the Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer option and check the Show compatible hardware checkbox. 

Restart your computer after this process to save the changes in the driver configuration.

You can also get the latest driver software for your display from the internet or with third-party apps. You’ll just have to locate the correct driver and then, click on its download button. The downloaded executable file has to be run, in order to install the latest driver.  

Remove and reinstall the Generic PnP Monitor driver software

If updating the Generic PnP Monitor did not work, try installing it and reinstalling the hardware monitor driver to see if you’re able to fix Generic PnP Monitor issue on your Windows 10 PC. 

Use these steps to uninstall and then, reinstall the Generic PnP monitor driver software.

1. Open Device Manager with the help of the Quick Link menu (Windows + X) or the Run utility (devmgmt.msc).
2. Click on the Monitors category to expand it. 
3. Right-click on the Generic PnP monitor driver and select the Uninstall Device option. 
4. Confirm that you want to remove this device driver from your computer, in the small Uninstall prompt dialog box.

Click on the Uninstall button.

5. Now, go back to the Device Manager window and right-click on the Monitors section itself. 
6. From the small pop-up menu, choose Scan for hardware changes.

This will make the computer detect the monitor again and now, it will be recognized as a real monitor, without the Generic PnP monitor problem. 

To install the monitor device drivers again, you can download them from the internet or with the help of a third-party application. 

Update the Display card driver software

The Generic PnP monitor driver issue can also be fixed by getting the latest version of the drivers for the graphics card. This can become a little complicated when it is done manually, so we recommend using interface applications for getting graphics driver updates.

Interface applications like the Geforce Experience (Nvidia) and the Radeon Adrenaline (AMD) can be used to download updates, safely and without any issues. 

The driver developer’s websites will also have installers for the latest graphics driver versions. You should be able to find them on the Nvidia or AMD support page. You can install the driver software by running the installer executable file. 

Start a System File Checking scan

The System File Check (SFC) is a Windows feature that is executed to detect corruption of the Windows 10 system files and swap them with a newer version of the corrupt file so that the computer can function without the Generic PnP monitor issue. 

These are the steps to perform an SFC scan on a Windows 10 computer.

1. Launch Command Prompt or the Windows PowerShell tool in the elevation mode (with system administrator privileges). You can use the search bar to search for one of these tools and click on the Run as administrator option.
2. Type this command in the command prompt window and execute it by pressing Ente.

sfc /scannow

Perform this scan two or three times, to flush out all the corrupt files and give new ones on your computer. 

Note: We will have to run the Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt as the system administrator, as the System File Checker will make configurational changes in the Windows 10 Operating System (OS).

See if you have Windows Updates

A Windows update can provide solutions to almost all problems, that exist in the current version of the Windows 10 OS. This method might not work towards fixing the Generic PnP Monitor issue on your computer but it is safe to be on the latest version and having the latest patch updates. 

Follow the below steps on how to install a Windows update on Windows 10.

1. Launch the Windows Settings and go to

Update & Security > Windows Update

2. On the Windows Update page, click on the Check for updates page. Your system will access the internet and check if any updates are available.
3. If you have updates, click on the Download and install button. You will need a proper internet connection for this.
4. Once the download is complete, you’ll see a notification asking you to restart your system. 
5. Open the Start menu, click on the power button and Select Update and Restart or Update and Shutdown from the Shutdown dialog box.

The Windows update method is not a guaranteed fix for the Generic PnP monitor driver issue. You might have to talk with a service center to see what can be done.           

Do a clean boot of the system

A clean boot process is similar to the booting up in safe mode process. When a clean boot is done, only the most important programs and drivers are running as the computer is booted. There are no third-party applications running in a clean boot. Since a lot of drivers are involved in this process, a clean boot of the Windows 10 OS can be used to fix the Generic PnP monitor driver issue.

This is the easiest method to do a clean boot on Windows 10.

1. Open it and choose the Run option from the Quick Link menu (Windows + X). You can also right-click on the Start button to open this window. 
2. Click on the Ok button or hit the Enter key to run the msconfig command and open the System Configuration dialog box.
3. In the General tab, disable the Load Startup items option.

4. Then, go into the Services tab and enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox and click on the Disable all button. 

5. Go into the Startup tab and click on the Open Task Manager link.
6. Open the Startup tab in the Task Manager and disable every process that is enabled in this window.

7. Close the Task Manager by clicking on Apply and Ok buttons.

After the clean boot, the monitor should no longer be the Generic PnP Monitor device on your computer. It should have been detected by the system and you should be able to set the desired screen resolutions and change the refresh rate. 

These are the different steps to fix the Generic PnP Monitor issue on a Windows 10 computer. If these procedures do not work, you have to consult with a professional, who knows their way around computer hardware. 

We hope you found this article helpful. Happy browsing!

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