Why does my screen dim on a desktop installation of Windows 7?

Posted by Robert Cartaino on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Robert Cartaino
Published on 2009-11-17T16:46:57Z Indexed on 2010/04/29 20:28 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 288

Filed under:

windows-7

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display

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power-management

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brightness

Periodically, while using my Windows 7 Pro desktop installation, the screen suddenly dims. The brightness is about 75% normal (estimate). It's as if I am in a power-saving mode on a laptop running on batteries. But this is a full desktop installation.

I know it is not a hardware glitch or monitor adjustment issue because the Windows cursor is still bright white while everything else goes dim.

The Control Panel > Power Options have not been changed. They are set to "Balanced [active]" and I have tried restoring the default settings. Flipping through the power and display settings, everything looks "normal." There is no screen saver or power-off-after settings apparent.

Rebooting the system resets everything to full brightness but I can't find a way to restore it in Windows or to keep it from happening in the first place.

Suggestions?

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