Why does my screen dim on a desktop installation of Windows 7?
- by Robert Cartaino
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?