Aspire 5733 - unable to change screen brightness

Robstopper
Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
For the last couple of weeks, I've been unable to change the screen brightness. I first noticed it when I switched from mains to battery power - the screen didn't dim like it used to. The slider still appears on screen, and moves when you press Fn and either the left or right arrow keys, but the brightness doesn't change. Using the brightness button on the notifications tab doesn't work either - the % level changes, but again there's no change in actual brightness level.

I'm on Windows 10, all up to date.

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Answers

  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,076 Trailblazer
    Hi,
    You could do a power reset, remove the battery, disconnect from mains, press Power button for 30secs, let the laptop to rest for a minute, then put the battery back and reconnect the mains, hope that helps.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    Hi,
    You could do a power reset, remove the battery, disconnect from mains, press Power button for 30secs, let the laptop to rest for a minute, then put the battery back and reconnect the mains, hope that helps.
    nope, didn't change anything. The brightness is still stuck on whatever the default is, it doesn't change no matter what function I try - Fn and arrow tabs, the brightness button. They all show different brightness levels, but the brightness itself doesn't alter.
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,076 Trailblazer
    Hi,
    Go to Acer support site(link below), download Acer Launch manager application, then uninstall the current installation in Control panel->Programs and Features, install the downloaded application, reboot and see whether it helps.
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/GB/content/support-product/3679?b=1
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    ok, done all that - still no brightness control
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,076 Trailblazer
    Hi,
    Go to Power Options by right clicking the battery icon, click Change Plan settings, click change advanced power settings, expand Display, try different settings for Display Brightness, Dimmed display brightness etc and click Apply, you can check by changing individually and not all of them at once.

  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    thanks for the further advice, but it's still not working. nothing is changing the brightness level at all
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    thought that was going to work, but when I right clicked on the device list for the monitor, it was already "enabled", so I definitely didn't want to DIS able it!
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,076 Trailblazer
    Sorry, I have run out of ideas but please wait for someone else to chime in.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited June 2018
    In the link below, all they did was re-install the graphics driver from Acer's website.  I'm not sure what operating system you're using.  You can try the driver from Acer's website or you can try the latest driver from Intel's website.....and install using the Have Disk method.  If your graphics driver is an AMD driver, you can try the AMD website for latest driver.

    http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1840235/acer-aspire-5733-keys-brightness-working.html

    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers

    I don't have any more suggestions.  Good luck!

    Edit: You could also try uninstalling your driver from Device Manager (tick the box to delete software too) and then restart computer, and let Windows automatically download and re-install driver it wants to use.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    I'd checked the driver, and it was showing as up to date, with no newer version available. I've been on to the Acer website, there's no graphics driver to download for my laptop model, and on the Intel website, the driver support assistant says there are no updates available either.

    I'm loathe to delete the driver, as i don't trust Windows to automatically download and reinstall a driver - I don't want to be left with an inoperable screen!
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited June 2018
    Ok Robstopper.  No guts no glory. ;)

    Don't worry, Your computer will use the Microsoft basic display adapter while it's downloading the driver.  If you're not comfortable, you can take it to a computer repair shop and they'll do it.  Or you can google how to start your computer in safe mode and see if it happens in safe mode..  Good luck.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder


    --------------------------------------------------
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    Not sure if this is relevant or not, but I went to uninstall the Intel Driver support assistant app, and saw there was an Intel HD graphics driver (8.15.10.2182) in the program list, dated 17/5/18, which was around the time my screen stopped dimmable. On the device list, the driver (8.15.10.2900) is dated 26/11/12. Perhaps I should delete the driver which was installed on 17/5/18?

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited June 2018
    You have options.  You can uninstall/delete it.  Rollback.  Or delete all of them.  And start fresh.  I can't say for certain which option is best.....but I tend to delete everything and go for a freshly automatically downloaded/installed  driver.  Wipe them out.  All of them.

    Edit:  It seems unlikely that a graphics driver from 2012 will help your cause, but I've been wrong before.
    I don't have your computer model, but all of my computers use the latest (newest) graphics driver and run fine.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    right, I uninstalled the Intel HD and the driver software, screen went black, it rebooted after a short time. It had reverted to the basic generic driver, so I clicked "update driver" in device manager, it then re-found the Intel HD driver, reinstalled that, and it's still the same. No brightness adjustment. Even with the generic pnp driver in place, the Intel driver assistant found no updates. I'm pretty sure this is a bug caused by a Windows 10 update.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Yeah, I see now that it might be a bug.  Checkout the link below.  You can try Microsoft forum or Intel forum.  Sorry I don't have any more ideas.

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/screen-brightness-adjustment-broken-after-windows/539ed5e6-25aa-48dc-b6df-428c8c6be012

    https://communities.intel.com/community/tech/graphics
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    doesn't look like there's much I can do beyond what you guys have already suggested and I've tried. My Intel HD graphics is the older version, the laptop itself must be about 6 years old now. Its the Windows 10 bug causing issues with it
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Not sure.   I'd probably check the link below or check reddit.

    https://communities.intel.com/thread/123924

    Good luck.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Robstopper
    Robstopper Member Posts: 11 New User
    thanks for all your help. a lot of those responses on the Intel thread seem too involved for me to bother with, as I've already wasted enough time trying to sort out a fairly minor issue. I tried to download the very latest driver from Intel's site, for Win10, yesterday, but my laptop wasn't capable of running it. I give up.