after i just wiped my laptop clean and did a fresh reinstallation of windows 8.1, i can no longer connect my second monitor with my PNY hdmi cable. when i try, i get an error saying "please reinstall the driver or use a different video card"....what driver do i need? ive been reading stuff about how 8.1 doesnt support dual monitors .... anyone know ways around this or can help me out?
this is going to hugely affect my workflow if i cant get back my second screen, would reaaaally appreciate some help here!
cheers

 

I think your best approach would be to find your laptop make and model (i.e. HP, Samsung, etc) and search for the drivers you need. Don't rely on Windows Update to fetch them for you.

If you want to do this, steps to follow:

1. Go to the website of the manufacturer of your laptop
2. Go to something like "downloads", "drivers" or "support".
3. Find your model and check for a list of available drivers; then find the display drivers and download them. Then install them.
4. Most likely you'll need to restart your machine.

Also, if anything else is not working, such as wireless connector, custom keyboard buttons (i.e. volume, brightness, etc.) you'll find the drivers for these in the same webpage.

Anyway... Good luck!

 

Drivermax is handy for when you want to wipe your drive ... maybe a bit late for the OP though.

 

Don't blame the O.S. if the actual computer/laptop is older and the company who made it doesn't supports the newer O.Ses.
I'm Win8.1 here and i can handle two monitors on a entry-level GT630 2GB video card.

Try Demon's suggestion at least and see how it goes.

 

Do not use drivers from Windows Update. Those 'drivers' bricked Win8.1 installation two times, the system was unable to boot and no repair apart from reinstall was possible.
It's best to turn that feature off immediately after installation (be sure you're not connected to the internet during installation).
Then install all drivers available on your manufacturer's website. If there are still some "Other devices"in Device Manager, temporarily turn on Automatic driver download, then DL drivers from Windows Update. THen turn the feature off again. *yes*
To use multiple monitors you might need driver for Quick Launch Buttons. *yes*

 

Also, what kind of cable is he using for the second monitor? I had a problem with a faulty VGA cable in the past which didn't let the video card recognize the monitor and once i replaced that, everything went back to normal.

 

I'm 99% sure that demons solution will fix it

 

For those thinking of reinstalling their computers in the future, my solution would 100% fix it as Drivermax makes a backup of all your installed drivers

 

thanks for the responses and input guys, really appreciate it.
i would love to go onto the samsung website and enter my model number
HOWEVER,
i bought the computer refurbished from bestbuy.com months and months ago and the sticker only says 6235anhmw for the model, which i cant seem to match up with anything. thats only the processor chip or something like that.... . ive literally tried searching through every samsung model and havent been able to find my computer, ive found very similar, but not mine.
ive checked the computers properties as well as PC info, and everything EXCEPT the model of the computer is listed. it says all my specs, but no model name. there is a product ID, but i cannot find where to enter it or what to do with it.

i have a 2.4ghz, 1TB HD, i7, 8Gb RAM samsung laptop.

anyone know how i can find the right driver? any more input?