XPS 8700, cannot enable integrated graphics card

I figured it out and one post I didn't come across

* shut down and physically remove the discrete graphics

* connect either hdmi or DP cable to respective integrated ports

* boot up, allow windows to search for drivers. (the ones on dell download says doesn't work even with the software filtered for my express code). check device manager to see intel hd graphics card. 

* one I did see in a post - shut down, unplug cables to integrated ports, plug in discrete hdmi, boot up, plug in integrated cable. voila! both monitors work. 

i didn't check to see if it'll boot up with both cables attached to discrete and integrated. but i suppose if it doesn't, plug integrated in after works just fine since i usually leave the tower on. wish Dell would've just configured it as such since as I mentioned above, my xps 15 laptop works much more seamlessly with both monitor output enabled from the get-go. 

Hi, @goldenset 

Have to be honest & say that I don't know the XPS 8700 particularly well, but it was my understanding that the Internal Graphics is disabled when a separate Video Card is installed - it is also my understanding that this can NOT be overridden!

Accordingly, can I suggest a couple of possible alternatives?

1. Use the existing GTX745 to drive both Monitors (one via the HDMI Port & the other via the DVI-D Port)? If both your Monitors only accept HDMI inputs, then purchase a DVI-D to HDMI Cable for use with the 2nd Monitor.
2. Upgrade the GTX745 to a Video Card that has 2 off identical Ports (i.e. 2 off HDMI or 2 off DVI-D)!

Hope this helps!

looks like we both posted at the same time. i just posted after trying something. it's a comfort level for me to pull parts since I used to assemble my PC. 

might want to give what i did a try. i call bogus on the it's permanently disabled if you have a discrete card. granted, i didn't do long term test. i got it to work and just did some screenshots before i decide if i'll re-image it / reset it for a fresh install. 

but what i did worked. only takes a screwdriver and 15 mins to pull the discrete card and rest of all windows and booting up. 

@goldenset   - You have to enable the Intel Multi-Display option in BIOS setup, which "Allows you to enable or disable multiple displays", to use the onboard Intel HD Graphics while an add-in video card is installed.

As long as the 1st monitor is connected to the add-in video card, the 2nd one can be connected to either the onboard Intel HDMI or Displayport output.

My original post already states I enabled it. Device manager is not showing the Intel integrated graphics card. You can't force it thru driver. Many comment what you just wrote (and I wrote) doesn't work. I suspect because it needs to go further than that. Does the discrete card block the integrated one? possibly. Hence I physically removed the discrete card to force windows to recognize the integrated one. It maybe also because that's how the 8700 shipped and with win7. Even if I did a "fresh" install with only the OS vs. having a recovery (I asked Dell and they shipped me the OS and drivers only), the upgrade to win 10 didn't show the integrated card.

I even did a fresh OS install from microsofts media maker software. Granted, I installed with a display port cable only to the integrated card. Once all install is done, I also connected the hdmi to the discrete and both show. I can't recall 100%, but I think both graphic devices were already showing during the fresh win install. 

So that's be my guess - those stuck and cannot make the BIOS setting work is because something is indeed preventing windows to recognize the integrated card, unless you remove the discrete one physically. 

@goldenset Since the integrated graphics is part of the processor is the processor properly detected and its drivers loaded in Device Manager?

the integrated graphics card, even if part of the processor, does not show under the processor area in device manager. it now shows up as as a device under display adapters. 

are you hinting the integrated graphics card should be showing up under the processor area? that doesn't make sense. why would the processor not show up correctly in device manager once you're in windows? 

@goldenset I know the integrated graphics should show up in Device Manager under Display Adapters, but if your processor is not properly detected in Device Manager under Processor that may affect the fact that iGPU is not properly detected. Under Processors in Device Manager, you should see the exact model of your processor, for example, my processor shows up as Intel Core i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz. It shows up 8 times (4 cores x 2 threads/core).

you did read i posted i already solved the issue right? and i posted really more as a reference for others to know. 

yes it shows up properly.

@goldenset Sorry, I did not see the solution. There is no post marked as the solution.