Black Screen After Closing and Reopening Alienware Lid

Summary: An Alienware laptop may display a black screen after closing and then opening the lid if the lid close action is set to Do Nothing.

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Symptoms

The computer’s internal display shows a black screen after closing and reopening the lid when both of the following conditions are true:

  • The Display Mode is set to NVIDIA GPU only in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
    • To check this, launch the NVIDIA Control Panel app. Switch to 3D Settings, go to Manage Display mode, and check if it is set to NVIDIA GPU only.
  • The lid close action in Windows Settings is set to Do Nothing.
    1. To check this, right-click the Windows button and then choose Settings.
      Settings 
    2. From the upper-left, search for LID, then go to Change what closing the lid does.
      Search for LID 
    3. Check if When I close the lid is set to Do nothing.
      When I close the lid setting is set to Do nothing 

This issue only occurs when NVIDIA graphics driver version 32.0.15.7702 is installed.

Affected Platforms:

  • Alienware 16 Area-51 AA16250
  • Alienware 16X Aurora AC16251
  • Alienware 18 Area-51 AA18250

Cause

This issue occurs due to NVIDIA graphics driver v32.0.15.7702.

Resolution

Long-term resolution

Note: Before starting the update, perform the following:
  • Back up all personal data. For more information, refer to Back Up and Recovery.
  • Connect the AC adapter.

Updating the NVIDIA graphics driver to version 32.0.15.8183, A03 or later on the computer resolves the issue. To download and install the driver, refer to the Driver Update Guide.

Workaround

There are two recovery methods for this issue.

  • Plug an external monitor into the computer.
  • Press the power button once, wait for several seconds, then press the power button again.

Affected Products

Alienware 16 Area-51 AA16250, Alienware 18 Area-51 AA18250, Alienware 16X Aurora AC16251
Article Properties
Article Number: 000370592
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 23 May 2026
Version:  4
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