Troubleshooting multiple monitors on a Surface Dock 2 (Surface Pro 7)

Anonymous
2020-08-24T04:46:23+00:00

I'm trying to connect a new Pro 7 to two external monitors (Acer) through the Surface Dock. I'm using two USB C to HDMI cables. 

The Surface can detect the monitors and assigns them numbers (2 and 3) but the screens remain black and no numbers (or other display) shows up.

If I disconnect one of the monitors, the other one immediately turns on. It's quite bizarre.

I have updated the driver, downloaded firmware updates, disconnected/reconnected everything, and generally done everything that it says on the support page. 

I would be grateful if someone could let me know what I need to do to fix this.

Surface | Accessories | Surface Dock

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-04-28T01:18:36+00:00

    I'm the original poster to this now (very large) thread.

    By way of update, we have three Surface Dock 2s, and two Surface Dock 1s. 

    Some 8 months later, the problem remains for the Dock 2s. They are all complete lemons. I have had several replaced. They simply do not work (originals or replacements). 

    It is a lottery each day when we start our tablets as to whose monitors will work and whose will not. Sometimes they do, sometimes they do not. 

    I have tried each and every thing in this thread and nothing fixes it. I've updated the firmware so many times that the word "firmware" has lost all meaning to me. 

    The Dock 1 - completely fine. No issues whatsoever. 

    To say I'm disappointed in the Dock 2 would be a gross understatement. Why on earth would you put out a new product that is so much worse than the old one?

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-04-28T05:10:34+00:00

    Sorry to hear that it has not yet been fixed. I was pulling my hair our earlier this year and went through four Dock 2s. Before the latest Surface Pro 7 update was released that fixed my issues. It was definitely my SP7 and not the docks as each of the docks works fine with the SP7 now.

    We have about 40 Dock2s and 300+ Dock 1s.

    I now insist on genuine MS USBC-HDMI active adapters for Dock2. Just to be sure.

    I reimaged a teacher's SP7 yesterday with a 2020 version of our image (not the latest one) and saw he was getting the fuzzy/blurry screen on his monitor in the classroom. I updated the SP7 firmware update and all was good.

    Definitely push this with MS for a solution. Good luck and thanks for starting the thread - you can see you are not alone.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-04-28T10:31:53+00:00

    Hi!

    Unfortunately I have notice the same "lottery" with Dock 1 as well. I had fixed it, but after unplugging it from the dock after a few days, when I plugged it back I was back to zero.

    External monitors work randomly: sometime one works, sometimes none work. Never had both working again for a week now.

    Very frustrating.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-04-29T14:40:21+00:00

    Now April 29, 2021 and I STILL have this issue with my Dock 2.  

    Can we all just agree that this product has issues that Microsoft needs to address?

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-04-29T15:25:48+00:00

    Agred. Bought the Dock 2 thinking it would be the top of the line product but really let me down. I keep watch on this thread to find if there is this one thing that helps everybody but seems to be random if it works or not. I was going to gift my original Surface Dock to my little brother but, after seeing all the problems, hassle with support and no solution from Microsoft, i just kept it and gave him other accesories to setup a desktop. 

    I'm going to be super skeptical if they ever decide to release a Surface Dock 3.

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