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
    2021-10-27T23:18:16+00:00

    Great to know that a combination works.

    It makes MS hardware, SW, and support team pieces of junk that can’t get their **** right. It’s pathetic that so many customers are in pain and they don’t care.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-10-27T23:01:02+00:00

    You are a genius!

    1 year of trying to fix this "bug" and this combination saved the Surface Dock 2 to be thrown out of the window!

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-09-16T12:48:27+00:00

    Thanks. Perhaps I'm thinking too much like the engineer here, but the real issue is that the product is unstable - it works, and then it doesn't. All of the aforementioned "fixes" like using active cables, active adapters, lowering the refresh rate, and standing on your head with a finger in the air are simply kluges and workarounds that we shouldn't have to suffer.

    What's telling is that there doesn't seem to be one clear silver bullet that works to fix the problem every time. That said I have yet to try using active HDMI adapters, but I hope that swapping out my Dock 2 for a new one will solve my issues. Although that said perhaps someone can tell me why standard HDMI cables with an active HDMI-USBC adapter would be any different than an active HDMI-USBC cable?

    Microsoft has a problem with this product, and I suspect they know it. At least now I have a wealth of kluges to work with to try and work around their dysfunctional product :)

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-09-16T02:54:28+00:00

    Thanks. This is why it's so frustrating - it works, then it doesn't, then it does, and now it doesn't. If it didn't ever work at all it would almost be better! At this point I have my second monitor plugged directly into my S7 which works fine so that I can have my 2 monitors working.

    So do I understand correctly that you're using MS USBC-HDMI adapters with standard (not active) HDMI-HDMI cables then? And no issues with all of those S7's? I just want to know for future reference because ...

    After the 3rd or 4th time working with MS support they are sending me a new Dock 2, which is great, but I remain cautiously optimistic it's going to work without issue. FWIW they maintain that none of this superfluous hardware (active cables and/or adapter) is necessary and that it should work fine with just HDMI-USBC cables.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-09-15T21:01:45+00:00

    Hi RobbAlarcon,
    That sounds really weird. My school has over 300 Surface Pro 6 , 7 and 7+. Updates are pushed out regularly and I've never heard of an update affecting a genuine Microsoft Active USBC-HDMI adapter. My school Surface Pro 7+ had massive issues with two brand new top-of-the-line HP 27" monitors when I first installed them. After firmware for the 7+ and all Windows updates and genuine MS adapters, everything worked well (that was in March I think). Since then I've applied all Windows updates and update the firmware for the SP7+ regularly (they constantly update their firmware download).

    If the updates are the cause then the problem may be your individual device; possibly worth opening a ticket with MS.
    If you can prove that the monitors worked before the update but not after, you might be up for a replacement device. We do replace the SPs regularly - common faults include battery failure or inability to boot to Network drives for imaging.

    Good luck.

    Regards

    Scott

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