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

Hi - I just spent an hour with Microsoft via their Chat line on this issue - thought I'd provide you with an update on my experience given your similar one.

I was advised after hours of diagnostics (to no avail) - and no driver updates available on the Surface Dock site that will install on a Surface Pro 8 (but I don't think it would make a difference anyway) - that I should return the Dock 2 to my retailer, and having gone through the rigmarole to do this, I have now used the replacement brand new Surface Dock 2 which exhibits exactly the same problem - there's a problem with the product and how its designed - it wasn't a case of my first one being faulty - they ALL are.

The solution from the Microsoft support person via the Chat support line was to "use your old Surface Dock 1".

They then told me that this issue was not known to them (which I find hard to believe given how much chatter there is regarding this issue) but then in the same breath indicated that the engineers are aware of it and will find a software/firmware solution for the problem.

I honestly don't know what to believe - such an expensive and supposedly premium docking station simply fails to do what it promises to do. I am now left with having to get my money back or just keep it in a drawer until such time as Microsoft acknowledge they have a SERIOUS issue with this Surface Dock 2 and fix its firmware and/or drivers.

In any case, thought you should know.

Good luck with it!

Mike.

I have the same issue. Been through all the steps (firmware updates, cache clears, etc). The only thing that has ever worked, albeit temporarily, are two things:

1. While the monitors and everything is stil plugged into the dock, unplug the power cable from the dock itself, wait about 5-10 seconds, plug it back in
2. Display Settings -> Advanced Display Settings -> Select the monitor(s) you're having issues with and change the Hz value to different things. It will ask you if you want to keep the changes or revert them. I have found that if I hit "Revert" at just the right time, it'll work.

Performing the magic combination of these two steps has fixed my issue, but always only temporarily. EVERY TIME the computer goes to sleep and I wake it back up I have to do it again. These are just temporary steps till I can figure out a better docking setup and throw this thing in the trash.

I have the same setup at work and at home: Surface Dock 2 with the Microsoft adapters and dual monitors. The monitor brands are different at the 2 locations. I take my Surface Book 3 between both locations.

I continue to have random glitching and blackouts among the monitors in both locations. I first posted about this here a long time ago, and I've observed most of the proposed fixes people have offered. Nothing seems to work, and I've given up trying to make a diagnosis. This instability needs to be fixed. (Not cheap to purchase 2 Microsoft docks and 4 Microsoft adapters, BTW.) It is not working as advertised, and I did not have this problem with the original dock and a similar setup.

The 'trick' only works some of the time though, which is what is so maddening about all of this. If the problem had a one time fix it wouldn't be such an issue, but it's "whack a mole" in that every time I reboot, or the damn thing decides to reboot on it's own, the problem starts all over again. Just yesterday the solution was to go through the Win+Ctrl+Shift+B process no less than 5 times while one or the other monitor worked but the other didn't and then FINALLY they both worked. Quite simply this product sucks, but I can't afford the alternative which is to completely abandon it. *&^%*&-you MS - fix this mess.

I've had a similar situation recently with my surface book 3 trying to communicate with two additional external monitors. 

What finally ended up working for me was noticing that my surface dock 2 was not labeled as "Surface Dock 2" like it normally is under the "Devices and Printers" list. It was given some other "Unknown USB device" name instead. I right clicked it and uninstalled that device. Then I reconnected the Surface Dock 2 and everything was detected again. My monitors are now working!

Something in the way Windows 10 was communicating with the dock was wrong. This apparently reset some internal settings are got things going again.

Hope this helps others.