New Surface Dock Does Not Work via mini displayport to HDMI & DVI

Anonymous

The specific device I am referring to, is the new Surface Dock for Surface Pro 3/4 and Surface Book. I have described the issue here on Reddit, and a number of others are also experiencing the same problem. Basically, the new dock doesn't work when the monitor is connected using mini displayport to HDMI. The monitor is detected correctly and the correct resolution is set, but the screen remains black. In my case, I randomly get some image on the monitor, but it's compressed to one side of the screen and garbled. The mini displayport to HDMI adapter works properly when connected directly to the Surface, so the adapter itself is fine. If I instead connect the mini displayport to VGA adapter to the dock, the monitor displays correctly. I have tried using a straight mini displayport to DVI cable and the issue remains. Additionally, I have connected a Surface Pro 3 to the dock and experience the same issue.

So to summarize, the dock does not function correctly when using a mini displayport to HDMI adapter to connect the monitor, but does work with a mini displayport to VGA adapter. This problem is repeatable using both a Surface Book and Surface Pro 3.

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Anonymous

I purchased an active mDP to HDMI adapter from Amazon (Plugable is the brand) and so far the external monitor is working correctly through the dock.

Moderator Edit (11/3/2015): If you are using a passive MDP to DVI adapter and experiencing difficulties, you may need to switch to using an active adapter.

If you switched from a passive to active adapter and continue to experience difficulties using Surface Dock to display to external monitors please consider making some changes to your cabling: different lengths, different quality, different adapters, etc. If adjusting your cabling fails to resolve please consider sharing the following:

Make and model of external displays
Make/model of adapters if present
Make/model of cables

For more troubleshooting info and steps to confirm your Dock is updated, please view our Troubleshoot Surface Dock article.

Thank you,

Josh

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hi,

We suggest that you contact our Surface Answer Desk team for further assistance or visit the nearest Microsoft Store if you are in the US. In case you're offshore, contact our Global Customer Service team.

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315 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-11-28T15:34:41+00:00

Using the latest Surface Dock with Windows 10 on my Surface Book with latest firmware as of 11/28. Upon disconnecting from the dock, then reconnecting a few hours later, only the Surface Book display is operational. I must manually go to Display Settings and re-select "Extend my desktop to this monitor" on both monitors, then click Apply. At that point, Windows expands on to all three screens, and appears to remember the display order. However, I have to do this *every time* I reconnect. The previous Surface Dock did *not* do this. Only the current dock, and on the Surface Book. It barely works on Surface Pro 3.

Please fix this. It's only one minute of my time, but a pain in the rear to have to do this *every* time I reconnect to the $200 dock.

FYI: I tried to choose Surface Accessories, but the Topics dropdown doesn't include the Dock. GRR.
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Anonymous

2015-11-27T06:11:11+00:00

Worked for me too going into the old style control panel per above.
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Anonymous

2015-11-24T16:48:51+00:00

Setup:

Surface Book

'New' Surface Dock

Asus PB287Q Monitor (4K)

I can connect the monitor directly using a mini display port to HDTV cable (no adapter - cable has mini on one end and HDMI on the other). However, I cannot connect if this same exact cord is connected to the mini port on the NEW surface dock.

I can also connect the monitor thru the NEW surface dock if I use a different HDMI to HDMI cable with a HDMI to Mini adapter or I can also use a HDMI to HDMI cable with a Display Link HDMI to USB adapter. Both options work, but limit the resolution on the external monitor.

Please help me understand why the HDMI to mini cord works directly to the surface book, but not thru the dock. I bought a 4k external monitor and would like to take advantage of the highest resolution.
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