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

Anonymous
2015-10-27T17:18:04+00:00

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.

Surface | Accessories | Surface Dock

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Anonymous
2015-10-29T17:45:57+00:00

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:

  1. Make and model of external displays
  2. Make/model of adapters if present
  3. 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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Anonymous
2017-05-22T09:18:50+00:00

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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  1. Anonymous
    2017-04-12T11:36:13+00:00

    Me too.  The dock was always flakey since day one.  Reinstalled windows last week and the stopped working all together.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-04-12T02:38:12+00:00

    The frustrating part, in my case, was that the setup worked fine for about 5-6 months. No issues at all. After the Anniversary update, I would get occasions where the monitor would go blank. Normally a computer restart/power cycle would bring it back. But one time, it just stopped working all together and hasn't worked since.

    After trying all the trouble shooting steps, I thought that maybe it was an issue with the dock itself. They did an exchange since it was still under warranty, but plugging in the new one, I was right back where I started. I've tried other cables, I may try other monitors since I have some sitting around and see if that makes a difference, but haven't gotten up to shuffle things around just yet.

    The only other thing I can think of is an issue with the connector in the Surface Book base, but not sure how to even troubleshoot that. The connector from the dock was part of the change out so that probably wouldn't be the issue.

    • Ken

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-04-12T01:14:18+00:00

    That's a relatively low-res (QHD) monitor; it's only 2560x1440 pixels (about the same as the Surface screen itself) so it definitely should not require an active adapter.  The dock will drive at least *some* UHD monitors without any support.

    I think the problem here is that the specifications aren't enough to guarantee that monitors and computers actually work together, hence my suggestion from a while back that you take the monitor or the computer into the store and test it before buying the other.  Sad, but true; standards are things that manufacturers try to work round rather than obey.

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