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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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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
    2015-11-21T14:37:13+00:00

    Hi everyone, first post.

    I have a SB and the dock.  Had the same issue of not being able to connect 1 - 4K monitor and 1 additional monitor to the dock.  What a nice, single wire connection setup this would have been if the dock worked!  After trying multiple HDMI cables  and various configurations, I still couldn't get the dock to work.  Also, connecting the 4 k monitor directly to the book wouldn't get 4k resolution (my Surface 3 pro had no problem with this). 

    Went to MS store and they duplicated the problem (I was the first person with this issue!), but they couldn't fix it.  It would only drive the 2 monitors via VGA.  Like others, I didn't buy a $200 dock and $50 worth of cables to use VGA.  So, I just returned the dock and the MS - HDMI to Display Port adapter I purchased from the MS store.   

    I then connected my old reliable Targus ACP70USZ dock with a USB connection to the Book.  Hooked up the 4k display directly to the Book with a display port to mini display port adapter (the only way to get 4k 60 Hz resolution).  Then connected the 2nd monitor to the Targus dock's HDMI port and it works fine.   It's a 3 cable solution 1. Surface power cable, 2. Display port 4k monitor directly to the Book, and 3. USB Targus dock connection to the book, but it works,  no problems at all. 

    If the MS dock connection problems  get fixed in the future, I might purchase it again just to eliminate the wires, but I can't waste any more time on this.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-11-21T05:11:27+00:00

    Josh,

    Followed the instructions in Scenario C. It worked fine. I ended up seeing the three monitors: The monitor on SB and the two external monitors attached to the surface dock. However after a reboot, I again ended up with only the built in monitor active. The other two monitors connected to the dock were dark. So your procedure has to be repeated every time the SB is rebooted.

    I also obtain similar results with windows+P / duplicate followed by windows+P / extend.

    In my case the dock connector is not reversible. It only works when it is connected in a certain way. I don't think this is normal. Do you concur? If yes, is there any way to tell who is at fault,The SB or the dock?

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-11-20T21:55:55+00:00

    Josh,

    Thanks for your detailed message. Before I test some of the recommendations in your message, could you please tell me if the way the dock connector is attached to the surface book makes a difference (chord pointing towards the hinge versus cord pointing away from the hinge). In practice it does but I want to know if that is the expected behaviour. Thanks in advance for your response.

    My observation concerning multiple monitors is that after the last windows and firmware updates the system comes back with only the surface book monitor active. If I do Windows+P and select pc monitor only followed by Windows+P extend, I get both external monitors working, until the next reboot. This is before applying your recommendations.

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