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
    2017-01-31T14:56:57+00:00

    I faced same problem on the surface dock's minidisplay port.

    Using Dell's Minidisplay to VGA conventer, external monitor does not work, surface screen keeps flashing.

    Switch to Apple Minidisplay to VGA conventer, everything works fine. 

    But I have to add, both conventers work fine on the minidisplay port on surface itself.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-02-01T04:33:22+00:00

    Hi,

    You can check for and install the latest updates. You can also try the troubleshooting steps for Surface Dock.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Regards.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-02-28T22:24:00+00:00

    I was having this same issue with my Surface Book and Surface Dock. I was unable to connect my Samsung SyncMaster S22B310 via an Insignia Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter through the Surface Dock.  The monitor light would blink like it was trying to connect but the screen would stay black.  I tried changing the settings on the monitor from Analog to DVI: PC and to DVI:AV but still wasn't even able to detect the extra monitor in the Display Settings on the Surface Book.  I could use this same set-up to connect directly to the MP on the Surface Book and did get this to work.  I did eventually get the setup through the dock to work; see solution below.  

    Since I wanted to be able to use my dock, I also tried using an Insignia Mini Display Port to VGA adapter to connect directly to the MP on the Surface Book and through the dock.  Both of these set-ups worked, although it definitely took several attempts and some patience.

    I was eventually able to get the MP to DVI adapter to work through my dock by downloading the Surface Dock Updater Tool here:

    https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/hardware-and-drivers/update-surface-dock?os=windows-10&=undefined

    This tool updated the firmware on the Surface Dock and now my connection using the MP:DVI adapter through my dock is working perfectly.

    Hope this helps.

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