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
    2017-04-12T00:50:53+00:00

    Same problem here  -- I also purchased a new monitor that's supposed to work (Dell P2416D) and tried every cable combination possible (HDMI, DTV) with recommended active adapter, but the Pro4 docking station will not drive the monitor -- get connect tone, but black screen. All cable solutions work when connected directly to Pro4 mini display port, even without using an adapter. Frustrating!

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-04-11T22:30:38+00:00

    As Derrick stated, I'm using a Surface Book, and this issue has been going on since just after the Anniversary Update. Already been through the updates, power cycles, driver update, cable changes, and even sent in the Dock and received a replacement. I finally gave up and it's been sitting here. I just plug separate cables into everything I need on the Surface Book, including using the mini DP on the Surface Book.

    With the latest Windows update, and noticing a newer version of the Surface Dock tool, I went through and updated everything, and tried again. No Joy.

    I can plug the dock in, but as soon as I connect the monitor DP cable/connector (DVI or VGA) I get the connected tones, then the Surface book display goes black, and occasionally shows a screen for a second as if it's switching to a different mode, then goes black again. Larger display LED just flashes as if it's  not connected to anything. As soon as I remove the DP cable from the dock, the Surface Book screen comes back to life.

    As others have stated, I can use the mini DP on the computer without a problem, but it defeats the purpose to have to plug several different cables in  rather than just one dock cable.

    Ken

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-04-07T17:54:04+00:00

    I bought two Plugable brand active, mDP -> HDMI adapters.  Neither worked with the dock.  Black screen with random tearing images persists.

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