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
    2015-11-10T02:34:39+00:00

    I posted this as a question and the moderator converted it to a discussion. To clarify, I switched the Title with the question I originally posed at the end of the post to make clear that there is a technical question here.

    I request the Moderator to restore this to a Question.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-11-09T21:28:11+00:00

    Agreed!

    I am not asking for anything out of the ordinary. I just expect decent customer service. Come on Microsoft! Just provide a "known issues" area and note estimated time for fixes. It's not rocket science. It's not even difficult. We are tired of waiting.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-11-09T06:11:53+00:00

    Split from this thread.

    Split from this thread.

    <Moderator edited content not relevant to this thread issue>

    I have two external monitors: Asus and ViewSonic. I have a miniDP to DP cable to use the Asus as a display with the Surface Book, and this monitor works fine either directly connected or connected through the Surface Dock. I also have a miniDP to DVI cable to use the ViewSonic as a display with the Surface Book and this monitor works fine when directly connected from the Surface Book to the ViewSonic. It does not work through the Surface Dock using the very same miniDP to DVI cable that works when directly connecting.

    So, I'm trying to connect the Surface Book through the Surface Dock to the ViewSonic. Most of the time, I receive a blinking screen on the ViewSonic; the extended desktop comes on and shuts off about once a second. Sometimes it displays a thin vertical column centered on the screen which is a portion of the desktop it should be displaying. So, it's not working but at least the signal isn't random noise.

    I tried a Pluggable Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Active Adapter, and I happen to have a BlueRigger HDMI to DVI cable that I know works. If I go to Desktop->DisplaySettings->(SelectMonitor2)->AdvancedDisplaySettings->DisplayAdapterProperties->Adapter->ListAllModes and select a Resolution, Color Depth and Frequency where the Frequency is something other than 60 Hertz, it works. But, not all Resolutions and Color Depths are available at Frequencies other than 60 Hertz. So instead of "1600 by 1200", the best resolution I can select is "1280 by 1024". Ironically, the ViewSonic monitor itself puts up a message when I connect at "1280 by 1024" saying "Resolution Notice: For best picture quality, change resolution to 1600 by 1200". Thanks.

    I can get "1600 by 1200" resolution and 60 Hertz fine, through either the miniDP to DVI cable or the Pluggable Active Adapter to BlueRigger HDMI to DVI cable combination, if I don't use the Surface Dock.

    I did see a grayed out option at Desktop->DisplaySettings->(SelectMonitor2)->AdvancedDisplaySettings->DisplayAdapterProperties->Monitor for "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display: Clearing this check box allows you to select display modes that this monitor cannot display correctly. This may lead to an unusable display and/or damaged hardware". I note that this box is not checked, and because it's grayed out, I cannot check it.

    Prior Title was:

    Surface Dock miniDP doesn't work to DVI even with Active Adapter at 60 Hertz

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