Surface Pro 3 external monitor / display port issues

Anonymous
2014-09-04T17:19:34+00:00

I know many people have been having issues with external monitors and the displayport connections on the Surface Pro 3 and Surface dock.  I've been having some issues too, and thought I'd share my config / workarounds in case it helps. I believe the issue is fundamentally with the Surface video drivers getting confused, not the docking station. 

My explicit questions are: Is there an easy way to force it to detect new displays?  Anybody have any other suggestions on how to resolve this?  Is there some way to open a formal technical ticket with MS?

My hardware: Surface Pro 3 i7, 256 GB; Surface docking station, 2 HP Z24i displays (1920x1200 resolution each), StarTech Mini DisplayPort 1.2 to Triple Head DisplayPort MST Hub (StarTech PN# MSTMDP123DP)

It's setup as follows: Mini DisplayPort MST Hub plugged into back of docking station, HP monitors plugged into ports 1 and 2 of the hub.

I've had this setup running for about 2 weeks. At first I couldn't get it working, but with the last firmware update in mid August it started working fine.

HOWEVER, just this week I've had issues where I can't get the Surface to detect the displays / output to them when I first plug in to the dock in the morning OR sometimes when it's waking up from going to sleep (like at lunchtime). No amount of fiddling / plugging / unplugging things seems to consistently fix it.  The 'Detect' button in the Screen Resolution window doesn't help.  Doing a shutdown / restart of the Surface also doesn't consistently work. Note that when the Surface gets like this, even plugging the Hub directly into the mini display port on the Surface itself (with it not docked) won't work.

The reason I believe this is a Surface / Windows issues is that when it gets into this state, within the screen resolution settings in windows it often thinks that there is another active display plugged in and will act as such (e.g. lets me extend or duplicate the desktop) - even if I have the surface completely undocked, not plugged into anything. Specifically it says it is a "Display device on: Mobile PC Display" with a resolution lower than 1024 x 768.  See pic below.  This state often survives through a reboot of the Surface.

The general process I usually get to work after a couple tries:

-Use Windows-P keys to set the surface to use only the internal display

-Shutdown the surface and undock

-Unplug the dock and hub

-Plug hub back in

-Power Surface back up while undocked and login

-Dock surface

-Plug dock back in

-I'll know it works at this point because the displays will automatically come on (no need to use windows-P key to toggle them)

NOTE TO FORUM MODS:

Before you reply with your standard questions, know that I've already done all the normal things, including shutdown, check all cables, all updates installed, run the hardware and devices troubleshooter.  I've also checked related threads, such as: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro3-surfdevice/external-display-flicker/1e2b9154-0533-4137-880f-55a90d2d6659?page=1&tm=1409850909719 (Note I've never had an issue with flicker) and http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/mini-displayport-on-new-docking-station-doesnt-work.10577/ (This isn't an active vs. passive adapter thing.)  Once I get it working it works just fine until the surface undocks or reboots.  It's clearly an issue with Windows / Surface not properly detecting displays.

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-04-17T22:07:30+00:00

    StarTech support have asked me to exchange my hub, thinking it's faulty, so I will be trying out another one next week.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-04-16T09:50:10+00:00

    I'm having the exact same issues with my Surface Pro 3 and StarTech MST hub, connected to two monitors (one monitor at 3400 x1440, and one at 1080 x 1920). But I'm not using the Dock.

    Everything works fine until a sleep, reboot or disconnect and reconnect from hub screws it up. Also it is not consistent. Sometimes I can put the Surface Pro into sleep or reboot it and it wakes up and all monitors are fine, and another time it will fail and I have to go through the whole unplugging/powering off.

    I have also tried upgrading to the latest Intel graphics driver, as described on https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/2ripz4/enabling\_intel\_hd\_graphics\_control\_panelupdating/ but that did not help either.

    Very frustrating.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-04-08T13:14:37+00:00

    I've gone ahead and installed Windows 10 Tech Preview (dual boot) on my SP3 now. So far that seems to work great with my dual 2560x1440 setup. I configured my displays once and it has remembered those settings across undocks/docks as well as sleep/hibernation- and power-cycles. I haven't spent too much time with it so far, probably a little under a week, but so far so good.

    Unfortunately, Win10 is pretty awful to use in tablet mode so it's not a solution. Hopefully they can hold back some of the more jarring changes from 8.x to 10 and make it the best of both worlds.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-04-07T16:02:28+00:00

    New firmware update and I'd said I'd update everyone.

    It has gone from bad to worse now.

    Just updated and now the Surface doesn't recognise the MST hub at all now. That is connected to the dock or the Surface itself. I tried a different MST hub with a different power supply just in case and the same.

    When I tried with just a monitor into the mini DP to DP adapter, I get no picture on the external monitor.

    It extends the desktop but no picture. A bit like when it was plugged into the MST hub!!

    I feel like asking for a refund soon.

    So, if your setup is working at the moment, don't update your Surface!

    On another note, I managed to speak to a MS Surface support guy and he said that there are MST hubs that are certified 'Designed for Surface' and they will definitely work.

    He did say that some hubs have the older chipset and some models of hub will have the updated working chipset but the model number is the same. Not great for us!

    He suggested the 2 output MST Hub from Club3D as that 'should' work.

    I might try and see if I can get one to test.

    This is getting very annoying!

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-04-02T14:41:47+00:00

    I was certain I had posted an update about my situation since December, but apparently not.

    So, my solution from October was rock solid for me up until a patch Tuesday in, I believe, February. It was the one where they specifically called out display port fixes - since this update my setup has been a nightmare.

    Basically it regressed to how the previous StarTech hub used to work, i.e. not very well at all. Every time my Surface re-docks, wakes up from sleep or hibernation or even sometimes on cold boot I now have to press the reset button on my DP hub, power cycle my monitors and re-enable "extend my desktop" in display properties. I haven't seen the BSoD I was getting with the StarTech hub yet, but the experience is pretty much as painful.

    I don't know what they did, but I've heard from Startech users that their setup is now working fine whereas it wasn't earlier. It's almost like they switched a switch and reversed what was and wasn't working.

    Whatever it was, please **** fix it again because my SP3, which replaced my desktop, laptop and tablet, is pretty awful to use right now. It's a wonder I haven't done to it what I did to one of my developer Lumia 1520's...

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