Mini DisplayPort on new docking station doesn't work

[Enrico D.]

thank you, that's why we can't even believe blogs and photos of deks where everything is running nice and may be it's just some sort of adevertising, we need to upgrade for real and work with it.... so to make a foto just when it is not flickering...... it's a thing, the true seem another, the docking it's an issue. And now that I just saw that we have the jack audio in the surface device I attach the audio of my old dell bar directly to it. I have logitech keyboard bluetook K830 and mouse bluetooh, I just need the 2 usb port I have avaible to give power to adapter for the dvi-d cable but if I switch to a HDMI monitor I will have even it free and 2 usb ports are sufficient.

I just forgot where is the SD card reader in the device. I have to check if we have it or not, because I transfered some file using the usb port on the docking when I did.

 

[Chalker]

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 hardware: Surface Pro 3 i7, 256 GB; Surface docking station, 2 HP Z24i displays, 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.

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. Within the screen resolution settings in windows it often thinks that there is a VGA display plugged in and will act as such (e.g. lets me extend or duplicate the desktop). Doing a shutdown / restart of the Surface also doesn't consistently work.

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 dock back in
-Plug hub back in
-Power Surface back up while undocked and login
-Dock surface
-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)

 

[agt499]

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 hardware: Surface Pro 3 i7, 256 GB; Surface docking station, 2 HP Z24i displays, 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.

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. Within the screen resolution settings in windows it often thinks that there is a VGA display plugged in and will act as such (e.g. lets me extend or duplicate the desktop). Doing a shutdown / restart of the Surface also doesn't consistently work.

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 dock back in
-Plug hub back in
-Power Surface back up while undocked and login
-Dock surface
-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)

Hey Chalker - That routine sounds familiar, but you left out the step where you have to hard-reboot by holding down the power key because none of the displays will work under any circumstances when you come back from lunch!
I am generally Win-P to single screen every time before I undock. I personally find that I need to log in again afterI've docked to get the display scaling to work less badly.
Does the StarTech hub work well once it's going?

 

[Chalker]

Does the StarTech hub work well once it's going?

Works great. Haven't had any problems with it at all. I run the built-in Surface screen at full res, plus the 2 HP displays at 1920 x 1200 each and everything is sharp and smooth.

 

[agt499]

Works great. Haven't had any problems with it at all. I run the built-in Surface screen at full res, plus the 2 HP displays at 1920 x 1200 each and everything is sharp and smooth.

Thanks, good to know. Although if the cable is as short as it looks you really would want it running off the dock!
I note that the Amazon reviews: (http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...s/B00JLRBC7S/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1)
show a 50/50 split between awesome/flaky with the SP3, which sounds familiar...

 

[Enrico D.]

I think that the few peoples had no problems and found some solution had monitors below 2560x1600 resolution, still waiting here reports of people able to use with mdp or mdp adaptors the mdp port on the docking.
I put alread for sale my docking on ebay because from all the messages for now it's 99% change that the docking station 3 has issue and I can't use it making 100 steps each morning to let it work, perhaps to me the monitor work... but it's flickering, so no way for now to solve this issue because for what your wrote it's more hardware issue that just something able to get solved with some windows update/fix and to re-buy it there is alwayes time, but seem like hardware issue this. Am I wrong? please continue to report your troubles, and if possible of 2560x1600 resolution, 30 inch dell screens etc etc.

 

[Enrico D.]

Thanks, good to know. Although if the cable is as short as it looks you really would want it running off the dock!
I note that the Amazon reviews: (http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...s/B00JLRBC7S/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1)
show a 50/50 split between awesome/flaky with the SP3, which sounds familiar...

I watched this adaptor of which you are talking about and it's really could.

For what I know the Sp3 can support max 2 displays at 2560x1600 or max 1 at 4K 3840x2160

so I assume that even with this adaptor you will not have problems if connected to the sp3 device, while if you connect it to the dock you could have some issue, if not luck you in both situation.

I'm having problem with the startech adaptor mdp to dvi-d active, always 2560x1600 resolution, for just 1 monitor.

May that with displayport to displayport adaptors you were more lucky. Again would be interesting who used this adaport on the docking to connect a 2560x1600 screen, like a dell 30 inch, hp or lg.

thanks again!!! keep posting.

 

[Michel]

Hi, I have the same problem! There is no way to link my Samsung LED TV with an Mini DisplayPort /HDMI Adapter with the Docking Station. If I use the minidisplayport on my SP3 I works fine!
I have updated the SP3 after putting it in the docking Station.
Is there any possible solition?

 

[Eric George]

I just unpacked my docking station for the SP3 and the mini displayport doesn't work. I have 2 monitors with displayport to mini displayport cables. One plugged into the Surface, one into the dock, just like Microsoft has shown in their blog posts.

The one out of the Surface works, is detected by Windows just fine. The dock one is not recognized by Windows and I can't force it to. If I swap the cables to the opposite ports the broken monitor works and the other doesn't. That rules out the cable and monitor, all of those are working.

Does anyone else have a malfunctioning dock?

Yes, I'm having the same issue all of a sudden. I bought the dock and have 2 23" monitors hooked up - one through a USB 3 to HDMI converter and and other through MDP to HDMI. It worked fine for about two weeks and now will not recognize the monitor when hooked up to the dock. If I unplug the MDP from the dock and plug it straight into the SP3 it works fine.

For $200 the dock should work better than this!

 

[ynohtna]

Just refreshing my complaint of two 24" u2413 dells, connected to dock via mdp daisy chained,... when I walk away from computer for a bit, come back, shake the mouse to wake up the screen, 90% of the time only the surface wakes and the externals stay in sleep. I have to undock, then re-dock for it to work again.

 

[simonking]

Well, I've been experiencing this issue, and it appears the SP3 dock is indeed buggy.

First off, I never had issues with my SP2 dock. It worked flawlessly with my current, existing setup: Dell U3014 30" monitor connected via a StarTech 4-port switch, over dual link DVI, and to the Surface through a powered mini display port to dual link DVI adapter.

After upgrading to SP3, I have this seriously irritating problem of the monitor disconnecting for a few seconds and then re-connecting.

It is not an issue (other than a nuisance) when doing my work on the SP3, but if I am gaming - it is a BIG problem.

Most games cannot handle a monitor disconnect, and you end up with a black screen, no mouse cursor; the game often won't respond to the close button on the taskbar and worse yet because the screen is black due to some DirectX fanciness - you cannot even launch Task Manager to kill the game EXE so you can get back your screen, because the whole Desktop is black except for the taskbar.

This issue happens quite rarely when using the regular Desktop with 2D apps but it happens quite frequently when gaming. It is seriously a nuisance and I am currently considering a SP2 downgrade because this literally renders games unplayable.

I have tried two docks already. i7 and i3 and i5 SP3s. This is not an intermittent issue. It happens on every SP3 that has crossed my path and it never, ever happened with any SP2.

Come on Microsoft...stop downgrading three things while you're upgrading two things. The overall step backward really upsets people.

 

[jliv]

Hello,
While I am not 100% sure that this will be helpful, I thought I would post it anyway for those who might have the same problem.

My problem and setup (which I believe is similar to the person who started this thread, consists of the following: I have a SP3 with dock and a Samsung S32D850 monitor. I am connecting the dock's mDP to the DP on the Samsung. The cable is a standard DP to DP, and their is a small mDP to DP adapter on one end. I can connect the monitor to the mDP port on the SP3 with no problems, but I cannot get the SP3 to recognize the monitor in anyway, if I plug in to the mDP port on the dock.

Possible Solution: I spoke with MS Surface Support, and they asked for the S/N of my dock (located on the bottom of the unit) and did a check to see if it had any known problems. Turns it that it does, and their internal database for such things, specifically describes the mDP port being defective. The tech is shipping me a new dock, free of charge, and not even asking for the old one back. For a minute there, I thought I was talking to the Apple Store guys. ;-) I say this is a "possible solution," as I have not received the new dock yet, and therefore cannot confirm that this is indeed the problem. I will report back once I know.