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Surface Pro 4 MiniDisplay to VGA not Working

Anonymous
2016-01-17T08:26:44+00:00

I've been having display issues, no matter what I do the monitor is always black. Monitor is HP-S2031. I can see the monitor in the display settings, but it is always black. The preferred resolution is 1600x900 60Hz and I adjust the settings accordingly.

  1. I used a miniDisplay to VGA adapter(on the dock) and a VGA cable. On the monitor it says: 

VGA: No Signal.

  1. If I unplug the adapter from the dock then to Surface directly, I get:

VGA: Active

Recommended Settings: 1600x900 60Hz

Current Settings: 1600x900 H=67.5Khz V=60Hz

I don't get it. It seems that the surface is getting too high horizontal scanning frequency. 

And on the my old MacBook it was working fine. I checked previous posts they all have problems with HDMI, seems that you change to an active adapter it will be fine. And at least if you connect it directly to surface it should be working. But mine is VGA, and both surface and the dock is not working. 

I am thinking buying a Microsoft built VGA adapter instead... Or, I can try to convert my monitor VGA to HDMI first and then get an active mDP to HDMI adapter...

Any thoughts? I'm desperate over here. Can't believe and spent 2k on this thing and battery is keep draining at sleep, worst is that the monitor is not working. 

UPDATE:

I purchased another adapter on Amazon Basics. Now it works on the Surface. The monitor displays with no issue.

But unfortunately, it still does not work with Surface Dock. I would probably try the converter from MS.

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-07T12:57:50+00:00

    Please try these solutionsand let us know how it goes.

    Regards.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-04T08:33:45+00:00

    I now have the same problem after a recent update. Previously the mini display port to VGA cable was working well with an external monitor, then it stopped working. I have tested the monitor with another computer (it's OK), and I have tested the Surface with another monitor that works with another computer (not OK).

    Has any one else seen this recently?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-04-09T03:50:25+00:00

    Hi all,

    My Surface Pro 4 cannot recognize external monitors using a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter. I've tested this with 3 different adapters that are known to work on with other devices, yet the problem persists. Below is a screen cap showing the situation: the Surface knows that something is plugged in, and through the Control Panel display knows it's a Gateway monitor, yet through Settings, the Surface claims it "Didn't detect another display". Either way, I am unable to get anything to display on the second monitor.

    This is a problem, as I need to connect to projectors for school and work. My OS is up to date, as are my display adapter drivers. The option to roll-back the display drivers is greyed out, and I haven't been able to find anything addressing this situation. I don't feel like it is an issue with the physical Mini DisplayPort, as the monitor is recognized on some level, but I can't understand how this issue could affect my SP 4, but not my friends' SP3 or Surface Book with the same OS and updates.

    Please HELP!

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-01-17T20:45:53+00:00

    And yes, I have VGA cable attached to the adapter before. 

    I did try all the projector mode. no luck.

    I thought there is no passive adapter for VGA. That is an analog signal, how come it could be passive? In order to convert digital mDP to VGA it has to be an active one.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-01-17T15:57:58+00:00

    It sounds like you're doing this, but do you have the VGA cable from the monitor attached to the adapter before plugging into the mini DisplayPort on the Surface? It seems to be a passive adapter and will only detect correctly this way.

    Also, have you tried cycling through Windows Key + P ?

    Regards,

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