Question around dual monitors and usbc connection compatibility

Question

Good morning,

I am having some issues connecting my surface pro 9 to two Philips 5000 series monitors.

I have tried connecting via usbc and the screens do not seem to recognise the laptop. The surface pro tells me that it has begun slow charging and to try using the official charger, so this doesn’t seem to recognise that the monitors are actually monitors.

Both the screens, monitors and cables are all brand new today and have only just been turned on.

I would greatly appreciate any help. I was under the impression that usbc should just be a plug in and go type solution, but I’ve never used one before.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello MattXF,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Community.

We're sorry to hear that you're having problems connecting your device to external monitors. We understand how important this setup is for you.

If I may ask, which Surface Pro 9 model you have? Is it the Intel or ARM-based?

Were you using a dock?

Technically, your Surface can support up to two external monitors using the USB-C port output. If your device is not recognizing the external monitors, then let's try running these steps and see if it helps.

• Force a shutdown and restart your Surface - Microsoft Support
• Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit
• Check for Windows updates. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.

Then, follow more troubleshooting solutions on Troubleshoot connecting Surface to an external display - Microsoft Support.

Let us know how it goes. We look forward to your response.

Regards,

StevenK

Answer 2

Hello,

I have logged back on today to try your solutions but I’ve come up with some very strange problems.

Firstly the display settings doesn’t work. If I try to open them it tells me “The file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed create an association in the default apps settings page.

I have then tried to check if there were updates to windows that might fix this, but noticed my Wi-Fi wasn’t connecting. I have tried to open network and internet settings, but nothing happens when I click it.

I’ve tested various other settings options which also don’t open, including power options, system, network connections, terminal, settings, and search.

Using “run” I have tried to get settings to open by searching ms-settings:

This has returned the following error:

File system error (-805306367).

Overall I cannot seem to access any settings at all, and due to this I also can’t connect to the internet so can’t access any updates.

Answer 3

Thanks for keeping us posted, MattXF.

It looks like you are experiencing multiple issue which might be caused by other software conflicts or corrupted operating system.

With that being said, if most of the necessary methods won't work, then let's try reimaging your device. This option reimages the entire device, including the partition on the hard drive. It is the most complete form of reset. Before you begin, you must have at least an empty 16GB/32GB of USB Flash drive and it must be formatted to FAT32 prior to downloading the Recovery Image.

To proceed, please follow the detailed instructions in Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface - Microsoft Support.

Answer 4

Hello,

I have managed to solve the issue with the help of your live chat. I had to factory reset the machine.

The screens still do not work and nothing seems to get them to function, despite them working fine with other devices. I think I will have to return them as it seems they aren’t compatible for whatever reason.

Answer 5

Thanks for letting us know, MattXF.

So, we assume that your issue has already been resolved. We will not be monitoring this thread moving forward so, if you need further assistance, please create a new thread to discuss these concerns by clicking this link: Create a new question or start a discussion (microsoft.com)