Surface Docking Station Malfunction

Question

I am running two external monitors through the docking station to my Surface Book 2.  For several months this worked very well and there were no issues.  Suddenly, everything stopped working!?  When I remove one of the monitors then it things work, but as soon as I plug in the second monitor all I get are black screens on the external monitors.  I have switched monitors and cables around and found that both monitors and cables work fine when run individually to the dock, but again when I hook up the second they both black out.  I have noticed that I hear the 'chime' sound from the Surface Book 2 repeatedly when I plug the second external monitor to the surface dock.  It seems like it's constantly recognizing and losing the connection to the monitor.  I downloaded the surface dock updater and installed the latest firmware, but that was after the issue began.  I am not sure if the problem is with the dock or with my surface book 2?  As I stated, individually each monitor, cable, and dock port seem to operate fine.  Only when the second monitor is added does the whole thing crash and fall into a loop.  

I've also updated the surface book 2 and restarted countless times.  I'm out of ideas, please help!

Answer 1

Hi AlexanderBowers ,

Thank you for raising this concern to us. Just want to make sure that we got your concern, the issue will occur every time you connect both the external monitors on the Surface Dock. Am I correct?

Can you check when was the latest update history on your device? Please include the date.

Meanwhile, let's try to clear you display cache. Here's how to clear your cache:

Undock your Surface from the Surface Dock or disconnect the monitor from your Surface.

1. Download the Surface Dock registry file. Choose to Open the file. This file will clear your cache, whether you have a dock or not.
2. Select and run surface dock registry.reg.
3. Select Yes to allow changes to your Surface, select Yes to confirm, and then select OK to close.
4. Restart your Surface, reconnect the Dock and/or monitors, and try your external display again.

Looking forward for your response and keep us posted of the outcome.

Answer 2

Hi AlexanderBowers ,

I am glad that the issue was resolved. If you have future concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us back here. 

Best Regards,

Abygaille_A

Answer 3

I did just as you directed and it worked!  Not sure how I ended up in this predicament, but I am saving the email so I can return to your advice should this randomly happen again.  Thank you!

Answer 4

Thank you for your suggestion.  I did as you recommended and lowered both monitors to 50 from 59.  The problem persists.  Individually, each monitor works fine, but as soon as a second monitor is plugged into the surface dock they both go black and I get the recurrent 'chime' on my surface is it seems to loop through recognizing the external device over and over.  Any other ideas?

Answer 5

Hi Alexander,

Thank you for posting us here in Microsoft Community! We appreciate your effort on trying to fix the issue. 

May we know if have you tried to change the refresh rate of the external display? If not, you may try the following steps on how to change the refresh rate.

• Connect the external monitor individually and change the refresh rate. (Do this on 2 external monitors)
• Right-click the desktop background and select Display Settings.
• Select the external display.
• Scroll down and select Advanced display settings.
• Select Display adapter properties for Display 2 (and then repeat for Display 3 if two monitors are present).
• Select the Monitor tab.
• Change the Screen refresh rate from the menu. Try a lower refresh rate first.

Keep us posted with outcome.