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Using a Microsoft Surface 4, Docking Station, and Display Adapter to Connect to External Monitor

We've got 10 Microsoft Surface Pros; with some of those, we want to use external monitors. We've attempted to do this with a couple of the units using a MS Surface Docking Station and a display adapter. No matter whether we plug directly into a monitor's HDMI port with a standard cable or the DVI using an HDMI-to-DVI cable, it doesn't work. When we set the external monitor to the input we used, the Surface flickers black for a second as though it recognizes the monitor, but the Windows desktop immediately comes back. Nothing ever shows up on the external monitor.

Would love some help with this one.
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Wesley Johnson
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Wesley Johnson
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rindiCommented:
Right click an empty space on the desktop and then select "Display Settings". You should now see the external display and you can select to extend, show only on 1, show only on 2, or duplicate display. Be aware that "Duplicate" only makes sense if both display's have the same native resolution, and with extend it is also best to the same native resolutions on the external and laptop display.
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Wesley JohnsonIT AssistantAuthor Commented:
Rindi - Deleted my previous response. It didn't see that another display was plugged in with DVI; with HDMI, though, it finally started seeing the external monitor.  I didn't notice it had picked that up until just now.

I've tried changing resolutions, duplicating/extending, etc. Each time yields the same results - when set to the input I'm using, the Surface turns black for a split second and then goes back to the Windows desktop, the external monitor goes back to my PC.

EDIT: Played around a bit longer and finally got it to work with the HDMI! Sadly, though, we don't have many HDMI-capable monitors. We do have plenty of DVI. I have an HDMI-to-DVI cable, as mentioned, but it refuses to recognize the monitor with those. Any advice for that route?
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Wesley JohnsonIT AssistantAuthor Commented:
The monitor finally picked up! Thanks! Got it to work on DVI, too. Suspect the first monitor I tried it on had some issue preventing it from switching inputs.
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