Troubleshooting UD-3000 and UD-3900 display “monitor blank” issues

The UD-3000 docking station features DisplayLink’s DL-3700 chipset and the UD-3900 features the DL-3900 chipset. In both, these chipsets manage the USB 3.0 graphics, audio output and Gigabit Ethernet functions. The associated drivers are installed automatically from Windows Update if an internet connection is present when the docking station is first connected to the PC(a drivers CD also comes in the box). In most cases setting up multiple monitors using the dock is a plug-and-play experience, but when there are issues and an external monitor simply will not display, the source of the problem can be hard to track down. This troubleshooting guide talks about some of the most likely causes for a “monitor blank” problem, specifically for when the monitor is connected through the DVI port on the back of the dock.

The list of symptoms outlines the most common problems we’ve seen, followed by troubleshooting steps that describes possible solutions applicable to these symptoms.

Symptoms:

1. Monitor briefly displays “No Signal” before turning blank, but Windows Display Control Panel detects the connection, similar to monitor #3 below:

2. Monitor displays successfully at first, but drops connection and turns blank randomly.

3. Monitor shows no display and Windows does not detect a monitor connection – display control panel does not detect the display:

Troubleshooting:

A. Is the problem related to Windows 8 only?

If The dock is only having issues on USB 3.0 Windows 8, please see our article below on Win 8 and Intel USB 3.0 Host Controllers:
Windows 8 and Intel USB 3.0 Host Controllers

B. Is the problem related to USB 3.0 only?

If the dock is connected to the computer via a USB3.0 port, verify that the machine’s USB 3.0 host controller driver is up to date. Driver download can usually be found from the computer manufacturer’s website. A simple test to narrow down the issue to a USB 3.0 specific problem is by connecting the dock to a USB 2.0 port on the machine instead.

Current host controller driver information can be found by opening Device Manager, right click on USB 3.0 Host Controller, Properties.

Driver version and provider info is listed under the Driver tab.

C. Is the recommended version of DisplayLink driver installed?

Current installed DisplayLInk driver version can be viewed in Add/Remove Programs (XP, Vista) or Programs and Features(Win 7), listed as “Display Link Core Software”. For up to date information on the currently recommended driver for this dock, please visit
USB 3.0 DisplayLink Drivers

As a best practice, it’s a good idea to reboot the machine after driver installation.

D. Is an external display adapter such as the included VGA to DVI connected to the dock?

Verify that all components are securely connected with all pins screwed in. Power cycle the dock by unpluging and repluging the power cord of the dock to reset connections. This will prompt the dock to poll for monitor EDID again.

When the dock detects a connection but monitor EDID is not being passed successfully, Windows Display Control Panel lists the monitor as “No Monitor”, and only the default screen resolutions are listed.

When using an additional display adapter, make sure to connect the adapter to the monitor cable first, before connecting the adapter to the dock. This will ensure that the dock can successfully poll monitor EDID on initial connection, avoiding communication issues that may arrise by connecting a loose adapter to the dock first. When possible, test by connecting the display to the dock using a DVI cable directly to narrow down the issue.

With some TV monitors, the display input mode needs to be manually changed by navigating through the menu system on the monitor in order for EDID to pass successfully.

E. Is Windows Display Control Panel configured to connect to the monitor?

Verify in Windows Display Control Panel that the monitor is set to Extend or Duplicate mode:

When a previously connected monitor was disconnected manually, Windows may cache the setting upon next connection. In these cases the monitor is displayed as Disconnected with Resolution and Orientation settings greyed out. Simply select the disconnected screen, and choose a different mode in the Multiple displays drop down to reconnect.

F. Is the DisplayLink service running?

Open Services by typing in services.msc in Start>search field(Win7, Vista) or Start>Run (XP). Verify that DisplayLinkManager service is Started, and has Startup Type set to Automatic.

The DisplayLinkManager service needs to be started in order for DisplayLink software and driver to function correctly. Right click on the service and select Start if it’s not already running, but if manually starting the service doesn’t work, it’s likely that an anti-virus security software on the machine is preventing the service from running. Disable the anti-virus or add DisplayLink as an exception.

For any further questions please contact us at support@plugable.com and we’ll be glad to help!

15 comments on “Troubleshooting UD-3000 and UD-3900 display “monitor blank” issues”

  1. Rob Semmens

    Thank you for this guide! Fixed it right up.

  2. Randy

    Hello I have an issue with this where it (Windows 10) has suddenly started detecting a third non-existent display. I use it with the Plugable USB switch for a dual monitor, dual laptop configuration, single mouse/keyboard. The system was working just fine and then recently started detecting this third ghost display. It causes my resolutions and screen settings to get all jacked up each time I switch between systems.

    • marc

      Hi there! Thank you so much for reaching out to us, I am sorry to hear that you are running into this issue! Please contact us directly at support@plugable.com, so that we can provide the next couple of steps to help resolve the issue. Thank you!

  3. Dave

    I’m having the exact same problem with Plugable 3900 and Windows 10. I’ve updated the DisplayLink Driver but still seeing extra monitor where the graphics often jump around a bit and flash. I’ll try updating the USB 3.0 driver.

    • Marc M.

      Hi Dave,

      Thank you so much for reaching out to us! I am sorry to hear that you are running into the same issue, but I am glad that you are attempting to update the driver. If you are still experiencing any issues, or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us directly at support@plugable.com, and we would be more than happy to assist!

      Thank you for your time,
      Marc
      Product Owner & Technical Support
      http://www.plugable.com/support

  4. Betty Sun

    I use lenovo laptop with windows 10. However after I installed the driver. It just no longer can detect the second monitor. I tried update usb 3.0 driver(actually it is already most updated) powder recycle, it just doen’t work. Even I selected display extend mode via window key+P. it just goes to PC screen only automatically.

    • Bob Boerner

      Given your description of the behavior, please double-check within the Display Settings application (available via right-clicking on an empty space of your desktop), under the ‘Multiple displays’ section, that each monitor is set as an Extension of your desktop (you will have to click on each monitor number to check the setting for each one). In other words, we don’t want Windows marking any of them as ‘Disconnected’ (Windows 10 seems to do this on its own from time to time). I also made a short video showing steps should you need it -> https://youtu.be/irAUYfdTp4I If that does not help, please reach out to us directly via support@plugable.com with one of our PlugDebug files (http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug) and we will be happy to help.

  5. Ernest

    Ernest

    Apr 30, 14:03 PDT

    i got the Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows. I have installed the driver for Windows 10 (DisplayLink+USB+Graphics+Software+for+Windows+9.0+M1.exe) in 3 laptops. All of them can see the station, but one can’t detect the 2 displays (DVI and HDMI). How to fix this issue. Let me know as soon as you can. All 3 laptops using Windows 10 Prof. Thank you!

    • Mitchell F

      Hi Ernest,

      I’m glad you reached out to us directly and we were able to resolve the issue.

      To provide some context, DisplayPort to HDMI or DisplayPort to DVI cables cannot be used to connect from a HDMI/DVI video output (such as the HDMI/DVI port on the UD-3900 dock) to a DisplayPort input on a monitor. These cables are not bi-directional, which means that only work in one direction — from DisplayPort output to HDMI/DVI input.

      Thanks!

  6. Andrew Tucker

    I am using a Windows Surface Pro 4, and I bought the UD-3900 for use with this device. I have downloaded the driver, and power cycled both the computer and the hub. I am still not detecting either of the displays. My display setting are such that this setup works at home on a different hub.

    • Bob Boerner

      Sorry to hear about the troubles, and apologies for the frustration. The behavior you describe is not expected, so our next step is to get some additional information. Please send the output of our PlugDebug utility (http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug) and the Amazon Order ID number for your UD-3900 purchase to us directly via support@plugable.com so we may assist.

  7. Tricia P

    I just hard wired in my internet to the Plugable device and my 3rd monitor screen resolution changed on its own, squishing it. I have tried every resolution setting, reconnected the monitor to the Plugable device and updated all monitor drivers in device manager. Nothing is fixing it. It is not workable how it is displaying. I don’t see any resolution here either. Can you help?

    • Bob Boerner

      Hi Tricia,

      Thank you for posting! We typically would not expect the act of connecting an Ethernet cable to the Plugable UD-3900 docking station to be able to affect the behavior of a connected display in any way, so the behavior you describe is unexpected. Given the unexpected behavior, our next step is to get some additional information.

      Please keep the dock connected to your Windows laptop and all of the displays connected to the dock (even though not working as expected) and please send the output of our diagnostic utility PlugDebug –> http://plugable.com/support/plugdebug to us directly via support@plugable.com. This will allow us to examine some log files from your system to help determine the next steps. Please also include the Amazon Order ID number for the dock purchase.

      ** If you can also include a clear photo that demonstrates the problem behavior (for example taken with a smartphone) that would be much appreciated as it will allow us to ‘see’ what is happening **

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