On May 18th, DisplayLink released their latest version 6.3 Windows drivers. This single driver supports all USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 generation DisplayLink-based products (including all USB graphics products from Plugable), on Windows XP SP2 and later, and Server 2008 and later.

We’re recommending this driver for all USB 3.0 generation products (Like our Plugable USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter). And it’s a good upgrade for USB 2.0 users, too.

The largest improvements for existing users of any DisplayLink-based device, including USB 2.0 ones, are:

1) Much better support in Windows Vista/7 Basic mode (Aero off). While this is a corner case, it’s a huge amount of work on DisplayLink’s part, and will save a lot of frustration for those intentionally or unintentionally dropped into Basic mode by Windows.
2) Better performance / resolution scalability on slower CPUs by avoiding an extra copy for every pixel (introduced earlier in 6.x series)
3) Bugs and other issues resolved

Here are the details from DisplayLink’s release notes, ordered by our perceived importance of the improvement (based on our support cases here at Plugable).

Fixed issues since R6.2 (from DisplayLink’s release notes)

On Windows 7/Vista WDDM Basic, video is not supported. It may work in some
cases but exhibits poor performance. It may stop working after an update from
Windows Update that affects the graphics subsystem. (2028,1609, 3883)

On Vista and Windows 7 in Basic Mode, video will not play on DisplayLink
screens after installation until the PC is rebooted. In Aero mode no reboot
is needed before video will play. (4432)

Occasionally on Windows 7, applying a layout change involving DisplayLink
screens can change the resolution of or turn off one or more screens. To
recover, press the Windows+P keys and select a different setting. (6010, 8741,
9768, 8618, 9956, 10739, 12300, 12715, 13166, 13167, 13226, 13296, 13334)

Some systems may not boot into Windows when DisplayLink device is connected.
(13657)

All screens are black after several layout changes on some machines. (13550)

On some systems all displays may be black or flashing when resuming from
display power save. (13582, 13471)

Sometimes changing mode or layout position of a DisplayLink monitor may fail
with a “Cannot write to specific device” message in the system tray. To recover
replug the device. (13517)

Optimized for Video option removed from Devices and Printers. (13746)

Sometimes all monitors can get blank if trying to mirror two DisplayLink
monitors connected to the system. (13355)

Sometimes enabling previously switched off main monitor may cause all displays
to flicker. (13149)

Sometimes a blue screen can occur when disconnecting DisplayLink device while
having another monitor connected to laptop’s main VGA/DVI port. (13256)

PowerDVD 12 crashes with DisplayLink software installed. (13668)

USBCV tests not passing (13879, 13896, 13878)

Repeated replugging of certain Display Monitors can cause indeterminate
behaviour. (13581)

Failure to detect some hot swapped DVI monitors. (13597)

Fullscreen Direct X Metro applications will be software rendered on DisplayLink
and non-DisplayLink screens

DisplayLink USB 3.0 generation (DL-3×000) fixes

Audio on DL3x00 devices is not automatically default when first connected to
Windows XP systems. (13511)

Occasional failure in resuming from sleep for DL3x00 devices. (13440)

Occasionally after installation the Ethernet driver for the DisplayLink device
will not load. Unplug and replug to recover. (12050)

Wrong audio jack information. (13496)

On some Windows XP systems connecting a network cable to a DisplayLink device
causes the address bar of Windows Explorer to start blinking. (12568)

In particular circumstances a DL3x00 device can drop from SuperSpeed to High
Speed USB. (13769)

USB 3 connection dropping to USB 2 during power state transitions with some
DL3x00 devices. (13769)

Sometimes a DisplayLink monitor connected through DisplayPort may flash after
a resolution change. (13342)

DisplayPort monitor may remain black after being connected to a DisplayLink
device. (13577)

HDMI audio stops playing after some time. (13307)

HDMI compliance timing fails at resolution 640 x 480@60. (13652)

On some systems using Renesas USB 3.0 host controller disconnecting the
DisplayLink device while playing video may cause system to hang for up to
2 minutes. System will automatically recover after that time. (13364)

Audio not available on DisplayPort monitors immediately after drivers
installation. (13580)

Ethernet on DL3x00 devices unreliable when connected to specific Gigabit
Ethernet switches. (13161)

Default volume on DL3x00 devices too high. (13608)

Ethernet connection dropping out under heavy load on 10Mb networks. (13688)

Supported Operating Systems

This release can be installed on the following operating systems:

– Windows XP SP2 (32-bit edition only)
– Windows XP SP3 (32-bit edition only)
– Windows Vista SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
– Windows Vista SP2 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
– Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
– Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
– Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
(This OS has received limited testing)
– Windows Server 2008 R2
(This OS has received limited testing)

Download and Support

Download the latest DisplayLink drivers here: http://displaylink.com/support/downloads.php

If you have any problem at all with any Plugable brand device and the DisplayLink 6.3 drivers, please let us know.

Comment here or email support@plugable.com anytime. We’re here to help!

But we need early adopters so we have people using the solution, finding and fixing problems, and helping to spread the word. What we deliver now might not include some KickStarter extras and will be higher priced than through the KickStarter project, but it will include all the components and will work with Fedora 17 Beta.

Hardware

Interested in getting your hardware now? If you’re in the USA, here’s what will work with Fedora 17 Beta:

	Plugable USB 2.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station with DisplayLink DVI/VGA up to 1920×1080, Audio, Ethernet, and 4 Available High-Speed USB 2.0 Ports	Product Details		$79.00
	Plugable DC-125 USB 2.0 Laptop Docking Station and Multiseat Thin Client – VGA up to 1440×900 / 1280×1024, Audio, 2 USB ports	Product Details		$64.95

Note the $79 version does not mention use as a thin client (it’s marketed for the laptop docking market), but it will work. And in the future and as part of the KickStarter project, we’ll have a UD-160-M model which is the same hardware, but with documentation tailored for the thin client / multiseat case.

International Shipping Options

If you’re outside the USA, we’re still working on expanding our options. Note that the UD-160-A is not sold on amazon.co.uk and the DC-125 sold there is not yet updated with Fedora support (we’ll let you know when it is).

So to reach the rest of the world, we’re offering a new option for international shipping of the DC-125 from the USA via USPS Flat Rate Priority. It’s the same price as in the USA ($64.95), but with an additional $16.95 shipping cost. Just visit the DC-125 page, and choose “more buying choices” in the lower right.

And look for the second option with “INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AVAILABLE”.

Let us know if you have any trouble with payment through Amazon. This version of the DC-125 includes all the components purchased through normal channels, but without the extra color packaging — this is so it can fit in a $16.95 fixed-rate priority international shipping box.

If you’ve never ordered and had an item shipped from the USA before via the US Postal Service, please research the rules in your country. We declare the actual value of all items, so in some countries customs and/or VAT taxes are collected, and all of those are paid by the recipient once the items arrive in country. And also note that while every shipment will have a tracking number, the tracking is generally poor once the item has left the USA.

Software

You can download Fedora 17 Beta here. Must be the default version (GDM) and use the “install media” option at the top — live CDs don’t work yet because of the modifications needed.

Install F17 to the hard drive of an available machine. For 3-4 thin clients, you can use a spare older machine – we’d recommend a machine with 1GB RAM and 2 cores or 2 GHz or more, but anything that F17 will run on at all, will work.

The thin clients will only come up to a green screen at this point. A few pre-release fixes are needed:

1. Disable SELinux. Here’s how. Things will work now, but with some plug/unplug instability. To fix that …
2. Get our latest fixes in udlfb.
   • Get all latest fedora updates (so your kernel and kernel-devel headers are at the same version)
   • sudo yum install gcc kernel-devel
   • Get latest udlfb, compile and install. The following commands will do that:

     git clone http://git.plugable.com/webdav/udlfb/
     cd udlfb
     make
     sudo make install
     sudo depmod -a
     

3. make sure none of those steps reported errors (missing module dependencies are actually ok). Reboot.

Now, any Plugable UD-160-A/M or DC-125 thin client you plug in should automatically pop up a new login.

Comment here or email support@plugable.com if you have any trouble at all – we’d be happy to help! And thanks in advance to the early users who help find issues and spread the word about how cool this technology can be!

The most common use is for single-cable docking of a laptop to all the USB peripherals on your desk (quick and easy to come and go). But it’s also useful as an all-USB KVM solution in combination with a USB switch like this, or as a powered, daisy-chainable USB thin client in combination with Windows Multipoint Server 2011, Userful Linux 2011, or coming versions of open source Linux.

And now, because of increased production volume, we’re able to drop the price. Previously $89.95, the Plugable UD-160-A is now just $79. Just check out the product reviews on Amazon if you’re curious about what other people are using it for, and their experiences. And feel free to comment if you have any questions. We’re here to help!

Plugable USB 2.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station with DisplayLink DVI/VGA up to 1920×1080, Audio, Ethernet, and 4 Available High-Speed USB 2.0 Ports

Product Details

$79.00

QPBZ4EUN77Z2

We’ve already begun installing Microsoft’s latest operating system on PCs in our lab for the fun of hands-on exploration and–more importantly–for testing the compatibility of Plugable products on this platform.

Here’s what we know already.

Graphics Adapters
All Plugable graphics adapters rely on DisplayLink drivers that are explicitly called out during Windows 8 Consumer Preview setup as incompatible with the new operating system. DisplayLink has made Beta drivers available for Windows 8 on its public forum.

1) You will need to uninstall your current DisplayLink drivers when prompted to do so by Windows 8 Consumer Preview setup.

2) Once Windows 8 Consumer Preview is installed, you can download and install the Beta DisplayLink drivers from http://displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1331. Please read the known issues listed there for the Beta drivers to be aware of any that may affect you.

We have used these Beta drivers successfully on a computer running Windows 8 Consumer Preview with a Plugable UGA-2k-A graphics adapter. With an extended desktop, the Windows 8 “Metro” interface showed on the primary desktop, and the extended desktop functioned like a Windows 7 extended desktop.

The ability to control whether in duplicate or extend mode was located on an option called “Devices” that can be invoked from the lower right corner in the “Metro” UI.

Network Adapters
Windows 8 Consumer Preview should find the compatible ASIX or Realtek drivers for all Plugable network adapters via Windows Update. The computer will need a network connection separate from the one made available by the Plugable adapter.

USB 3.0 Devices
Windows 8 has native support for USB 3.0 and should properly manage the host controllers in any Plugable USB 3.0 cards and hubs. No third party drivers should be required.

Windows Easy Transfer Cable
The Plugable Windows Easy Transfer cable works in Windows 8. We’ll devote a future post to the topic of what the user interface looks like in Windows 8.

We’ll also cover using the optional Bravura software (license comes with the Plugable cable) in that future post.

If You Need Support
We hope all Plugable products function to your satisfaction on Windows 8 Consumer Preview. But if you experience problems or previously unseen quirks, we encourage you to post your questions at http://support.plugable.com or write to us at support@plugable.com. We’re here to help and eager to hear about your experiences with Windows 8.

This latest upgrade to the Mac OS was made publicly available at the beginning of this month. Unfortunately it breaks display rotation functionality in all third-party display drivers.

DisplayLink, the maker of the graphics chipset in Plugable graphics display adapters, is in touch with Apple about potential fixes for the problem. When word of a solution arrives, we’ll post it on the Plugable blog.

Meanwhile, if you already have upgraded to 10.7.3 and now find that your rotated display connected throgh a third-party graphics display adapter seems to be broken, here are the steps posted in the DisplayLink Mac forum (http://displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1484) to restore functionality:.

1. Shut down the Mac.

2. Disconnect the Plugable graphics display adapter.

3. Boot in safe mode by pressing and holding the shift key after the startup tone (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455).

4. Open the Display preferences in System preferences.

5. Reboot.

6. Connect your Plugable graphics display adapter. The display should work again, and its rotation should be back to standard.

If you have upgraded to 10.7.3 but do not use display rotation, you might not see any problems. However, we still do not recommend updating to 10.7.3 until DisplayLink is certain that all display-management functionality is stable in this version of Mac OS X.

DisplayLink’s latest Mac driver works properly with OS X 10.7.2 and earlier OS X releases.

You can find the current DisplayLink driver for OS X at http://displaylink.com/support/mac_downloads.php.

If you’re having trouble with your Plugable graphics display adapter on a Mac, you can look to our support forums at http://support.plugable.com or write to us at support@plugable.com. We’re here to help.

What is possible, however, is running a single DisplayLink adapter, or several with a Xinerama or multiseat configuration — just as long as you don’t expect to use your main GPU at the same time.

The single-display case is relatively easy to set up, and we’ll cover that here.

First, make sure you’re running kernel version 2.6.35 or later (Ubuntu 10.10 or later). For older kernel versions, you’ll need to update udlfb and run a modified fbdev X server (not covered in this post). On these kernel versions, when you plug in your DisplayLink-based USB graphics device, you should get a green screen. This means that at the driver built into the Linux kernel is happy, healthy, and talking to the device.

Second, if you are running Unity Desktop in Ubuntu 11.04 or later, you’ll need to switch back to Classic Mode so you’re running straight X. Here’s how on Ubuntu:

Click on the power button in the upper right corner (mine looks like a light switch) and choose the last option, System Settings. Search for Login Screen, Double-click to display, Choose Unlock and enter your password, Select Ubuntu Classic as default session.

Third, if you’re running kernel versions between 2.6.35 to 3.1, enable the fb_defio option of udlfb. To do this, create or edit a file like
/etc/modprobe.d/50-displaylink.conf

and add the single line

options udlfb fb_defio=1

And reboot (or run “sudo depmod -a” and unplug/replug your adapter). This will turn on defio (page fault change detection) support. This option is already enabled by default in kernels 3.2+.

Lastly, create an X config file called 60-plugable.conf (or similar) with the following contents and place it in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d (on recent distros; on older distros, make this your xorg.conf):

 
Section "Device" 
  Identifier "uga" 
  driver "fbdev" 
  Option "fbdev" "/dev/fb0" 
  Option "ShadowFB" "off"
EndSection 
 
Section "Monitor" 
  Identifier "monitor" 
EndSection 
 
Section "Screen" 
  Identifier "screen" 
  Device "uga" 
  Monitor "monitor" 
EndSection 
 
Section "ServerLayout" 
  Identifier "default" 
  Screen 0 "screen" 0 0 
EndSection

Note: if your main GPU creates a /dev/fb0 even when the USB display is not attached, then your USB display is probably getting assigned to /dev/fb1. In that case, change /dev/fb0 in the “Device” section above to /dev/fb1

Now, on reboot, you should (hopefully!) see your login come up on your DisplayLink USB attached display!

This kind of simple setup is useful for:

• Testing or playing with your USB graphics adatper on Linux.
• Embedded systems with USB but no GPU.
• As a backup method when the main GPU or its driver isn’t available or working.
• Systems where a USB graphics adapter enables higher modes (up to 2048×1152) than the main GPU screen.

Please comment if you have any trouble with this single display case. See our past posts for additional information about the DisplayLink Linux kernel driver and some more involved setups.

The instructed here work on all Plugable USB 2.0 graphics adapters and Plugable USB 2.0 docking stations and thin clients (and should also generally work on all DisplayLink based products).

For Plugable’s USB 2.0 products with DisplayLink chips, however, we’re still recommending earlier DisplayLink Windows driver version 5.6 M1 (5.6.31870.0), because of its proven stability. For now, Windows Update will still deliver 5.6 M1 automatically when you plug a Plugable device in.

Here’s a little background on why:

DisplayLink’s newest 6.x drivers work with all DisplayLink chips (USB 2.0 and the coming USB 3.0 generation), but the primary development focus of version 6.x has been on enabling the coming USB 3.0 generation of products. Perhaps as a result, there are some minor tradeoffs for USB 2.0 generation devices.

Here are the tradeoffs we’re following:

1) On a few systems, screens may go blank after returning from a reboot or power event. The cause appears to be changes in the way display configuration information is stored with the 6.0 and 6.1 drivers – Windows and the drivers can get confused, and that confusion will persist across unplugs, reboots, etc (going back to 5.6 M1 is the solution in these cases)
2) The uninstaller on version 6.1 fails to uninstall from Windows’ Programs and Features (as a workaround, you can use the DisplayLink “cleaner” utility).
3) 5.6 M1 is the last release where DisplayLink’s logs are readable. When we hit any strange problems on a customer’s system, our ability to analyze the logs to find the underlying problems (and solutions) is one of the ways we try to provide better support for Plugable brand devices.

All that said, we run the latest drivers on nearly all of our own systems (so we can stay up to date with the latest developments), and generally they’re great. So if there are any 6.x features or fixes that are relevant to you, feel free to download and install 6.1 M0 or later to give it a try. You can always download the latest DisplayLink driver here. And we expect that with one of the coming releases, we’ll push forward our recommendation to the latest version.

For those considering the latest versions, here’s the features and fixes DisplayLink has delivered since 5.6 M1 (as of version 6.1 M0). We’ve cut down the list to just those appear to be relevant to USB 2.0 devices.

New features since 5.6 M1 (as of 6.1 M0):

- Improved video smoothness for DL-1×0, DL-1×5 and DL-3×00 series
- Improved frame rate
- Reduced CPU utilization
- DisplayLink Tray applet enhancements

(Note these are generally subtle improvements)

New fixes since 5.6 M1 (as of 6.1 M0):

Sometimes the DisplayLink screen will remain blank when the device is
re-plugged after having been disconnected during power save. (11708)

Moving a mouse over full-screen video playback causes quality to drop. (12409)

Sometimes DisplayLink screen comes on in clone mode instead of extending when
connecting the device for the very first time. (10217)

Sometimes video may freeze on DisplayLink monitor. (11333)

Other miscellaneous fixes

This update is compatible with and applies to all Plugable USB graphics adapters and docks.

This is great news, as this new version includes a few important fixes and features, and many small ones. Details below.

Notes

• Windows 7 makes Windows Update for hardware automatic, but it can be enabled for Vista and XP also
• The update will automatically be triggered by Windows when it sees a new device. Or for an existing device, you can trigger Windows Update manually, and look for DisplayLink’s drivers among the “Optional” updates.

Important Features/Fixes from 5.5 to 5.6 M1

• Fix for software-triggered screen freezes (which required system reboot or service restart)
• Support for Windows Server SKUs (with Aero installed and enabled)
• Better compatibility with nVidia and ATI GPUs
• Improved compatibility with newer DirectX apps

Full changelist from DisplayLink

C1. Fixed issues between R5.6 (5.6.31721.0) and R5.6 M1 (5.6.31854.0)
—————————————

If the reboot prompt after install is ignored on Windows XP, then the
DisplayLink monitor set to mirror may display corrupted data. (10953)

After installing DisplayLink software on some systems with switchable graphics
architectures, the main monitor may be dimmed and not responsive until reboot.
(10534)

Monitor details were not being updated in “Devices and Printers” folder when
changing the monitors connected to DisplayLink device. (9917)

DisplayLink monitors may flash occasionally when playing fullscreen videos on
several stations. (11173)

On Windows XP after installing DisplayLink drivers several reboot cycles may be
requested. (11079)

C1. Fixed issues between R5.5 (5.5.27797) and R5.6 (5.6.31721.0)
—————————————
DisplayLink Software upgraded through Windows Update will not work correctly
after rebooting the system (issue affecting releases R5.3 to R5.4 on Windows
update). (9658)

Blue screen on Windows 7 on some platforms when rebooting after having applied
layout changes. (9631)

The DisplayLink GUI stops functioning correctly after switching GPU on some
ATI/Intel hybrid systems. (10065, 10106)

Sometimes there are two DisplayLink icons present in the system tray. (9807)

Sometimes the DisplayLink icon is missing in the system tray. (9545, 9837)

Video in Basic Mode not working with the latest Windows updates on both Windows
Vista and Windows 7. (1609)

Video playback issues on Microsoft Windows 7 with the latest NVIDIA Drivers.
(10061)

A DisplayLink USB monitor could occasionally remain blank after a PC reboot.
(9622)

DirectX 9 games could crash when running on a primary, non DisplayLink, screen.
(10027)

DisplayLink software fails to install on NVidia Quadro FX 880M graphics card.
(9637)

On Windows 7 Windows Photo Viewer may show corruption when a DisplayLink
monitor is mirroring the main screen. (9612)

On some systems with switchable graphics architectures disconnecting
a DisplayLink monitor may cause main monitor to be switched off. (9750, 9747)

Screen corruption while performing the Aero 3D flip (Windows+tab) interface
effect. (10425)

Blue screen when restarting with a connected DisplayLink screen in Projector
Only mode. (10457)

After a series of layout changes the DisplayLink screens can sometimes freeze
while the DisplayLink GUI loses functionality. (10489)

2 DisplayLink GUIs are shown in the system tray after installation. (10504)

Blue screen when using a DisplayLink device for the first time on some Optimus
configurations. (10700)

On some Optimus configurations, rebooting with a DisplayLink device connected
causes the DisplayLink screens to remain black with a blinking mouse pointer.
(10701, 10702)

Screen corruption when using 3D GUI effects on DisplayLink screens in some
display configurations. (9611, 10425)

Screen corruption on DisplayLink screens while using some applications after a
transition from projector mode to duplicate. (9612)

Video in Basic Mode not working with the latest Windows updates on both Windows
Vista and Windows 7. (1609)

In rare scenarios a DisplayLink monitor may freeze. (10230)

DisplayLink USB monitor could occasionally remain blank after a PC reboot.
(9622)

Blue screen when playing video on multiple clients. (6309, 9442)

SRC Shell application crashed when playing video clip. (10212)

When the logon screen is displayed, occasionally the DisplayLink displays are
frozen and only updated by the mouse pointer. (10044)

On some switchable systems the main screen flashes continuously after
installing the DisplayLink driver or after connecting the DisplayLink device.
(10653)

Corruption is shown while moving the cursor near the edge of a window on top of
a Windows Media Player window. (10752)

Incorrect/missing Windows Update error reporting from the DisplayLink GUI.
(10523)

Sometimes a Windows XP computer with DisplayLink drivers installed will hang
while starting. (9607)

On some nVidia Optimus systems the DisplayLink display will remain black
immediately after installing the DisplayLink drivers. A reboot recovers from
this issue. (10785)

On some machines Windows falls into endless reboot loop after installation of
DisplayLink drivers. (10918)

Timing not compliant with the CEA861D specification. (10952)

DisplayLink has released an updated Mac driver (1.7 beta 1) with support for Mac OX 10.7 “Lion” (both 32 and 64 bit kernels).

The driver is available for download now at http://displaylink.com/support/mac_downloads.php and is compatible with all Plugable USB graphics adapters and docking stations, such as the Plugable UGA-2K-A.

DisplayLink’s release coincided with Apple’s announcement today at WWDC that the Lion update will be available for purchase next month for $29. Driver updates from DisplayLink are free.

This new line of DisplayLink drivers (1.7 and later) is critical for all DisplayLink Mac users looking to upgrade to Lion, as the new OS release breaks all older USB graphics drivers.

The new DisplayLink driver release includes other fixes, but retains the same high-level characteristics and limitations of prior Mac driver versions (displays up to 2048×1152 on high-end USB adapters; limit of 4 additional displays via 4 USB adapters; no Quartz Extreme/OpenGL support).

We’re recommending that affected users download this latest DisplayLink 5.5 M1 (Dec 3, 2010) release or any later version, available at http://displaylink.com/support/downloads.php

Note a reboot may be required as the installer removes the prior version, and installs the new. Please feel free to comment with any experience reports or problems.

Here’s a rundown of important problems that are intended to be fixed from 5.5 (Sept 29, 2010) to 5.5 M1 (Dec 3, 2010) from the DisplayLink 5.5 M1 release notes. We have some notes from us [in brackets] based on what we’ve seen from Plugable customers.

These issues have complete or partial fixes in 5.5. M1:

• Video playback issues on Microsoft Windows 7 with the latest NVIDIA Drivers. [This is the big incompatibility where nVidia drivers after 258.96 broke DirectX functionality on systems with DisplayLink drivers installed]
• DisplayLink Software upgraded through Windows Update will not work correctly after rebooting the system (issue affecting releases R5.3 to R5.4 on Windows update). [This problem has kept the DisplayLink version on Microsoft's Windows Update system to the older version 5.2, meaning that users who simply plug in their device without a manual driver download have been missing fixes for a number of serious known issues. Now DisplayLink should be able to resume delivering the very latest drivers via Windows Update]
• DisplayLink USB monitor could occasionally remain blank after a PC reboot. [we've seen this problem intermittently from several customers. We suspect multiple causes, but hope this resolves most]
• Sometimes the DisplayLink icon is missing in the system tray. [this had previously been a sign of larger problems]

And other important problems DisplayLink reports fixed, that we haven’t specifically run across:

• Blue screen on Windows 7 on some platforms when rebooting after having applied layout changes.
• The DisplayLink GUI stops functioning correctly after switching GPU on some ATI/Intel hybrid systems.
• Sometimes there are two DisplayLink icons present in the system tray.
• Video in Basic Mode not working with the latest Windows updates on both Windows Vista and Windows 7.

5.5 M1 is compatible with all Plugable USB graphics devices. Generally DisplayLink does a good regression testing so we’ve generally had a good experience being aggressive about upgrading to get the latest fixes (when things break, they break more often between DisplayLink releases because of external OS or other main GPU driver changes). So we’re recommending this release to all Plugable users who are experiencing any of the problems above.