Typically, when you connect your laptop to the HP Thunderbolt or HP USB-C (Dock G-5) docking station docking station, it should automatically detect the connected external monitor without any manual action.
However, if it fails to do so, it could be due to software glitches, loose or faulty cables, outdated graphics or dock drivers, or, in rare instances, a hardware problem with the dock.
In most cases, simply restarting the dock will resolve the issue.
If this doesn’t work, manually detect the monitor in Windows settings, reset or change cable connections, restart your laptop GPU, and update your HP dock drivers.
Basic Checks
Connect your monitor directly to your laptop to confirm if the problem lies with your dock or the monitor.
If your HP docking station or monitor has multiple ports, try using the other port. If it fixes the problem, it means the port was faulty.
Restart your HP Dock
A simple restart is mostly all you need to fix common errors on your HP dock. Here’s how to restart your HP docking station:
- Turn off your docking station and disconnect it from your laptop.
- Unplug the AC cable from your dock.
- Press and hold the Power button for about 1 minute to drain the remaining power from the dock. This will clear its cache.
- Now restart your laptop as well as the monitor.
- Once your laptop reboots, reconnect the HP dock to your laptop and the monitor and see if the issue is resolved.
If the issue persists, continue reading.
Manually Detect Monitor
Another thing to try is to detect the monitor manually.
Here’s how to do that:
- Open Windows Settings from the start menu.
- Go to System -> Display.
- Under Multiple Display options, click on Detect button.
Check Cable Connections
Ensure the USB-C port on your dock is clean, and the cable is connected to it properly.
If you use USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort adapter, ensure the HDMI or Display cable is properly connected to both the laptop and the dock.
Also, try switching the ends of the HDMI cable.
To eliminate the cable as the cause of the problem, use some other HDMI or USB-C cable.
Restart GPU
The problem may lie with your laptop’s graphics software. To fix this, I suggest restarting your laptop’s GPU. Don’t worry; it’s very simple. Here’s how to do that:
Press Windows Key + Ctrl + B + Shift on your keyboard at the same time.
This will freeze your PC display for a few seconds, and then it will be restored.
Update your HP Dock Drivers
If none of the above works, updating your HP docking station drivers is the last step. Here’s how to do that:
- Visit the HP Support page.
- In the search field, type your HP docking station model and click on the Submit button. Refer to the screenshot below:
(I was downloading the HP Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2 driver, so I typed that in the search field. You must type your exact HP dock model in the search field).
- On the next screen, select your dock model from the search results.
The tool will automatically detect your operating system. However, if it has been incorrectly detected, you can change it by clicking the Choose a different OS option. Next, download the dock firmware and driver, and install it.
Once installation is done, restart your laptop.
If you have any questions about this guide, feel free to ask me.
