HP Thunderbolt docking G2

[TimDJ]

new conclusion:

After fresh hp windows restore, and connecting the thunderbolt docking it's detected well and I get all the hardware devices needed in device manager.....

Unfortunetaly it only takes about 10sec and then the docking isn't seen anymore and I get a hardware device with the yellow exclamation mark...

see printscreens...

1. after plugging in

2. 10 seconds after plugging in

[David_J_W]

@TimDJ Double click on the device with the yellow exclamation mark and post what error has occurred. All we know at the moment is that something has gone wrong with the USB host controller - which is why your docking station's Ethernet port is disappearing, as that is USB connected.

It can also be more helpful to view the Device Manager as "Devices by connection" in scenarios like this, as this shows the devices in terms of topology rather than category.

Is there anything relevant in the System part of the Windows Event Log?

[TimDJ]

eventviewer errors/warnings

[David_J_W]

I'll go through what I can see in all this - and would welcome other input, too.

The device that is stopping operation is the USB host controller on the Thunderbolt dock - that's the code 24 error. All the devices above it (the PCI-PCI bridges) are working. This issue is what is taking out your network connection, as the Ethernet port on the dock is a USB device. I suspect that the USB ports on the dock and the USB audio also stop working when you are in the failed state.

If you have not done so already, I would unplug any USB devices that are connected to the hub, in case they're causing the problem.

I had wondered whether your issue was Scenario 1 in this Microsoft support article (click), but it doesn't seem to fit. The problem isn't the Thunderbolt port stopping responding, but the USB controller in the Thunderbolt dock ceasing to work.

I don't think the DCOM event related to Runtime Broker (which is what that AppID relates to) has anything to do with this. netwtw06 is to do with the Intel Wi-Fi card in the laptop - again, I don't think that has anything to do with this. I don't know what nhi is.

The Service Control Manager event entry might just have something to do with this, if it's some service relating to the USB controller dying. I think that's unlikely, but you could have a look at that.

My next move in your position would be to uninstall the driver for the USB controller that's failing, reboot with the dock still attached, and let Windows set up the device again. That might just straighten things out.

Another possible area of failure is if your antivirus software intervenes in USB devices. This will likely show as an entry in "Class upper filters" in the Device Manager's Details tab for the USB controller. Our antivirus here (Kaspersky Endpoint Security 11) has USB security functionality, though it can optionally be disabled or left out of the installation completely depending on how the administrator (me!) has configured the deployment. If you do have USB security features installed and local policy permits them to be removed temporarily, I would do so. Certainly in Kaspersky, you have to remove the antivirus application and redeploy it to the endpoint with USB security deselected for the feature to be totally absent.

Another possibility is that your dock or its power supply are defective. Your posts imply that you've tried multiple computers, but that you've only got one dock and power supply. It may be worth discussing with HP whether you can exchange the dock, power supply and cable.

[JRMCHUGH]

Yo! The reason this is happening is due to the ZBook requiring a Thunderbolt Firmware update, not the dock itself... which can be extremely confusing.

It took me roughly 2-3 hrs to figure this one out a few weeks back, and that was purely dedicated + luck.

While responding, I'm using a ZBook 17 G5 - so my SP# may be different from the one that your machine requires because again, this is not a firmware update for the dock, this is for the machine itself. That being said, for reference my SP# = SP91793.

What you're looking for in HP drivers & downloads is: "Intel Thunderbolt 3 Firmware for HP ZBook xx xx" - being your screensize & G revision (G3, G4, G5).

As mentioned previously in this thread, I would absolutely recommend switching TB BIOS setting to "No Authorization".

[David_J_W]

As you say @JRMCHUGH, there have been Thunderbolt firmware devices issued for various computers recently and they may well assist here. On my ZBook Studio x360 G5, HP Support Assistant didn't offer me the update to version 23 firmware (original was version 22), I had to download and install it manually. Make sure that you download the correct upgrade for your system, as it is model specific, and you follow the instructions carefully.

I have also found it helpful to use Device Manager to turn off "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" on all the USB host controllers and root hubs in the dock. You can easily identify which devices are in the dock using the "Device by connection" view in Device Manager - they'll be the ones on the same PCI Express Root Port as your Thunderbolt controlrre when the dock is connected.