Several HP EliteBook 8 G2i laptops repeatedly disconnect and reconnect every 15–45 seconds when connected to monitors with built-in USB-C docks. The monitors provide up to 65 W of power, but the laptops still lose the connection unless a separate charger is connected. The same monitors work normally with other laptops, including the EliteBook 8 G1i.
The issue occurs with multiple displays, including Dell P3421W, Dell P3425WE, and Samsung models. Event Viewer records event ID 506, related to AC/DC display power changes. All systems are running BIOS 01.02.08, Windows 11 25H2 with the September out-of-band update, and current Windows Update drivers, including Intel Graphics 32.0.101.8831.
Updating drivers through HP Image Assistant did not help. Has anyone seen this behavior with the G2i, or found a permanent fix beyond connecting a second power source?
2 Answers
A similar USB-C monitor problem turned out to involve an outdated Realtek RTL8153 Ethernet driver in the monitor dock. The dock was intermittently losing its network connection even after its firmware and other drivers had been updated. Checking the actual device driver with PowerShell showed that Windows was using a driver from 2015; installing a newer RTL8153 driver resolved the issue on several test systems. It may be worth checking the dock's USB Ethernet adapter and its driver version, although this may not explain the AC/DC display burst event directly.
Updating drivers with HP Image Assistant may be worth trying, but that was already tested here and did not change the behavior. Since the problem appears across several laptops and different monitor models, it seems more likely to be related to the G2i's USB-C power negotiation, firmware, or dock compatibility than to one faulty display.
Was the old driver dated around September 2015? Which source did you use to obtain the newer RTL8153 driver?