No undock option on Windows 7?

Hi,

I read this off the Microsoft technet boards.   This was the following point that stood out:

Undock appears on the Shutdown Options menu only if the computer is Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)-enabled and recognized as a portable computer in a docking station. If Undock does not appear on the Shutdown Options menu, your computer is not ACPI-enabled, or might not support undocking.

You may want to check whether your system is actually seeing itself as docked.  I assume that the docking light is lit up on the docking station when your system is physically docked?

Yes, the lights are on and when I press the power button the laptop switches on (or off) - I'm just not comfortable to just remove the laptop in the middle of something to undock, then again, the battery takes over, so nothing really happens when you undock.

Could it be a bios setting? The manual that came with the E Port Plus is pre Windows 7, so maybe I need an updated driver?

I've got a Latitude E5500 and have the same issue.  My D630 had an undock option.  So what gives?  Sureley the new E series Latitudes have the functionality?

Nope.

The docking station for the E series Latitudes do not present them to the OS as a docking station, so the OS does not offer an undock option.

This is in direct contradiction of MS Technotes which specifically state:

Removing a portable computer without using Undock can result in system instability, data loss, or even hardware damage. To avoid loss or damage, use Undock to undock your computer, or shut down the system and undock the portable computer while your system is off. Undocking a portable computer while it is in either standby mode or hibernate mode can result in data loss and system instability

I had an E6400 for a few weeks until I realized that the system had an incredible number of design flaws.  I blogged about it at http://www.geekyramblings.net/2009/07/23/dell-latitude-e6400/

Dell has 'acknowledged' the issue on their Ideastorm site ... but I don't know if they are going to do anything about it.

david

I agree, the 6400 is like going backwards.  I upgraded to the 6510, and I still have the docking station issue.  But the laptop is much better. 

But how difficult can it be? An updated driver should be able to fix this or am I missing something?

But how difficult can it be? An updated driver should be able to fix this or am I missing something?

I'm not a hardware engineer, but this is a pretty fundamental change to the system ... which is going to be very hard to implement as a patch.

The dock needs to have a unique ID so the OS can create profiles (you can have multiple profiles that contain different hardware and the OS can tell which one you're using at the moment) and the BIOS needs to be updated to recognize the dock's ID.

The BIOS update isn't the hardest part ... changing the dock hardware is.  I have my doubts if it's even possible.

david

I'm trying this in 2015. It has been years since this post. Has anything happened in Win7 and/or the Dell world to create the unique ID mentioned above?

I have a newly acquired E4300 running Win7 64-bit Pro and my also newly acquired port replicator has K09A and K09A002 on the name tag on the bottom.

The online E-Port Plus manual is from 2008, so it does not mention the two rearmost USB connections are USB 3.0. Also, mine appears to have HDMI connectors, so I'm hoping I don't have to try to locate dongles to connect monitors. My current needs are just centered around USB, serial and parallel ports. The measly two USB connections on the E4300 weren't enough for me. RSVP