Problem with disconnecting the D3100 external Display Link docking station and go mobile.

@msi59  Dell's Dxxxx series docks use "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink for video.  If you haven't already, update to the latest DisplayLink drivers directly from DisplayLink.com.  They will likely be newer than what you'd get from Dell since the D3100 is an old product at this point.

Hi,

I have replied to you from a private message.

-Gautam.

I have updated the driver directly from OME (version Sept 2020).

Still have the problem of the laptop screen being blank/black once disconnected from the Dock (via USB 3.1). But once re-connected to the dock the laptop display works as expected. I would have thought the dock being disconnected would switch to the internal display driver. 

@msi59  Disconnecting the dock is definitely supposed to wake up the built-in display again, even if you had it disabled while docked.  I suppose there may be some conflict between the DisplayLink driver and your system's internal GPU driver, so perhaps update that if you haven't already.  Otherwise, another possibility would be a new bug introduced with a recent update that might have been pushed in the background by Windows Update or Dell Update/SupportAssist.

On a side note, I realize this isn't a typical solution and shouldn't even be necessary, but your system supports DisplayPort Alt Mode on its USB-C port, which means you'd have the option of using docking stations that tap into the native GPU output wired to that port rather than relying on DisplayLink's "indirect display" technology.  Some of those docks would even be able to charge your system.  And DisplayPort Alt Mode means you avoid some potentially significant drawbacks of DisplayLink, which I've written about in the post marked as the answer in this thread.

It seems that the solutions being offered are to replace the device and not use a device that is like the D3100 Display Link monitor hub.  Moreover, I should move to use the USB-C port instead of the USB-A 3.0 port. 

I have not yet replaced my display hub and evaluating the options. However, I am concerned that this solution will not solve the problem in that once I disconnect my D3100, my laptop monitor will go blank and I will not be able to install the replacement display hub.  I have to first figure out how to get the internal display to operate without the D3100 connected. Perhaps that is the next question. How do I change my display setting so that the laptop internal display will operate WITHOUT the D3100 connected.

@msi59  If you completely shut down your system, disconnect the D3100, and then power it back up, is the built-in display still blank?  If not, then that's the method I would use if you want to replace the D3100.  If the built-in display is still blank, then I'm not sure what to tell you at that point.  That shouldn't be possible.  But if I were in that situation, I would try reconnecting the D3100 and then uninstalling the DisplayLink software.  That will render the D3100 unusable, but it will also remove its drivers, which should end any interference with the system's GPU.  But I guess just in case that somehow renders the built-in display permanently unusable, I'd back up all of my data first, because if it really does turn out that the built-in display is still unusable at that point, recovery mechanisms get more difficult.  Booting into Safe Mode should still work, but at that point I personally would probably just avoid spending more time in the hopes of finding and being able to fix the underlying issue and instead just perform a clean install of Windows.  At least that will deliver a guaranteed result.

You described the danger of trying to resolve this. The internal display driver is up to date. 

What if I just disable the D3100 display driver first instead of a full uninstall? Any difference in the danger?

@msi59  You can give it a shot, but I'd still start with the idea of shutting down, disconnecting the dock, and powering back up so that you start with a Windows session that hasn't ever had the dock connected.