DisplayPort over USB-C stopped working (Swift SFX16-61G)

jayfor · 2024-03-21T15:44:09+00:00

I'll start with a summary; * SFX16-61G has been working for 2 weeks with two different USB-C (one TB4) based docks. * Stopped working all of a sudden, this morning - both locations. * Cables switched, didn't help. * I dual boot Win10 / Win11 and the dock was recognized even at Boot Manager. Not anymore, so not a cheeky…

jayfor

I'll start with a summary;

SFX16-61G has been working for 2 weeks with two different USB-C (one TB4) based docks.
Stopped working all of a sudden, this morning - both locations.
Cables switched, didn't help.
I dual boot Win10 / Win11 and the dock was recognized even at Boot Manager. Not anymore, so not a cheeky driver update I guess.
Tried holding Power Button for 40s. Just messed with BitLocker :)

Any suggestions?

Long winding story:

Been running my Swift SFX16-61G against my ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock (DK2131), albeit Windows reports it running over USB 3.0 (?!) though.

This morning this stopped working and it'll only charge against the docking station. I tried changing cables to no avail. At work, I have a simpler docking station an Asus, with only 1xHDMI - but with USB-C interface to the computer. Same problem, my Swift will only charge.

I'll stress that both the work setup and the home setup HAS worked for 2 weeks.

According to pre-sale support, it should be like this:

Thanks in advance,

Joacim

Accepted answers

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billsey

The reason it shows as a USB port is that it is, not a Thunderbolt. USB4 is an AMD thing and different than TBT4. The video should still work, as long as the dock recognizes that it's connected via USB-C. I can't think of any reason it would just stop working, unless Microsoft pushed something out via Windows up[date that broke it.

jayfor

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1266270#Comment_1266270

Hi, thanks.

I'm well aware, it's the 3.0 part of that, that unsettled me. Anyhow, it was working. As I said, don't know what it can be, hoping someone would have any ideas. Seeing as it doesn't work in my Windows 10 either (I dual boot) and doesn't work in Windows Boot Manager, I feel the problem isn't Windows or drivers.

Drives me insane, I like the computer - I don't like just using one screen out of 2 possible.

//J

stevesmith7461

Hi Jayfor, did you ever get to the bottom of this ? Like you my USB4 output worked fine for a while and now it only sends data and power, no video. I have the Acer Swift Edge 16 Ryzen (SFE16-43) and the only way to get video out is by HDMI to HDMI, I have USB C to HDMI using one of the USB4 ports and get nothing. Quite annoying since I like the single cable solution to video, mouse/keyboard and to charge the laptop all via a DELL U3219Q monitor. I have an HP Envy that is working fine in the same way so cannot really blame the Windows updates etc. Thanks in advance. Steve

face290424

Having the same issue; USB4 ports not working. Kind of laughable as the machine is branded as a media production laptop. I might have mine returned. No USB4 and I need a special app just to get the screen to look 'ok' - not what you'd expect for 2500 USD that I paid.

hukuta158

Had the same issue.

How to fix:

Disable Acer Inc. System Firmware 1.56 in Device Manager (otherwise it will continiously reflash you BIOS)
Download first BIOS 1.07 from Product Support - SFX16-61G | Acer United States
It won't reflash out of the box, need to unpack installer as an archieve, patch platform.ini:

[Bios_Version_Check]
Flag=0

This allows flashing older bios
Run H2OFFT-Wx64.exe
Rigth after downgrading BIOS it won't work, shut down, press button in the back cover hole (with battery icon), turn laptop on again.
Now USB4 ports will work, icluding DisplayPort and even PCI-E bridge (to connect external GPU)

@support Great BIOS updater!

Astakos94

My son in law's laptop had the same problem. Video over usb had worked fine but just stopped working. No updates had happened to cause it.

Solution: Found the CMOS battery reset hole on the underside and inserted a phone SIM eject pin (it needs to be very small diameter) and held the button down for a few seconds. All now working fine again.

billsey

That isn't actually a CMOS battery reset. It instead just disconnects the main battery from the motherboard while pressed, allowing the motherboard to fully power down and bleed off any residual electricity. The bleed off part is why you press and hold… If you then connect only the charger and wait for a full charge to complete the battery itself will reset it's internal stats.

grebur

I had the same issue with my Acer Swift Edge 16 (SFE16-43 NX.KKZEG.003).

https://community.acer.com/de/discussion/698586/externe-displays-ueber-usb-c-meist-dunkel-bei-meinem-acer-swift-edge-16

The reset hole does the job, but only until the next disconnect/reconnect… 😣 Downgrade the BIOS to v1.08 solved it, thanks to the hint from "hukuta158" 🙂 Unfortunately the Acer Support [Incident: 241002-002844] does not help and insists that Bios >= v1.63 solved the problem, which is not true.

I think that several Acer laptop models have this USB-C problem.

MB_GAMES

I have a Swift SFX16-61G.

For anyone looking at this issue in 2025 and the above does not help, (I tried every other piece of advice on here), for me the issue was that somehow Windows in July 2025 had uninstalled the AMD Radeon Drivers. Whether through an update or some other reason.

This was not obvious as the Nvidia drivers for the graphics card were still installed, so the laptop screen and HDMI port were still working but the USB-C port was not sending video over it.

Installing the AMD Radeon drivers immediately fixed the problem. I had not even realised both sets of drivers were on there in the first place, had assumed as it has an RTX 4050 in it, it would only have Nvidia.

Now I have the AMD Radeon and Nvidia drivers installed and it works as it originally did for video over USB-C

grebur

Hi MB_Games,

thanks for answering here with your findings.

My laptop Swift Edge 16 SFE16-43 has only one integrated AMD Radeon M780 GPU. When i tried different BIOS to (re)enable USB DP Alt mode, i tried it with different older and newer AMD Radeon Chipset drivers and AMD Adrenaline graphics drivers, but to no avail.

By the way, i tried the new BIOS v1.71 from Acer which is recently available for my laptop. But the Alt DP mode stops working after one connect-reconnect cycle, too. 😣
So i had once again switch back to BIOS v1.08.

Side note: Last month i read about a Microsoft Hardware Lab Quality engineer, who stated, that nearly 30% (!) of all users with laptops with USB-C and DP Alt mode experienced problems at least once while connecting their laptops to USB-C monitors. They know it, because Windows notifies the user when it detects a problem with a USB connection (and send it back home to Microsoft). He says their analyses showed that many USB-C/USB4 problems are due to poor hardware and/or firmware design. In my case, its clearly a firmware issue, because USB-C DP Alt mode works with the old BIOS.