SUrface dock kills my Surface Laptop 7 (ARM)

Go to Device Manager → Display Adapters → right-click your GPU → Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver.

Your Surface Dock v1 + DisplayPort + Insider Beta is a known bad combo. I shall suggest you go for a stable Windows version.

Try the following steps in order, testing the dock after each step:

1. Update Surface, Windows, and Dock firmware
   • Make sure all latest Surface and Windows updates are installed while the Surface Laptop 7 is connected to the dock and on AC power. For details, see Download drivers and firmware for Surface.
   • Specifically update the Surface Dock (v1) firmware:
     1. Go to Download Surface Tools for IT from the Update your Surface Dock page.
     2. Download the latest Surface Dock Firmware Update MSI (file name starts with Surface_Dock_FWUpdate_).
     3. Run the MSI and complete installation.
     4. Disconnect and reconnect the Surface from the dock so the firmware can apply.
   • If the dock still does not update correctly, repeat the firmware update using another Surface device running the latest Windows 10 or Windows 11, then reconnect the Surface Laptop 7.
2. Power‑cycle (reset) the Surface Dock
   If issues persist after updates, reset the dock hardware:
   1. Unplug the Surface Dock from the Surface.
   2. Unplug the dock’s power supply from the electrical outlet and wait at least 5 seconds.
   3. Plug the power supply back into the outlet.
   4. Reconnect the power connector to the dock, then connect the dock to the Surface Laptop 7 and test again with the monitor attached via DisplayPort.
3. Test external display path and configuration
   • Confirm the Dell monitor and DisplayPort cable work by testing them with another PC or Surface if available.
   • If only one external monitor is in use and the system becomes unresponsive only when that monitor is attached, try a different video path (for example, HDMI instead of DisplayPort, or a different DisplayPort cable) to rule out a failing port or cable.
   • If using more than one external monitor through the dock, verify that the configuration is supported by the graphics adapter and dock. If a splitter is in use, note that typical splitters duplicate the signal rather than provide two independent displays and can cause issues when trying to run multiple monitors.
4. General external display troubleshooting
   • If the Surface becomes slow or appears to freeze when the monitor is connected, disconnect the external monitor and use the built‑in display only, then reconnect the monitor after the system is fully responsive.
   • If the graphics stack is stuck, use Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B to reset the graphics driver once the system is responsive again.

If, after firmware updates and a full dock reset, the Surface Laptop 7 still becomes unresponsive only when the Dell monitor is connected via the dock, this strongly suggests either a failing dock (especially its DisplayPort circuitry) or a compatibility issue specific to that combination. In that case, testing with a different dock or using a direct USB‑C/USB4 video adapter instead of the Surface Dock v1 would be the next step.

References:

• Update your Surface Dock
• Use Surface Dock
• Use a Surface USB4 Dock
• Troubleshoot Surface Dock or Surface Docking Station
• Troubleshoot external monitor connections in Windows