Toshiba dynadock® V USB Docking Station from Toshiba

Horrible Docking Station May 03, 2012

POSTED BY: XPSuser , Lakeville, MN
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"This review applies to both the dynadock V and the dynadock U3.0. Despite downloading the recommended updated video drivers for the dynadock V, both the V and the U3.0 have been causing my computer countless issues. I am using a brand new L702X Dell XPS Laptop. If the dock is plugged into my laptop before startup, it keeps my laptop from booting or causes it to freeze during windows loading almost every time. When my dock is plugged in, it causes my computer to lockup upon shut down about a quarter of the time. Other issues include my cursor freezing or stuttering sporadically when the dock is plugged in, and the lag my extra monitor experience (I've recently been informed this lag is "normal.") Would not recommend this product to anyone. Toshiba Dynadock is garbage."

Good product March 03, 2012

POSTED BY: Madmeyer , Seattle, WA
Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5

"This is a good product. I downloaded the driver hooked everything up ( 2ea LG full HD 1080p monitors, Sony speaker system Sony Viao with Windows 7, works perfectly with no issues so far. Music and videos are great full HD 1080 output. very happy. One thing I wished it would do is power everything up with a central power button. I have to open my laptop every time to power things up."

Freezes a few times a day February 06, 2012

POSTED BY: Coaster , Canada
Overall rating: 2.0 out of 5

"I bought two of these. Everything I need to have plugged in can be plugged in. A few times a day, I'll be working away and the screen will freeze forcing me to unplug it to reboot the docking station. Frustrating because I lose my network connection each time and it takes away from my work. It would be nice if Toshiba would come up with a fix for this as I notice several similar comments."

get something else... January 23, 2012

POSTED BY: butterchip , Oakland, CA
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"Purchased this to add an additional moniter to my laptop, purchased both new from toshibadirect.com. Both worked find for about a year....the screen did freeze and I needed to unplug the dynodock about once per day...other than that it was fine. Now, when I plug the dynadock in it turns off the main screen on my laptop and will no longer link my second screen. Tried to update window and the dynodock software..did not help...guess i'll have to spend more money for another one..."

Worst Docking Unit I have used January 11, 2012

POSTED BY: Ragman70 , Billings, MT
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"My Toshiba satellite computer works great but the Dynadock V USB docking station I bought to replace my Dell Computer w/docking station is a piece of junk. The secondary monitor is forever freezing up. I really get tired of unplugging it several times a day to reboot it. It is an inconvenience that one shouldn't have to put up with. My Dell never did this at all. Needless to say it could affect my further dealings with Toshiba and using Toshiba branded equipment, especially when the docking station is proprietary to the compurter."

Still Freezing November 14, 2011

POSTED BY: Midgen21 , Seattle, WA
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"As far as I know this dock is the only way to connect two external displays to my R835. Unfortunately, at least once a day, my external display locks up. Since so many others have complained about this, I assumed Toshiba would fix the issue, but it's been over a year, and even with the latest software, it still locks up the external display. This is unacceptable in a business environment (or any environment for that matter). On several occasions I have been using my laptop for webex or screen share presentations and it has locked up on me, causing an interruption to my presentation. It is so bad that I have to disconnect the dock from the computer entirely before I start my presentations, to avoid the embarassment."

Work in Progress October 27, 2011

POSTED BY: DocBones , Newcastle Australia
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"When/if it works, no problems. A great concept. Be prepared to get really frustrated with the setup process. The driver downloads are really large, and all have a habit of saying "cannot find installation file" Funny, so did the installation CD. You then have to work it out from there!"

Worst docking station ever June 21, 2011

POSTED BY: anthony , Australia
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"Constant blue screen of death - where is the updated firmware to overcome these problems? total waste of money at ANY price"

Don't buy it! June 09, 2011

POSTED BY: SunDevil 96
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"The dynadock worked great for the first 2 months, then randomly started shutting down my entire computer. Utility icon randomly won't show in tray, so it's impossible to see if it's working or not until unplugged, then get a warning message. Waste of money and productivity!! Wish I had never purchased it."

Not good June 08, 2011

POSTED BY: Swinster , UK
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"I have just been trialing two brand new Toshiba laptops (an 850 and 830) with this product. I have installed the drivers supplied on both laptops and in both cases the laptops Blue Screen. Both laptops run Windows 7 64bit and I suspect that the supplied drivers are no good. However, this is very poor show considering that these are factory loan units and they are ALL Toshiba. If Toshiba can't get the thier own products to work together, what hope have you got....."

Terrible docking station May 06, 2011

POSTED BY: kjtracy , Dallas, Texas
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"I rely heavily on a docking station and I have problems with the screen locking up at least once a day. Sometimes it is several times a day. There doesn't seem to be a decent docking station for my satellite laptop even if I pay more money. I would think twice before buying a laptop that requires a Dynadock or Toshiba docking station."

Video and Network freezes May 05, 2011

POSTED BY: Mike
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"This thing is horrible. I have to unplug and re-plug at least twice daily to accomodate video and network freezes, regardless of what machine I'm using (very frustrating). Figured driver updates would fix the issues, no such luck."

Not a Happy Camper March 26, 2011

POSTED BY: Yellowknife, NT , Yellowknife, NT
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"At first glance the sleek looking unit had us intrigued and a little excited. Loaded DynaDock V the software onto the recently acquired Qosmio X500 c/w Windows7 Home Premium (was to have been Windows7 Pro), system reboot. To the DynaDock V was plugged in the Acer X243W external monitor digital connector, followed by the mouse, keyboard, LAN and speaker cables then the DynaDock V to the Q-X500 USB port. Here comes Problem 1: poor output resolution on the external monitor, can’t be adjust above 1680x1050, so much for the advertised 1920x1080. What`s up with that? Finally disconnected monitor from DynaDock V and connected direct to HDMI port on Q-X500, 1920x1200 resolution restored. Then there was Problem 2: office LAN is running at 1.0 gbps, Q-X500 reports connection at 100 mbps. What`s up with that? So, disconnected LAN from the DynaDock V and plugged directly into Q-X500, 1.0 gbps restored. Toshiba you put out the hype but did not deliver with the DynaDock V. If you have a software or firmware fix for the problems, please do let us know about it. We paid for single cord connectivity and we ended up with keyboard, mouse and speakers to the DynaDock V with video, LAN and DynaDock V USB to the Q-X500. Based on the limited use of the DynaDock V, the five DynaDock V we purchased are not worth what we paid for them."

Works Great March 05, 2011

POSTED BY: StatsModeler
Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5

"Works great for me with my A605 running Windows & Ultimate. Have be using for 8 months with no problems."

IT Departments - Do Not Buy February 16, 2011

POSTED BY: The IT Guy
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"These docks look great and when they decide to work correctly they are a nice unit. However these docks are not truly Windows 7 compatible. The DisplayLink software that is utilized is unstable to say the least. The external monitor will freeze after only a few hours of use and the only way to resolve the issue is to unplug the AC power from the unit. In a business environment this is very unacceptable. Just for tech notes: -Tried using the most current displaylink software even the beta driver with no success. -Tried using two different make/models of laptop to verify not a hardware compatibility issue. -We order six originally that all had the issue -Requested 6 replacement units to ensure they weren't a bad batch. The new units still had the issue. Overall, nice concept but Toshiba and DisplayLink need to work out the bugs before they continue to advertise these units as Windows 7 compatible. Review is by an IT Systems Administrator"

Annoying monitor freeze February 11, 2011

POSTED BY: alehardware , Rosario, Argentina
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"I also have to unplug the energy cord to unfreeze the external screen ... very annoying. I would like an answer from Toshiba, and if it is no way to solve this, I would like some compensation."

Blue screens to follow February 04, 2011

POSTED BY: stever , Folsom, CA
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"This device sets up very easily but is a hassle to use. It freezes 4-5 times a work day requiring the dock to be powered down. Once or twice a day, a blue screen follows the freeze. I am running the latest drivers. Windows 7 Pro 64 bit"

Ants? January 26, 2011

POSTED BY: Matt
Overall rating: 3.0 out of 5

"So the product seems to work just great for me. There is the occasional screen freeze as described in other reviews, which is easily remedied with a power-cycle (unplug and plug back in). I don't take this to be such a big deal because it happens maybe once a month (on a work computer that is fired up at least 40 hrs a week), plus in the age of technology if you aren't power-cycling everything you own at least once a month (week?) then you aren't getting the best performance from your products. So here is my gripe: I came back from a long weekend (MLK day) plugged in the laptop and nothing fired up. After troubleshooting I pulled the AC adapter out from under the desk and noticed IT WAS COVERED IN ANTS. It is plugged into a surge protector and this AC adapter was the only one being attacked by the little guys. Everyone in the office asked me if i had spilled food INTO the AC adapter. I figured that this was impossible but just shut my mouth and took my lumps. Luckily the office had another dynadock that was not in use, so the IT guy switched out AC adapters while he looked into the warranty. Flash forward to the following Monday, I come in, sit down, plug in the laptop, dynadock doesn't fire up. I immediately look at the AC adapter and IT'S COVERED WITH ANTS AGAIN! Well, after having a brief 'chat' with the maintenance guys who said that they had sprayed right after the prior incident, I eagerly pointed out the the rest of the office that I 'must have spilled food inside the sealed AC adapter AGAIN.' I've tried researching the issue a little and have come up with nothing, but just wanted to put this info out there, and I certainly hope that this is covered under warranty as the parts are only 4-5 months old. The product is fine, but this is where the customer service gets put to the test."

Don't bother!! January 21, 2011

POSTED BY: Clem , Milan, OH
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"Only the USB ports work. No network connection. Much cheaper usb hubs available. Don't waste your money! I have always purchased Toshiba products and been very happy with them. Very disappointed in this one."

Blue Screen December 30, 2010

POSTED BY: chuck , Texas
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"After setting up the docking station by connecting the power and USB connections, I connected the docking station to my new HP dv6 notebook. It immediately shutdown with a blue screen crash shutdown. Checked all connections and the same thing happened. Read the troubleshooting steps, and all it says is to update the Microsoft operating system. It is fully up to date. Have tried several times with the same result. Do not recommend this to anyone."

Screen freezes and now network cable issues December 22, 2010

POSTED BY: osmark , Perth Australia
Overall rating: 3.0 out of 5

"I too have to unplug dynadock V to unfreeze my external monitor . . . and now I have to disconnect the network cable and plug directly into computer for internet! Why have a dock?"

Too many problems October 27, 2010

POSTED BY: Nora , Gainesville,FL
Overall rating: 2.0 out of 5

"Initially it seemed like it was going to work great. Then I started to notice programs that would not run on my M645. The Microsoft games that came loaded would run on the external monitor but would not run when the laptop was not attached to the docking station. Then I noticed that opening a jpeg pictures was so slow it basically was impossible. I did an upgrade software download and that seems to help the jpeg problem. Then I tried to do a Skype video call and I couldn't get the video on my end to work. It seemed most of the problem was a conflict with DirectX. Then working in Excel I started to have problems with the screen freezing. That when I finally gave up and un-installed the docking software. Now all is well."

Freeze September 27, 2010

POSTED BY: Sirvaes , Dayton, OH
Overall rating: 4.0 out of 5

"I love almost everything about this dock, but I have the same problem with it freezing and requiring the power cord to be unplugged and plugged to start working again. If they could just fix that it would be the perfect docking station."

Screen freezes September 14, 2010

POSTED BY: WT , Liverpool Plains.
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"On the whole, this is a good device, but the screen regularly freezes, and as another reviewer wrote, it would be good if there were a power switch. Without these issues I'd give it 5 stars."

Best of its Breed June 21, 2010

POSTED BY: firewallbill , Houston, TX
Overall rating: 1.0 out of 5

"Almost perfect - I'm using this with an HP 311 Netbook - the competing USB docking product from HP never could host a Dell widescreen. The Dynadock V is very capable for a widescreen (1920x1080). My setup includes external HD, external DVD, and sound - music is great, HD and DVD burn is without a hitch, and anything less than full screen DVD playback is very enjoyable. I plug the ethernet directly into the Netbook - no reason not to. While the Dynadock V has ethernet out, I get a little better performance from the direct connection. My primary interest was in getting more USB plugs and not having to plug the monitor in and out all the time - all those fragile pins. The Dynadock V would get 5 stars except for lacking a power switch and the annoying habit of freezing the screen display 1 or 2 times a day. Toshiba desperately needs a firmware fix (or whatever is required) as it's annoying to have to pull the power plug daily. Otherwise its a great product and the best of its breed. Recommended."

Not bad at all March 26, 2010

POSTED BY: Lou
Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5

"I had some reservations about using a docking station based on other reviews I read about other docking stations. This one so far is working great. Very easy to set up with my new Toshiba E205 running Windows 7. I wanted to get away from using a desktop and laptop and can now use the laptop as my primary computer and sold the desktop. I attached my speakers, laser printer, wireless mouse, keyboard, and desktop monitor and still have one USB available in front for a camera or charging my Blackberry. The only problem so far is the monitor freezes occasionally. I learned to just unplug the docking station power jack and plug it back in to unfreeze it. Very little lag time through the monitor as well. I had to use velcro to hold the docking station to my desk since with all of the wires attached and as small as it is (stands about 6.5 inches from the top of my desk), it tended to fall backward. Other than these minor things, it's working just great so far."