Two docking stations, zero compatibility?

I have a Lenovo T410 which I use with two different docking stations. Historically I've had to wait up to a minute while the computer "finds" the keyboard and mouse after I move it from one dock to the other. Sometimes I have to open the laptop and log in on the built-in keyboard to make it straighten itself out.

Now even opening the laptop doesn't help. To use the attached keyboard and mouse I actually have to restart Windows. (Even entering and leaving hibernation doesn't help.)

I tried to fix this by ensuring that each device is plugged into the same USB connector on each dock. I reasoned that if the computer goes to sleep on one dock and wakes up on the other, and finds a keyboard and a mouse at the same physical locations as before, it won't know anything has happened. Wrong. That didn't help at all.

I can kind of understand the problem with the mouse, because the docks have two different kinds of wireless mice. They probably use different drivers. But a keyboard is a keyboard is a keyboard, isn't it? The computer literally shouldn't know the difference between one dock's keyboard and the other's. But it does.

This situation makes the docks useless to me. The whole point of using a dock is to avoid having to plug and unplug a half dozen cables every time I move the computer; but the inconvenience of doing that is dwarfed by the inconvenience of restarting the computer every time I move it.

What is causing this problem, and how can I resolve it?

 

It's the docking connector on the motherboard. Replacing the MB doesn't really help though.

I upgraded my work issued T410 to T420 for only marginal help (same dock). Before that I replaced three motherboards on the T410 for no help. It would disconnect at the slightest touch, for example when I took my wallet/keys and placed them on the laptop was enough movement to disconnect all usb devices and monitors temporarily.

Since then I replaced T420 with HP 8460p and that later with 8470p. No more docking problems, rest is mostly a matter of taste.

If somebody asked me how I think that dock connector works, I would only use words that were all filtered in this forum.

 

KLF, perhaps I didn't understand your response. The problem you described doesn't sound anything like mine, and the fact that rebooting does fix my problem seems to rule out anything similar.

 

What make / model of docking station do you have?

 

Both docking stations are Lenovo model 4338.

I'm a little puzzled that you asked me what make, since docking stations are model specific. Unless some third party manufactures plug compatible docking stations for this group of Lenovo computers, there is no other source. As far as I know, no one has ever offered a plug-compatible docking station for any computer -- the demand would be too small to make such a product viable.