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Returning the SP3 i7/512GB

mdrago

New Member
Hi there.
I'll be returning my SP3 tomorrow... I've been trying really hard to get it to work, but it seems impossible.

In a nutshell, the main problem I'm having is that when the SP3 is on the "off" state (not sleeping) it will take about 3 minutes to boot. After I log in, a BSOD appears in about 30 seconds. The BSOD I'm getting is always the same "driver_power_state_failure" on 0x9F. After that the SP3 will boot ok and work as expected.

Using the whocrashed application does not reveal any useful info since the "culprit" is ntoskrnl.exe on the ACPI.SYS module (power management).

I called support 2 times... both times they take about 15 minutes to take my personal info and 10 seconds to tell me that I should do a reset. I don't except a MS engineer on the other side of the support line, but I do except something more helpful than "Did you install the updates?" and "You should do a reset"

On the last reset I did yesterday I only installed Office and Visual Studio 2013... In short, there is not a single byte of code on the machine that don't come from MS, so there is no "3rd party driver" to blame.

I also noted something very interesting... those 30 seconds after the login, none of the four external buttons works (volume up / volume down / power / windows key). So the problem is related somehow. When the 4 buttons don't work I know I'll be getting a BSOD in just a couple of seconds.

I'm writing these lines in hopes someone from MS read this... since calling support and telling them about the problem is the same as telling it to my dog.

I'm hoping I got a defective unit, since there is not much info the internet about this particular behavior.
 
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mdrago

New Member
This sucks. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Will you be returning it, or exchanging for a new one?

I'll be exchanging it for a new one... I love the concept.

On the other hand, I feel "angry" at MS for making such a mess with this kind of device... we are talking about a $2000 computer that can't even boot without a BSOD and the buttons wont work. As mentioned before, I can reproduce the problem 100% of the time and there is not a single byte of code that is not MS on the machine (not even Chrome is installed) so I can only feel angry about the QA process for this device.

As a side note, here's the Event Log text of the error:
EVENT 13, ACPI
"The embedded controller (EC) did not responed within the specified timeout period. This may indicate that there is an error in the EC hardware or firmware or that the BIOS is accesing the EC incorrectly..."

After looking it up turns out that ACPI is also responsible for the 4 physical buttons on the device (that will explain why they don't work on the first cold boot)... I also found people debugging ACPI.sys with the same problem... seems that is faster decompiling Intel ACPI.sys and figuring the bug out than waiting for a solution from MS.
 
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mdrago

New Member
Got a new one... here's what I'm going to do:
- Install framework 3.5 and Hyper-V
- Uninstall all semi-bloatware (flipboard / skype wifi / news / sports / etc)
- Install Office
- Install VS2013
- Run all the updates

Shut it down and wait for a couple of hours... then turn it on and see.
 

GreyFox7

Super Moderator
Staff member
Got a new one... here's what I'm going to do:
- Install framework 3.5 and Hyper-V
- Uninstall all semi-bloatware (flipboard / skype wifi / news / sports / etc)
- Install Office
- Install VS2013
- Run all the updates

Shut it down and wait for a couple of hours... then turn it on and see.
Why don't you test it as is before you start mucking around.
 
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mdrago

New Member
Not much to test if there is no software installed at all. Those are the 3 bare minimum things I need (Office / Hyper-V / VS2013)... if it dosen't work with that I'm returning it for good.
 

GreyFox7

Super Moderator
Staff member
Not much to test if there is no software installed at all. Those are the 3 bare minimum things I need (Office / Hyper-V / VS2013)... if it dosen't work with that I'm returning it for good.
Point is if modification affects behavior you know its a configuration issue and therefore is fixable.
 
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mdrago

New Member
I already installed everything and is on the update phase now... You have a point though... if it doesn't work, I will reset and touch nothing except for the updates and see what happens.
 

kozak79

Active Member
You actually don't have to speak to anyone. If you feel like you have an issue that warrants an exchange, go to the support site and initiate an advance exchange. You'll get a new surface in a couple of days.
 
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