Surface Tweak Tool for Surface Pro 2 - Release!
- Thread starter GoodBytes
- Start date
So I have made a little discovery.
If you install the Intel drivers from Intel website, and discover that you have problems with the Surface Pro switching between headphones and speakers, I have found a workaround fix.
1- Install back the system firmware update again to return back to the original drivers.
2- Get the Intel latest drivers .zip file, which you extract
3- delete the *.cat file inside (this is the driver signature)
4- Delete the folder "DisplayAudio" (this is the driver that causes problem)
5- If you are under Windows 10, edit the *.inf file under "Graphics" folder (igdlh64.inf) with Notepad, scroll down to "Windows 8.1 Install" section (you'll notice it in a box. Should be at Line 165)., and change "[IntelGfx.NTamd64.6.3]" to "[IntelGfx.NTamd64.6.4]", save and close. Again, this applies to Windows 10 users only. This is needed to make the drivers install under Windows 10, else it won't.
6- Open Device Manager, go to "Display adapter" > "Intel(R) HD Graphics". Right-click on it, and select "Update Driver Software"
7- On the panel that just showed up, select "Browse...", then on "Let me pick...", then on "Have Disk" button, then on "Browse", pick the location of the Intel drivers that we just worked on, and go under the "Graphics" folder, and select the *.inf file.
8- Click on "Next" and it will install. Restart your system, and you should be ready to go.
9- Use Surface Tweak Tool to to apply the lack of color fix, start the Intel Control Panel, go under "Power section, then click on "Power" at the top left corner, a menu will show, select "Battery", and click on "Disable" for the option "Display Power Saving Technology". Make sure that "Graphic Power Plan" remains at "Maximum Battery life", if not, set it back to (this is important to keep the battery life of the Surface the same). And voila.
It must be noted: Audio through DisplayPort connection might no longer work. I don't have the equipment to test, but your headphone/speaker switching problem when you plug/unplug headphones/speakers on the audio jack, should be solved.
If you install the Intel drivers from Intel website, and discover that you have problems with the Surface Pro switching between headphones and speakers, I have found a workaround fix.
1- Install back the system firmware update again to return back to the original drivers.
2- Get the Intel latest drivers .zip file, which you extract
3- delete the *.cat file inside (this is the driver signature)
4- Delete the folder "DisplayAudio" (this is the driver that causes problem)
5- If you are under Windows 10, edit the *.inf file under "Graphics" folder (igdlh64.inf) with Notepad, scroll down to "Windows 8.1 Install" section (you'll notice it in a box. Should be at Line 165)., and change "[IntelGfx.NTamd64.6.3]" to "[IntelGfx.NTamd64.6.4]", save and close. Again, this applies to Windows 10 users only. This is needed to make the drivers install under Windows 10, else it won't.
6- Open Device Manager, go to "Display adapter" > "Intel(R) HD Graphics". Right-click on it, and select "Update Driver Software"
7- On the panel that just showed up, select "Browse...", then on "Let me pick...", then on "Have Disk" button, then on "Browse", pick the location of the Intel drivers that we just worked on, and go under the "Graphics" folder, and select the *.inf file.
8- Click on "Next" and it will install. Restart your system, and you should be ready to go.
9- Use Surface Tweak Tool to to apply the lack of color fix, start the Intel Control Panel, go under "Power section, then click on "Power" at the top left corner, a menu will show, select "Battery", and click on "Disable" for the option "Display Power Saving Technology". Make sure that "Graphic Power Plan" remains at "Maximum Battery life", if not, set it back to (this is important to keep the battery life of the Surface the same). And voila.
It must be noted: Audio through DisplayPort connection might no longer work. I don't have the equipment to test, but your headphone/speaker switching problem when you plug/unplug headphones/speakers on the audio jack, should be solved.
Well here is some sad news.
Windows 10 forces the installation of the Surface Pro 2 drivers. There is no way to not have them installed.
So what it means is that if you want to use Intel very own latest drivers, Windows update will automatically uninstall them, and install the Surface Pro 2 Intel graphics drivers.
-> There is no way to block this. Going under System Properties > Device Installation Settings, and select "Never install driver software from Windows Update" does nothing.
-> I tried changing the version of the drivers from Intel web site own drivers with the ones that Surface Pro 2 firmware has... no luck, Windows update is smarter than this
-> I tried to brute force new drivers onto the system by overriding files. No go.
-> I tried taking Surface Pro 2 Intel driver configuration file, and dump it to the new drivers, thinking it will use the files of the new drivers. No go.
Windows 10 forces the installation of the Surface Pro 2 drivers. There is no way to not have them installed.
So what it means is that if you want to use Intel very own latest drivers, Windows update will automatically uninstall them, and install the Surface Pro 2 Intel graphics drivers.
-> There is no way to block this. Going under System Properties > Device Installation Settings, and select "Never install driver software from Windows Update" does nothing.
-> I tried changing the version of the drivers from Intel web site own drivers with the ones that Surface Pro 2 firmware has... no luck, Windows update is smarter than this
-> I tried to brute force new drivers onto the system by overriding files. No go.
-> I tried taking Surface Pro 2 Intel driver configuration file, and dump it to the new drivers, thinking it will use the files of the new drivers. No go.
I have a fix. But I need testers.
This fix should also work for Windows 8 users using Intel latest drivers.
PLEASE create a system restore point BEFORE apply it to go back in the case something goes wrong.
This is for advance users only.
Instructions:
-> Go to registry, and to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video
-> You have folders (keys) in there. expand each one, until you find the ones with sub folders: 0000, 0001 (other folders such as 0002, can be inside). This folder (key) is the one where for the Intel integrated graphics. Once found, copy the folder (key) name.
-> Download, extract and edit the *.reg file of this post. Replace all "{BAE0F9C0-4A71-40F7-8F80-6B75745952C6}", with the key you found.
-> Save and run the reg file.
-> Restart. Banding issue and dynamic contrast ratio issue should be fixed.
Please let me know if it works out for you.
This fix should also work for Windows 8 users using Intel latest drivers.
PLEASE create a system restore point BEFORE apply it to go back in the case something goes wrong.
This is for advance users only.
Instructions:
-> Go to registry, and to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video
-> You have folders (keys) in there. expand each one, until you find the ones with sub folders: 0000, 0001 (other folders such as 0002, can be inside). This folder (key) is the one where for the Intel integrated graphics. Once found, copy the folder (key) name.
-> Download, extract and edit the *.reg file of this post. Replace all "{BAE0F9C0-4A71-40F7-8F80-6B75745952C6}", with the key you found.
-> Save and run the reg file.
-> Restart. Banding issue and dynamic contrast ratio issue should be fixed.
Please let me know if it works out for you.
Im using surface 3. Where is the exact location to turn off adaptive contrast in regedit?
Does the tool support surface 3? The reg u provided im afraid it would crash my graphic drivers.
The graphics solution in the Surface 3 is different than the Surface Pro 2, and 3.
I don't have a Surface 3. If you have the problem, I would wait for a new version of Surface Tweak Tool, which will only change the needed options.
I'll work on it once Windows 10 is released with Intel latest drivers.
I don't have a Surface 3. If you have the problem, I would wait for a new version of Surface Tweak Tool, which will only change the needed options.
I'll work on it once Windows 10 is released with Intel latest drivers.
What I suggest is to install Intel web site drivers, to have the Intel control panel. When you'll do it, be sure to hide Windows Update, that will show up, called "System Hardware Update", which is the Surface 3 Intel drivers which will uninstall the Intel website drivers you just installed, and install back to the Surface 3 one. You'll need to repeat this step at every System firmware release (luckily it is not a common to have firmware upgrades).
On Intel website, when you download your graphics card drivers, be sure to download teh .zip version of the drivers, and not the .exe.
You need to do this, as the naming of the graphics solution is different, and the setup won't recognize the graphics card, and fail to lunch the setup. You'll need to install it via the Device Manager.
To do this, open device manager (you can search for it in the start menu search, or right-click on the start menu, and select "Device Manager"). On the panel, expand "Display adapters", under it, you'll find the Intel integrated graphics. Right-click on it, and select Uninstall, check the box to delete the drivers.
Once done, restart your system, and now IMMEDIATELY, to to Windows Update, find the "System Hardware Update" and hide it, before Windows installs it.
Then extract the Intel drivers zip file, now open Device Manager again (as it closed form your system restart), go back to Display adapters, and double click on the item you see under. A panel will open, go to the "Driver" tab, and click on the "Update Driver..." button.
A wizard will pop-up. Click on "Browse my computer for drivers software", click on the "Browse" button, and select the folder of where you extracted the Intel drivers you extracted a moment ago. Be sure the checkbox "Include subfolders" is checked. Click on Next. It should install them. Restart your system.
Once done, verify again that "System Hardware Update" in Windows update, doesn't show up again, if it does, hide it.
Once that is done, you should be good to go. Right-click on your desktop, and you should have Intel control panel option. Open it, go under Power (going by memory, sorry for the inaccuracies), then at the top left corner, next to the Back button, you have a down arrow next to "Power", click on it, and select "Battery" (yes, Intel really hiding it).
Then, you'll find "Display Power Saving Technology" (which as you can see, it is just dynamic contrast ratio, and after multiple measurements confirms it saves no battery life), select "Disable". Be sure that "Graphics Power Plan", didn't change to "Balance". Be sure it is at "Maximum Battery life". This is one of the many driver bugs from Intel graphic drivers that you expect to never be fixed as per usual.
On Intel website, when you download your graphics card drivers, be sure to download teh .zip version of the drivers, and not the .exe.
You need to do this, as the naming of the graphics solution is different, and the setup won't recognize the graphics card, and fail to lunch the setup. You'll need to install it via the Device Manager.
To do this, open device manager (you can search for it in the start menu search, or right-click on the start menu, and select "Device Manager"). On the panel, expand "Display adapters", under it, you'll find the Intel integrated graphics. Right-click on it, and select Uninstall, check the box to delete the drivers.
Once done, restart your system, and now IMMEDIATELY, to to Windows Update, find the "System Hardware Update" and hide it, before Windows installs it.
Then extract the Intel drivers zip file, now open Device Manager again (as it closed form your system restart), go back to Display adapters, and double click on the item you see under. A panel will open, go to the "Driver" tab, and click on the "Update Driver..." button.
A wizard will pop-up. Click on "Browse my computer for drivers software", click on the "Browse" button, and select the folder of where you extracted the Intel drivers you extracted a moment ago. Be sure the checkbox "Include subfolders" is checked. Click on Next. It should install them. Restart your system.
Once done, verify again that "System Hardware Update" in Windows update, doesn't show up again, if it does, hide it.
Once that is done, you should be good to go. Right-click on your desktop, and you should have Intel control panel option. Open it, go under Power (going by memory, sorry for the inaccuracies), then at the top left corner, next to the Back button, you have a down arrow next to "Power", click on it, and select "Battery" (yes, Intel really hiding it).
Then, you'll find "Display Power Saving Technology" (which as you can see, it is just dynamic contrast ratio, and after multiple measurements confirms it saves no battery life), select "Disable". Be sure that "Graphics Power Plan", didn't change to "Balance". Be sure it is at "Maximum Battery life". This is one of the many driver bugs from Intel graphic drivers that you expect to never be fixed as per usual.
