Which Surface Pro 4 issues remain?

[wynand32]

It's not that bad. Just make the following changes to the default settings:

1. Switch from Sleep to Hibernate when on battery for the power button and closing the lid
2. Hibernate after 5 minutes of Sleep when on battery (the default is 120 minutes).

Well, only problem is I like to use my SP4 (previously my SP3) like I do my iPad on occasion--lots of in-and-out as I'm doing other things (e.g., watching TV). That relies on instant-on; waiting for waking from hibernate is far from optimal. But I understand that Skylake is having general sleep state issues, so it might not be an SP4-specific problem.

But, yes, not the worst thing in the world, just reduces the convenience a bit when using it as a tablet. Not nearly so important when using it as a notebook, which is usually longer working sessions with less concern about sleep.

 

[DavidZ]

Well, only problem is I like to use my SP4 (previously my SP3) like I do my iPad on occasion--lots of in-and-out as I'm doing other things (e.g., watching TV). That relies on instant-on; waiting for waking from hibernate is far from optimal. But I understand that Skylake is having general sleep state issues, so it might not be an SP4-specific problem.

Then you probably want to go with something like 30 minutes of sleep instead of 5 minutes.

But, yes, not the worst thing in the world, just reduces the convenience a bit when using it as a tablet. Not nearly so important when using it as a notebook, which is usually longer working sessions with less concern about sleep.

On my i5/4/128 it takes 10 seconds to come up from hibernation. I don't mind that. It takes me that long to get in a comfortable surfing position.

Hopefully the sleep issue will be addressed soon. But for now, I'm getting essentially zero battery loss during down time.

 

[wynand32]

Then you probably want to go with something like 30 minutes of sleep instead of 5 minutes.



On my i5/4/128 it takes 10 seconds to come up from hibernation. I don't mind that. It takes me that long to get in a comfortable surfing position.

Hopefully the sleep issue will be addressed soon. But for now, I'm getting essentially zero battery loss during down time.

Oh, golly, I forgot to mention what's worst about this with mine: it's not that it doesn't go to sleep, precisely, it's that it doesn't wake up. I haven't had much chance to play with it, but so far I've had to shut it down three times because I closed the Type Cover, then hit the power button to wake, and although I can see the infrared light going off the screen won't turn on.

That's really the biggest issue for me.

 

[DavidZ]

Oh, golly, I forgot to mention what's worst about this with mine: it's not that it doesn't go to sleep, precisely, it's that it doesn't wake up. I haven't had much chance to play with it, but so far I've had to shut it down three times because I closed the Type Cover, then hit the power button to wake, and although I can see the infrared light going off the screen won't turn on.

That's really the biggest issue for me.

You probably have a defective unit that needs to be replaced.

It sounds like you're closing the lid in PC mode. Do you have the (no wake up) problem when you detach the type cover (go into tablet mode) and then hit the power button?

 

[jnjroach]

If it is any consolation the late December Beta Video Driver fixes 99% of the power management issues mine wakes from sleep and hibernation.

 

[wynand32]

If it is any consolation the late December Beta Video Driver fixes 99% of the power management issues mine wakes from sleep and hibernation.

Does it stay asleep as well?

 

[JordanAT]

Oh, golly, I forgot to mention what's worst about this with mine: it's not that it doesn't go to sleep, precisely, it's that it doesn't wake up. I haven't had much chance to play with it, but so far I've had to shut it down three times because I closed the Type Cover, then hit the power button to wake, and although I can see the infrared light going off the screen won't turn on.

That's really the biggest issue for me.

When that happens, the panel has dropped off the device list. Press Win+P, wait two seconds, then press Win+P a second time. This will throw the screen to a "projector", then bring the focus back to the local screen. The process of changing focus between screen forces a re-detection of the monitors available for connection and the internal panel will then be re-activated.

It's almost certainly a driver issue and, since I found this fix nearly 2 months ago (and posted it on reddit), I'm surprised MS hasn't fixed this bug already. It demonstrates that they are either horribly understaffed or entirely apathetic to the problems on their flagship device.

 

[DavidZ]

When that happens, the panel has dropped off the device list. Press Win+P, wait two seconds, then press Win+P a second time. This will throw the screen to a "projector", then bring the focus back to the local screen. The process of changing focus between screen forces a re-detection of the monitors available for connection and the internal panel will then be re-activated.

It's almost certainly a driver issue and, since I found this fix nearly 2 months ago (and posted it on reddit), I'm surprised MS hasn't fixed this bug already. It demonstrates that they are either horribly understaffed or entirely apathetic to the problems on their flagship device.

If it's a driver issue, why does this bug affect some users but not others?

 

[JordanAT]

AFAIK, it affects pretty much everyone, but the conditions don't always manifest to cause the panel to drop out of the device list. A force-check on wake (which is really all we're doing with the Win+P work-around) should be a fix.

BTW - I don't have this issue/haven't had this issue since I disabled Connected Sleep.

 

[MikemanSP4]

Hey guys, I'm planning to buy a Surface Pro 4 soon and was wondering what glitches remain. I've been seeing users report 5 hours of battery life, light bleeding and some other issues, but which ones remain? Thanks!

I have a SP4 i7 - zero issues. Its a great machine - a true workhorse. Keep in mind that if you want superior battery life, you may have to comprise "some performance".

 

[jnjroach]

Does it stay asleep as well?

Yep....

 

[DavidZ]

AFAIK, it affects pretty much everyone, but the conditions don't always manifest to cause the panel to drop out of the device list. A force-check on wake (which is really all we're doing with the Win+P work-around) should be a fix.

BTW - I don't have this issue/haven't had this issue since I disabled Connected Sleep.

Why does this problem manifest on some SP4s, but not others? Keep in mind that this problem is reported by many users (including wynand32 above) right out of the box, so no software has been installed yet to cause a conflict.