Recent Discussions
Surface Pen not charging
Surface pen not able to charge. I am using the keyboard to charge my slim pen. Not very sure why but it always show this ⚠ sign and my pen is not able to charge. there is no light shown on the pen as well (the pen is flat alr). tried all the trobleshoot things but not working as well even tho the pen and keyboard are both connected to my device alr.. pls helppp
Type Cover will not Connect
I’ve tried everything — up-to-date, restarting, turn off and on, troubleshooting, running device tests—and I can’t get in contact with Microsoft customer service. My type cover for my surface pro 8 is magnetically connected but it won’t work at all and the connection won’t register in the tests. Without the type cover my surface pro is essentially useless. I can’t type on the keyboard or use the type cover mouse. I’ve submitted a ticket for customer service and haven’t heard back yet. A service repair is like $180 for a type cover!? I bought your device like 2-3 years ago and it’s still in great condition. Haven’t even dropped it once & it randomly stops working. Wtf. There doesn’t seem to be a scratch or anything. What could I do to fix this?
Accidentally booted ASUS laptop from Surface Hub 2S Recovery USB, now can't boot/reinstall Windows
*This post is not about troubleshooting a Surface Hub device, it's about troubleshooting my personal ASUS GU604VI laptop that a Surface Hub 2S Recovery Image on USB has altered and potentially destroyed* 🙁 Backstory: I had a task at work to reset a Surface Hub 2S device. I followed Microsoft's instructions (here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/surface-hub/surface-hub-recover-reset) to create a Windows 10 Team 2022 Update recovery image on a USB device. I then accidentally booted my own personal laptop from the USB drive - I was trying to put a couple of files on it and put it in my laptop before turning the laptop on (I should not have used my personal laptop for this in hindsight). The laptop booted automatically from the recovery flash drive instead of my internal SSD. I then realized I what was happening and shut it down. After that point NO Windows OS or other Windows install media will boot on my device. It appears that simply booting from the Surface Hub 2S recovery media made firmware-level changes to my laptop and is preventing me from booting into any non-Surface 2S Windows installation or even reinstalling Windows via boot from any Windows install media. I can boot Linux. Here is what I've tried to resolve it myself: Confirmed boot order and all the basics within the BIOS/UEFI firmware Reset BIOS to defaults Reflashed my BIOS (tried multiple different BIOS version levels) Disabled Secure Boot Wiped Secure Boot keys (returned to Setup Mode + restored default keys) Wiped my hard drive and tried to reinstall Windows (can't boot from Win11 or Win10 install media - I've tried created it using the Windows Media Creation tool and Rufus from the latest official Win11 and Win10 ISOs. None will boot into Windows setup, all return me directly to the boot device selection screen. Tried to boot to Windows Recovery Drive made from another Win11 system - same situation, returns me directly to the boot device selection screen Tried to boot Hiren's Boot CD on USB (based on WinPE) - same situation as above Tried multiple USB ports Tried multiple USB flash drive brands Tried disconnecting my laptop battery and letting it sit (CMOS reset type-of-thing) Tried booting directly from the various Windows .EFI files using shell.efi from UEFI - none will boot, they do nothing. Launching Linux .EFI files boots them just fine My laptop is a UEFI-only device. I cannot boot it into CSM/BIOS mode. I have to use UEFI boot. Power cycle/hard reset procedure with holding the power button for 1 minute Removed my SSD and tried to get the laptop just to boot to a Windows setup USB stick - same situation, returns me directly to the boot device selection screen Called ASUS, they want me to send them the laptop for an $85 diagnosis. It's out of warranty by 4 months. They will likely have to replace this motherboard, and this will cost big bucks. Tried to follow Microsoft's documentation on how to 'Migrate to Windows 10/11 Pro or Enterprise on Surface Hub 2S' (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/surface-hub/surface-hub-2s-migrate-os#update-uefi-on-surface-hub-2s-to-enable-os-migration) thinking that this may hold the key to being able to unlock the boot capabilities to allow my laptop to boot to normal non-Surface Windows again. I can get to the 'Update UEFI on Surface Hub 2S to enable OS Migration' step but cannot complete it since I don't have the Surface-specific UEFI options to install the DfciUpdate.dfi management settings file from USB. I finally installed decided all was so screwed up that I might as well actually fully install the Surface Hub 2S Windows 10 Team 2022 Update on my laptop and go from there - so I did. It booted and fully installed successfully and now I have a Surface Hub 2S laptop. It boots, but not to what I want it to, of course! I want to be back at normal Windows 11. I found one or two others having similar issues online (but not many people!): These three posts are from the same person - I tried but cannot use his solution because I cannot get Shift+F10, Windows+R, Ctrl+Shift+Esc or any other combo to give me the ability to launch a cmd.exe window. I think this is because the Surface Hub 2S is running in Windows S mode. https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/unable-to-boot-uefi-from-sata-or-usb-after-connecting-surface-hub-ssd.3757053/ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/unable-to-boot-to-uefi-via-sata-or-usb-device/655da88e-e5fe-4077-a9ce-5915e918cc90 https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/tt4d8v/unable_to_boot_to_uefi_sata_or_usb_installer/?rdt=57727 This post is extremely close to my situation, probably the exact same root issue https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/i-have-interesting-situation-please-read-carefully/3470d7eb-b62d-48db-afda-b7c85c3991c0 Could you please help me get my laptop back, Microsoft engineers? (and/or anyone else!) Thank you!
Unable to pause Smart Charging
The option to pause Smart Charging and charge battery to 100% has disappeared from Surface App. My battery is hovering at 76-77% and I am unable to charge it to 100% to prepare for working away from power supply. Was able to do this for over a year and the option is simply gone - tried repairing, resetting and reinstalling Surface App with no effect. This is on Surface 9 Pro for Business i7 (2038) / Win11 Ent. Please advise.Surface Hub S2 does not start recovery mode - what to do?
Hi everyone! We have our Surface Hub S2 in our meeting room, but after a power outage, the Hub won't boot anymore. It only comes up with the white Windows Logo and black background in an infinite loop. So, I just accepted, that I have to factory reset the device. But I am not able to boot from any USB stick. I can enter the UEFI Setup and i can update the configuration via USB stick. But when I try to start via "volume down" and power button, no recovery mode is entered. I tried all 3 USB-C slots and the USB A slot, made bootup sticks with the windows recovery tool and also with the surface IT toolkit. None worked. Am I doing something wrong? Is there another way to enter the recovery mode or alter the booting? Thanks, Tim
Surface Pro 4: Battery life is back after 5 years!!
I have bought my Surface Pro 4 in December 2015 and have been using it fantastically except the battery was almost dead after about 2.5 years. The battery was not lasting for even 5 minutes. Last week, I had some difficulty with this device for which I decided to do a 'factory reset', and surprisingly, the device is working like new including it's battery! It is true! Now the battery is lasting for about 6 hours! I would strongly recommend everyone to do the same if you want to bring back your battery life. Just wanted to share with you!!
Surface Hub 3
Good afternoon I ran into an issue with the surface hub; so I'm attempting to cast the screen from my surface hub to multiple monitors (TV/Displays) and I'm not finding an option to. Where can I find the options menu to cast to an external display? I've found that there's an accessory that does it (I think a wireless adapter?) is there a way to connect without the need to cord connections? Thank you!Surface User Update February 2025
This is a user update from the UK for Surface 10 core XIP6400 16Gb 512GB 13 inch Laptop. Almost identical in use to MacBook Air M3 (Apart from OS) but better battery life. Fully laminated screen with thin bezels. No fan noise heard so far. Services disabled - - Connected user exp and telemetry. - Dolby Dax - Windows Search - All Xbox apps - SSD indexing. It looks like the Arm Snapdragon has transformed the Surface Laptop. A question - My surface laptop has a 2230 M.2 512GB ssd which appears to be a SDDPTQD 1124 WD. Is there any benefit in changing to a Samsung 2230 990/991. Would this impact battery life or heat generation ? ie, The Samsung is better in theory but would I ever notice using MS Office/emails, etc.MDT Replacement Mode
I'm trying to replace the screen on a Surface Pro 8, and the manual straight from Microsoft says I need to run some pre-repair software. There does not appear to be any documentation showing how to actually do that. Here's the section in the manual: • Prep Device – Device must be set in TDM Replacement Mode prior to removing a faulty TDM. a. Connect software tools USB drive with SDT to USB connector on device under repair. b. Connect power supply to device. c. Power on device – Depress the power button on the side of the device. d. Run software tool – At the device OS, use Windows Explorer, navigate to USB drive and run: SDT – Select Repair setup and validation. Run the Touch Display Setup. At the end of the tool process device will power down. IMPORTANT: This step must be carried out on the device successfully before removal of a faulty TDM. Ensure light levels in the work area remain consistent during the touch display setup process. I've been able to determine that the correct version of the SDT software is the "for Business version". The options to put it in setup and validation mode are not present when running from the machine. There are no directions for making a portable install on a USB. I started here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/tdm-replacement-mode-on-usb-drive/9b02132e-6fee-46fe-9d90-1934303b8255 and after that and a bunch more reading I found some guidance that got me to creating a custom package, which I placed on my USB. It doesn't run. I've got to be missing something here. I just need to get this screen replaced. I have the hardware part handled, this software is really throwing me for a loop. Could I get some direction on how to actually make it work, or a detailed description of what would happen if I ignore it and just replace the screen?
Display problems with Surface 1872
Hi, I hope someone can help me here. I was given a Surface 1872 with a broken screen to fix. The picture was viewable but yes, the screen needed replacing. I cleaned out the broken screen and bought a brand new one (that was a mistake that I won't make again !!), I then attached the new screen in place of the broken one (not in the lid, just laying above it) and attached it using the 4 cables. The laptop booted up, but there was nothing showing on the screen. I attached a USBC cable and plugged it onto my Monitor's HDMI port and that screen was fine. I then, by accident, touched the laptop screen and bizarrely, the touchscreen was working, just only visible on my monitor, not the new laptop screen. Googling this told me that it was probably a faulty screen. I then bought a second hand replacement screen, apparently tested and fully working, but as part of the whole top, i.e. in and attached to the lid. I replaced the laptop screen again and this time there was still nothing on it, but my monitor showed some flickering & some lines. I therefore disconnected the screen re-attached all of the cable again and rebooted. I hear the laptop boot up, but now I am getting nothing on either screen !!! What on earth could have caused this ? Why, at least, do I not have video on my Monitor when I did before ?!? I have tried CTRL-Win Key-Shift-B & numerous other suggestions but nothing has so far made a difference 😢 ... Any help or advice would be a Godsend !!!Surface Dock 2 stopped recognizing external displays
Hey everyone, I've had a Surface Pro 9 with a Surface Dock 2 for a couple of months now with 2 Dell U2723QE monitors connected via USB C. This setup was working great up until this morning where the 2 displays suddenly stopped working. After some messing around, I was able to narrow it down to an issue with the dock because if I connect the monitors to the surface directly they work fine again. I went through the suggestions on this Microsoft troubleshooting site, tried updating drivers on the graphics card and dock, doing all Windows updates and clearing the display cache, but haven't had any luck yet. It could just be a bad dock I suppose and I need to get a warranty claim setup, but it just seems strange that it happened so suddenly. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they'd be super appreciated. Thanks!Surface Laptop 5 abysmally horrible battery life
I bought this laptop 2 years ago for $1.4k. I expect it to have a battery life that lasts more than 3.75 hours. The charger it came with is also incredibly finnicky and this webcam makes everything look like it was recorded on a D-list smart fridge. The only think this crapshoot is good for is the aesthetic. Functionally it's useless. I really expected better from a reputed company like Microsoft.
How to use Surface hub with multiple displays
We just recently installed a Surface Hub in the office to use for scrum meeting etc. We have, right next to it, a regular screen (previously used to connect laptop to). What we would like to do is to use the Surface to call into Skype for Business meetings, and get the video shown on the normal screen, and the collaboration area (with whiteboard etc.) on the Surface display. The purpose is to get the video image larger than the normal little box to the left at the same time as maximizing the collaboration area. How can we get this setup?Surface pro 7 becomes very slow after sleep mode
Hello, I have a surface pro 7 for ~3 years now and I remember experiencing this slow behavior after sleep mode like for ever. It has an Intel Core i5 - 1035G4 CPU. Having observed the CPU speed from Task Manager these last days, I see that normally it runs around 1.8 GHz when I don't do much, and when the problem arises after sleep mode, I see that the CPU speed does not get greater than ~0.5 GHz. These last days I also found solutions on the internet about reseting the graphic card with W+Shift+Ctrl+B or by turning off the self panel refresh but these do not solve the problem. I also set the min processor speed to 100% from control panel, did not work either. I also tried another solution that suggested to set the number of processors to 8 in MScondig > Boot > Advanced Options. For this last one, after sleep mode, the CPU speed was not stack at 0.5 GHz but around 1 GHz, still was slower than normal. So any other ideas out there? Overall, this PC is very disappointing. It costed 1500 EUR and made by windows, one would expect it should perform better than an HP/Dell/whatever manufacturer, but its performing worse and it has been a pain in the **bleep** like for ever. I read the same problem arises for later versions pro 9, pro 11. Surely the sleep mode creates problems for all laptops, no matter the manufacturer. I experience problems after sleep mode for an HP laptop I own and for my Dell work laptop. But the problem from the surface is the worst because the PC becomes unusable. You have to shut down to get the speed back. Anyway, if you have any idea, please let me know. Thank you!
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