Flickering screens turn Microsoft Surface Books into Microsoft Surface paperweights People who bought the first batch of Microsoft's Surface Book slab-tops are furious that a glitch causes the screens to flicker. Microsoft's support forums and the Surface subreddit are filled with folks claiming their displays erratically wink completely on and off. This happens, we're told, whether the tablet is running on …
Apparently Hyper-V gets enabled if you install Visual Studio and that's when my Surface Pro 4 started flickering. I did a quick web search and everyone said to just disable Hyper-V again which seemed to fix the issue.
Microsoft knows about it and should hopefully be sending out a fix soon :)
Well yes, one of the reasons I started looking into getting a Surface or a MBA or something like that, and then stepped back having decided that I'm not going to waste any of my own money on one.
I'll find a nice business budget somewhere to cover it, but I'm not into chucking my own cash on stuff like this anymore.
There are just too many nice things in life that I could better use my cash for.
It's only 1500$ for the flickering version, the fully licenced version is leased based for only 75$ per month over a period of three lifetimes. Although you never really own it, they have promised to upgrade the firmware once every other millenium..
The next version will also run Windows 3.1 for the nostalgiques but they can't promise that minesweeper will be included.
Still the best and most reliable piece of Microsoft hardware I have ever had is my Microsoft OS/2 coffee cup, handed out before they pulled the rug out from IBM in the operating system race. The OS/2 cup has served me well almost every day. It is certifiably defect-free.
Second most reliable Microsoft hardware is my Microsoft optical mouse with USB cable.
For the rest of the Microsoft hardware kit, I would not give a plugged nickel, a sou, a yuan or a penny.
There's no such thing as a perfect product. I may not be a Microsoft fan, but any new hardware will annoyingly only show weaknesses when out in the field, it is one of the reasons I don't buy absolutely new products on their launch date but usually a couple of months later. What surprises me is that this is apparently software, I would have thought it is a screen ribbon or something.
The key question is how quickly it is fixed, because that gives you some idea of the after sales support. If that is a challenge I wouldn't buy it at all, if Microsoft is quick and diligent to address genuine failures it inspires confidence.
Let's wait and see.
>What surprises me is that this is apparently software, I would have thought it is a screen ribbon or something.
For sure. However, other reported symptoms suggest that it is indeed software, for example some owners have videoed the colour temperature changes as they scroll down a website - on both the Book's own screen and a connected monitor. I can't think of a hardware cause for that!
I'm sure that this will be a very compelling product, so it just seems daft that these issues were not dealt with before launch.
The after sales support from MS was superb in my case:
My first Surface RT stopped charging so I went to their support area. The Surface was known about (they sold it to me) - they knew the serial numbers etc. and I went to the hardware problems area.
When I finally got to the "charger seems to be faulty" it said click here to be sent a replacement for free, which I did. One duly arrived the next day.
It didn't fix the problem though so I returned to the system and told it that it did not fix the issue so it must be the Surface itself and it offered two choices:
1. Buy a new Surface, we will send it out. Put the old one in the same shipping box and send it back free with the label they supplied in the box.
2. Print a label and send it back and a new one will be sent upon receipt.
No request to return the charger, in fact, a specific statement saying "Do not send a charger with the unit".
I bought a new one, which arrived the next day. I sent the old back and I was refunded within the week.
All my communication for purchase etc. have been effortless (three RT units and keyboards).
As for this issue, ne can imagine the Hyper-V modes being tested less of course, it is a small subset of users - especially if it is used as a management toy/perk. It is always a shame when shiny new kit has an issue - I hope for the owners' sake it isn't a HW issue, although it seems unlikely.
I have been pleasantly surprised by niggles disappearing with Windows 10 - my partner's ASUS trackpad delivering no cleverness when W10 first ran, much gnashing of teeth and attempts to replace drivers etc. failing to fix it. Three days later, it started working perfectly.
And my HP fingerprint reader being AWOL and then suddenly working a week later for Windows Hello use.
@g00se
could it be that you are thinking of the existing MS Surface (tablet with attachable keyboard)? I'd expect an Intel i5/i7-powered tablet to radiate more heat than any ARM-powered tablet.
This article is about the newly released Surface Book (laptop with detachable screen).
The GPU is offered as an option.
For those of us who do CAD work, it's nice to see a GPU on a laptop of this form factor, especially if one's workflow can benefit from stylus input.
Also, this 3:2 laptop seems to be the only one available, other than Macbooks, that doesn't use a 16:9 screen. If I am wrong about that, please, please supply a link!
>Microsoft's candle waning and getting close to extinguishing itself. We can only hope.
There is just too much software tied to Windows platforms for that to happen overnight. Those of us thus tied to the platform will continue to be constructively critical of MS decisions where deserved, but also give credit where it is due. Bashing MS for past sharp business practices or whatever isn't too helpful.
You have lived up to your tag line: Biting the hand that feeds IT.
However, no matter how many dogs have been biting Microsoft, it still continues to live, thrive and innovate. Media can scavenge on many of the small issues that are surfacing in the new products, but really from technical standpoint, they are insignificant. In my searches on Surface Book, only two notable issues have been highlighted by users: 1. Screen flicker and 2. External dock. Both seem to be software issues which are sure to be fixed quickly. Nothing to worry about too much.
Microsoft must be appreciated for upping the ante in the laptop market.
And sorry that it continues to live.
No, the LightBulb(tm) flicker is a new feature in this release of LightBulb which will make for more efficient use of light and will in no way affect your ability to use light.
(In a future release of LightBulb, they will replace the flicker feature with a high frequency strobe effect and will humbly apologise for the introduction of the flicker despite the number of epileptic fits being triggered by LightBulb increasing due to the strobe. They will deny this and will go on to quote that they have delivered 14 million LightBulbs in the first three femto-seconds of its release to manufacture, far more than the original release of LightBulb and its predecessor, Candle, which they no longer support.)
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