Surface Pro 4 Bulging Battery / Screen. 3 1/2 years old.

Anonymous
2019-06-30T14:34:09+00:00

So, like many others on this forum, we have a Surface Pro 4, in which the battery has decided to self-destruct, destroying a £1,700 machine.

The screen hasn't popped off, but the battery has swollen enough to prevent the hinge from opening as it should and for the glass on the front to be very distorted, and it registers random screen input, all the while running hotter than the central heating.

I've spoken to support. They unhelpfully told me that because my warranty is up, I would have to pay several hundred pounds (£333) to replace the machine with a refurbished unit. To me, this is completely unacceptable. These devices are clearly flawed by design. This issue is too wide spread for it to be a coincidence. The batteries used in these devices are obviously flawed, and when I suggested as such, Sean L, the person dealing with my case, stopped responding (A few days after that, I wrote to Microsoft's twitter support who confirmed that the case had been closed. Thanks Sean L.)

If the device is dangerous (as suggested by the agent who I spoke to on the phone in the first instance) and it does catch fire while we are away this summer, and it subsequently burns down a multi-million pound Cambridge University building? What then, Microsoft? You'll wish you'd just replaced it then, won't you.

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-10-17T16:29:01+00:00

    There are a number of backup options out there. Check online. Here's a rough guide if you want to do it manually.

    Get either a thumb drive or external hard drive that is at least as large as the storage capacity of your machine. Copy your personal folder (should have your name or username on it) to that drive. This folder should contain most of your important files (docs, pics, music, etc.) Do the same for all other users of your machine. If you have saved any files to other places not in your personal folder copy these as well.

    Two things -- you can back your files up to the cloud if you have enough storage, but if you have never backed up your machine before, this could take a very long time. Also, this will not save copies of any installed software. You will need to reinstall after you acquire a new machine.

    And finally, stay close to your Surface in case it decides to self-incinerate while you're doing the backup.

    This is probably not 100% complete, but it will get you most of the way there.

    Good luck.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-10-17T14:21:46+00:00

    You might be able to extend using it.

    Use only while you are physically present.

    Destroy it when you either purchase something excellent like Dell XCPS 13.

    I am waiting it out on a Death Watch, so to speak, until prices come down or a fabulous offer pops up.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-10-16T17:44:35+00:00

    I hear you Terry

    The tech guy told me buy another machine. No way ever

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-10-16T17:43:36+00:00

    I agree that just happened to my machine today. How can I back up the files before I do anything else.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-10-13T15:39:25+00:00

    Yep they told me there was "nothing they could do", so I am on the hook for their design flaw despite taking excellent care of my machine. I have replaced the device with an Asus Zenbook since then, even though I was originally planning to get a new Surface next year, because Microsoft does not seem to care if their laptop burns my house down.

    Microsoft wants to compete with Apple with premium laptops, and while it is a nice laptop, the service is not. The difference is that when MacBook Airs had a similar problem, Apple replaced them. And that is why Apple keeps their customers and I have stopped buying Surface. The cost of reputation is far more than admitting a mistake and fixing a few machines.

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