System Firmware Update - 12/10/13 fails to install

Anonymous
2013-12-10T19:14:53+00:00

Got the updates on todays patch Tuesday, but the firmware update failed to load.  Rechecking for an update does not give the opportunity to try and reinstall.

Anyone else having this problem?  I do notice that my telemetry driver is now loaded. so not sure what is going on here.

Surface | Surface Pro | Install and update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2013-12-19T06:53:02+00:00

Josh,

We are working through the holidays to deliver a fix for the small number of customers that have experience decreased battery life and booting/sleeping problems as a result of the December update.  We took the update down to prevent additional customers from ending up in this state. All hardware failures, none of which are known to be caused by the December update, are being handled promptly through our warranty exchange policy.

The UEFI firmware that we released in the December update prevents some devices from entering sleep mode (and other low power states) properly during periods of inactivity. In order to release an updated version of the UEFI firmware we need to test the new version with the other drivers in the set to make sure we are not releasing yet another unknown state to customer machines. We certainly feel your pain and assure you that we are doing everything possible to make this right, as quickly as we can.

Thank you,

Tim

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Anonymous
2014-02-15T00:49:31+00:00

Greetings all,

We understand that the February Firmware Update has fixed the Battery gauge issue and the Firmware showing as failed. However we can see that there are some customers who are still experiencing issues with their Surface Pro 2 going into Sleep mode and Hibernate.

So we can better track those particular issues, we have decided to close this thread off. We encourage you to create a thread related to your Surface Pro 2 not going to sleep or not going into Hibernate. Please give as much detail as possible to your scenario.

We understand that the February Firmware update did not resolve the issue with waking from Sleep or Hibernate, as it was not intended to fix that particular issue. We are continuing to work to deliver a high quality solution. More updates will become available as this effort progresses.

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Anonymous
2014-02-13T22:35:08+00:00

The February update has resolved all issues for me.  The firmware installed with no issues.  Prior to this, I had all sorts of problems with the December firmware.  Sleep and hibernate issues were rampant.  The January update helped a bit, but the battery meter was always getting off calibration. 

With the February update, all issues have been resolved and my Surface 2 128gb is working as it was prior to the December updates.  Very solid and all is back to normal.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-01T21:09:46+00:00

    I have no other issue with the unit as everybody else describes here, except for a (compared to yours) very low battery life. 9 hours seems to be a bit exaggerated. How do you measure. I measure with an actual run of 5,5 h with office softwares before it shuts down, while you are maybe switching it on and off during the 9 hours period. 

    Take a look at the other responses in this thread- your 5.5h of run life is way off.  Exceptionally low. 

    See here on the CNET review.   They get 7 hours of run time playing video, which is pretty darn intensive.  So your 5.5 is abnormal. I'd look at a replacement.

    Battery life depends hugely on what you are doing.  If you are using the Metro side, you should get 8 hours or more.  If you're using the Desktop side, you can expect only about 5 hours.  Most lists of what to do to maximize battery life, which include tweaking screen brightness and turning off Bluetooth if you're not using that, are giving generic advice for Windows.  For people with a Surface Pro the main factor in battery life numbers is whether you are using mostly Metro or Desktop.

    So those who are mostly using Desktop can relax about their 5 hour experience.  And where possible, for simple web browsing, use the Metro side to get better battery life.  And when people discuss their battery hour data, it is crucial to estimate your Desktop/Metro ratio.

    Hopefully Microsoft service people know enough to explain this rather than go directly to doing an exchange or refund.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-01-31T23:28:05+00:00

    Thanks for the feedback, David.  With me, I never noticed it until after the 12/10/13 firmware update.  It was sporadic until I completely discharged my battery on 1/29/14, and then Whammo!, it became a regular occurrence on opening my cover after sleeping.

    Also, the sequence of events that triggered it would change.  Normally, I seem to always mindlessly start Sleep by using the Charms, Settings, Power Button Sleep option, then close the cover (never mind that the Cover Close option is set to Sleep).  Perhaps this avoided a crash before.  After my 1/29/14 battery discharge/hibernate issues arising, it didn't matter if I started Sleep via the Charms Settings Power Button or just closed the Type 2 cover.

    So for me, the seeming total randomness of when and why such Surface Pro 2 issues arises can almost drive one to insanity.  If you know there is a problem and you find a workaround, cool.  But when suddenly for no good reason (other than poor Microsoft engineering), a new problem arises or the problem finds a way around the workaround.......  It's like playing Russian roulette daily!

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