Surface book 2 power button not working unless I detach and reattach

Anonymous
2018-03-28T10:42:16+00:00

This is quite infuriating as my PC won't come out of sleep mode unless I detach the tablet and then reattach it and then hold the power button for 5 seconds.

Am I doing something wrong? I haven't changed any settings

Surface | Surface Book | Power and battery

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Anonymous
2018-03-29T11:14:35+00:00

Hi,

If your Surface won’t wake up from sleep, try to simultaneously press the Windows logo key +Ctrl+Shift+B.

Here are some solutions that you can try to help resolve the issue.

Force shutdown your device

Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this takes about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

Install the latest Surface and Windows updates

We recommend that you install the latest updates to keep your Surface performing its best. You can get updates now by checking Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. You can find the details of the latest update on our Surface Book 2 update history page.

Clean the connectors on your Surface Book

  1. Detach the Clipboard from the keyboard.
  2. Clean the pins on the connector with a pencil eraser. Rub the eraser back and forth across the pins.
  3. Wet a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol. Clean the pins on the long, narrow part of the charger that you plug into your Surface. Rub the cotton swap back and forth across the pins. After you are done cleaning the connector pins, make sure that the pins are dry, and then reattach the Clipboard to the keyboard.

If none of the solutions work, I suggest that you bring your device to a Microsoft Store near you and have it checked by one of our personnel. You may also contact our Microsoft Support team for further assistance. If you're outside the US, contact our Global Customer Service.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-09-15T10:12:39+00:00

    Hi All,

    There was a Windows update on my SB2 on Thursday 13/9 and the following day, the same symptom unable to power up using the button occurred again.

    I followed the instruction I posted few months ago and fortunately solved the problem. Seems like this problem is still intermittent and Microsoft didn't fix this permanently.

    Anyway, I'm posting this again as I believe, there will be more people facing this issue and looking for solution. Below are the solution:

    1. Download latest Surface Book 2 firmware from here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4023482

    For some reason there are 2 files to choose from (Can someone inform me why there are 2 files?).

    I selected this SurfaceBook2_Win10_16299_1801009_0.msi as my Surface Book 2 15" current firmware was stated 16299

    1. After install and restart with the new firmware, Surface Book 2 able to turn on as normal by pressing the power button once. However, there is another problem occurred; Detach icon is in RED with X and stated "Harware Failure". Even with this icon, I still able to detach the display using Detach button on the keyboard. Detach and attach the screen few times, reboot....RED icon still appears.

    3. Force restart solved the Detach RED icon issue.

    Perform force restart.

    1.  Hold the Power button for 30 seconds and then,

    2.  continuing to hold down power, press the volume up side of the volume button for 15 seconds.

    1. You will see some unfamiliar Surface Setup Page. Don't change anything.
    2. Select exit and save the setting.
    3. Once Windows 10 restart, Detach icon become normal.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-09-03T14:09:30+00:00

    Thanks for this, the NVIDIA driver update fixed my power button. Plus my wifi has also speeded up :)

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-08-26T20:52:29+00:00

    For what it is worth this is how I have resolved this issue. I am not a computer expert, just someone who has spent hour researching and trying things.

    I had this problem from day one. Coming from a MAC I was used to opening the screen and starting work.... the Surface Book 2 would not do this. Having to detach the screen all the time was unbelievable for a laptop of this "Quality"!

    Symptoms:

    Cannot wake the laptop with the power button

    Have to detach and reattach the screen to get the power button to work

    Screen not detaching sometimes (red light) and no warning on why it would not detach

    Battery drains very quickly when laptop asleep

    Base feels warm when laptop asleep

    GeForce GTX 1050/60 GPU keeps disappearing from Device Manager (so not being used)

    After speaking to Microsoft support we tried a few things but nothing resolved the issue. I was advised to reinstall Windows... wiping everything on the laptop. I was not prepared to do this.

    After researching for hours a few people in this post seem to have the answer. It seems to be related to the Nvidia GPU in the base. After learning this I could see the GPU kept disappearing (open Device Manager - Display adaptors). If you only see the Intel graphics then you might have the same problem. After detaching and reattaching the screen it would come back, but not for long. 

    I fixed this issue a few months ago and have had no problems until a few days ago. Looks like a Windows updates broke it again. I run the same fix and now it is all functioning correctly again.

    Fix (for now):

    • Search online for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 driver (1060 for the 15" Surface Book 2)
    • Download this from the Nvidia website
    • I have personally picked the latest one (that has been different on both occasions)
    • Use device manager to check the Nvidia GPU is showing as the Driver will not install if it cannot detect the GPU
    • Install the driver from the download
    • Restart your laptop
    • Restart your laptop again by forcing a shutdown (long press of the power button)

    I hope this helps in some way. I have wasted too much time trying to fix this

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-08-24T18:49:42+00:00

    Weird, I think the exact opposite happened to me... My computer was working just fine and in the past week or so it will not turn on now unless I press the detach button. 

    Microsoft, how do you fix this? All these solutions are inconsistent and this has clearly been a problem for months.

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