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Hello,
I purchased my Surface Book in 2016 and it has been working perfectly until the past few weeks. The tablet battery (1) says it's "Not Present" and isn't charging and the keyboard battery is charged completely. Because of this, it won't allow me to detach the tablet, which isn't my biggest concern. I only get 3-4 hours off the keyboard battery which is difficult as a college student.
I have tried the UEFI boot restart like mentioned in previous articles, restarting the laptop normally, flipping the charger around in the port and wiping it down, running the diagnostic tool, and the power trouble shoot in settings.
Unfortunately my warranty has expired since then, so please advise me in anyway possible!
Thank you!
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.
i doubt this is the root. The battery is connected through a clicking cable. No screws needed. I ripped apart the **** as well. No screws missing, all cables that are visible are well connected. The only connection i couldnt check is the one in the hinge.
Important update: when ripping the device open to get the ssd out, I have found the cause to the problem (at least on my particular machine). It seems that there is a batch of devices with missing motherboard screws and fan screws, and the screw missing is conveniently responsible for keeping the battery connected to the motherboard. The screws for the fan is also missing, causing it to prop up and press against the display, causing a white pressure mark. This is atrocious quality control on Microsoft's part and I hope this never happens again. If a Microsoft representative could acknowledge this problem it will be greatly appreciated.
Update: the water is actually deeper than I thought, not only is it missing a screw, the screws near the motherboard isn't actually holding anything down. And after prying the motherboard with a knife near the working screws it appears that it takes no force at all to pull the motherboard off through the screw head. This means my problem was not only caused by the missing screw, but it is also the deformation of the back panel which pulled the two remaining screws off the motherboard.
Another edit: after some more research I have found that the screws "missing" from the images is actually by design, and the metal standoffs are actually just for holding the battery and fan board in place. But, the problem persists where the motherboard screws are only held by a metal washer which is welded onto the back of the motherboard, which can snap off the board and render the screw useless and the motherboard free-floating, which is what I found when I opened the machine. From other teardowns I suspect the method has not been changed for the newer surface devices, meaning slight deformation can snap off the screws and might break the device.
If you replace the battery you do not solve the problem. Changing the battery in the base costs only 40 bucks for the battery if you do it on your own. I did it, it is possible. Though it is a very painful process. As for the tablet, the replacement process is a bit more complicated unfortunately. The screen is likely to crack during the process.
But let me add that the surface book is not a business machine. It is meant for private use only, and only for s very short life cycle obviously. It is way to vulnerable and unreliable. I have never seen someone using the SB in a business environment. You see dell, hp, fujitsu, lenovo.
Repair shops want $600 to $700 to replace the battery, Microsoft wants $570 for a refurbished system that will probably have the same problem considering its a hardware problem. Batteries don't last forever but a battery on a machine that cost as much as my first car and my business relies on should last more than 2 years and shouldn't cost $600 to $700 to replace. I have a dell computer from 2000 that's battery still holds a charge.
Let me guess.... your with Microsoft or you did not read the whole thread!!!
Class action. I've spent 1200 on 2 replacements for the same issue. CLASS ACTION
