Surface Book Battery 1 Not Present

Hi Nethra,

We would need to try several steps to determine if this is hardware or sofware related. Based on the status of Battery 1, the Surface does not detect it. This could happen if the tablet is not properly attached to the keyboard. Kindly inspect the clipboard and check if the tablet is not firmly connected to the base. If it's not, carefully press the tablet into the base. If that does not help, force the device to shut down by pressing the power button for 10 seconds. Once the Surface is off, connect it to the PSU and let it charge for a little while. Try pressing the detach key and see if it will work. You can also try this in the UEFI environment. From an off state, press and hold the volume-up button then press and release the power button until you see the Surface logo. Once in the UEFI, press and hold the detach key. If you have successfully detached the Surface, disconnect the PSU and clean the connectors using a soft, cotton cloth wet with rubbing alcohol. After the pins and ports dry, you can reattach the device.

If none of the physical troubleshooting works, then let's look into the software side of the issue. Reconnect the PSU and open Device Manager (Windows key + X > Device Manager), then expand Batteries. Right-click on Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and select Uninstall. Afterwards, run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit once again. It will get the updates and check other software issues. After running the tool, perform another forced shutdown. Restart the Surface then check if the Battery driver has been re-added in Device Manager, and if Battery 1 will finally be recognized by the system.

In case none of the solutions resolve the problem, please reply to this post. We will have to perform further troubleshooting. I will be notified when you reply and I'll get back to you the soonest I can.

Regards.

Hello,

I tried everything with no improvement, so i ended up manually detaching the tablet by inserting a paperclip in the 6th vents. I plugged fhe PSU into the bottom of the tablet, and it turned on but still says no battery present. I wiped every connection down as well. It’ll shut down once I unplug it. 

Please advise,

Nethra

Thank you for providing an update. We would have to further check if this is a software issue or if you would need to get a replacement due to a hardware issue. The next step we can perform is to reset the Surface using a recovery image. It will eliminate software factors that could be resulting to this problem. To proceed, please go here and download a recovery image. Remember to back up your files before resetting the Surface since this step will remove the files that are currently stored on your device.

After resetting the Surface with a recovery image, check if Battery 1 will be present and if the tablet part will charge when attached to the base. If there are no changes, please contact Microsoft Support or take the Surface to a Microsoft Store. The unit may need to be replaced because of a hardware problem.

Kindly reply with your findings so I'll be able to help you further.

Thank you.

Hi,

I have exactly the same issue. Purchased in 2016 and the exact same battery problem (battery 1 not present) when it is just out of warranty.

Ruz San - the instructions you linked are either slightly wrong or out of date.

After downloading the Recovery Image you are directed to Using a Surface USB recovery drive.

The instructions given are:

1. Make sure your Surface is turned off and plugged in, and then insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port.
2. Press and hold the volume-down button while you press and release the power button.
3. When the Microsoft or Surface logo appears, release the volume-down button.
4. When prompted, select the language and keyboard layout you want.
5. Select Troubleshoot , and then select Recover from a drive . If prompted for a recovery key, select Skip this drive at the bottom of the screen.

Point 2 doesn't work. On a Surface Book the volume down whilst turning on doesn't work (or at least it doesn't on mine). You have to go to "Recovery Settings" and click "Restart now" under "Advanced start-up".

Point 5 and the picture listed on the above help web page is wrong. This is what you get:

Clicking troubleshoot gives:

You will notice there is no Recover from a drive option.

Clicking on Advanced options gives:

I have tried System Image Recovery, but it does not work. It doesn't recognise the USB. I have tried with 3 different images on different USB sticks.

I'm afraid it is just another example of Microsoft providing poor/incorrect support and avoiding owning up to the issue.

Anyway, Nethra hopefully this will help:

It sounds like you have the same battery issue as me. The batteries are glued in. With use/heat they swell and the connections become loose. This is a manufacturing defect that microsoft refuse to acknowledge (plenty of info on google); if you are in the UK like me they will charge you £500 for a replacement. The replacement won't fix the underlying fault, and they only give a 90 day warranty, so it is likely that the problem will happen again.

You can test the connections by 'twisting' the top of the tablet part whilst the Surface Book is on charge. You might find that with a bit of fiddling the battery starts to charge (see the pic below where I'm bending the top of the screen back), but once you let go it will stop charging.

In summary/TLDR:

The battery connections are loose. Microsoft won't fix it. In future do what I'm going to do and buy elsewhere.

I don't think these refurbished units will ever work properly. I am very dissapointed with Microsoft surface book and their service. Charging another $800 for refurbished tablet which will not last long.