Surface Pro 4 - External screen keeps turning on/off (black flickering)

Anonymous
2017-06-13T21:32:22+00:00

Hi there,

I just made a video of my recent problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phi\_Yru77aM

You can see that when I'm using the built-in screen of my SP4 (i7, 16GB, 512GB) and only one 4K external screen (both at 60hz), this monitor keeps turning black on a random basis. All my drivers and firmware are up to date (Surface Dock and Surface). I even tried the last Intel Iris 540, same results. I tried another MDP to DP cable, same results. I tried another screen, same results. I tried different refresh rates, same results.

I bought this screen a month ago and I was working fine at the beginning. I strongly suspect an update or the fact that I tried to connect two 4K monitors at 60hz (and I would have damaged something in the process?).

If I deactivate the built-in screen, the problem goes away (something that I just found tonight).

Should I send the device in warranty or just wait for a software fix? The 4K experience is not there yet, I'm a bit disappointed I have to say.

Cheers,

D.

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-11-04T08:38:12+00:00

    Hey there,

    I have run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and it does not fit the problem. After a few minutes of use, the black screen flickering is back again.

    @Carlo San: I can do another run of Feedback app to collect some logs. Just let us know what we can do to fix this issue!

    Thanks,

    G.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-11-06T23:30:32+00:00

    @Carlo San: I can do another run of Feedback app to collect some logs. Just let us know what we can do to fix this issue!

    Thank you for informing us about the status of the concern on your end. Let's get this resolved by filing a case using the Feedback Hub App. You can find the steps on how to submit a case through Feedback Hub in this Support Article. Now, we advise that you run the Surface diagnostic Tool again, collect diagnostic logs and include it in the Feedback Hub Case. This should help in finding a permanent solution for the issues you're experiencing with the device.

    We appreciate your patience in troubleshooting with us and hope we could get this resolved the soonest possible time.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-11-08T17:59:25+00:00

    I have the same Problem on a Surface Pro 2017 i7.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-11-09T00:11:19+00:00

    since the update Oct 17, my external display hasn't flickered at all while running at 4k.

    I do notice GPU issues in Adobe Illustrator, and noticed the most recent Intel driver I installed to fix those issues has been removed, and it must have defaulted back to an older driver version 21.20.16.4627 date 3/9/2017

    Are you guys running a newer display driver?

    Is the above the latest driver for our devices?

    well i tried manually updating to a new driver and also using the Intel Driver assistant, but it failed with latest driver. So assuming what's installed is only what will work with this machine without causing other issues.

    my display started flickering again. It was good while it lasted. bu slowly started happening gain. Like once a day. then a few times. and now regularly...

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-11-09T10:49:18+00:00

    I have now solved the problem for my Surface:

    Solution 1 - With the latest Intel drivers: Deactivate the internal Surface Screen and set the external Screen to Master Screen -> no blackouts but you can't use the internal Screen. 

    Solution 2 - Delete the current graphics drivers and go back to Intel Driver Version 21.20.16.4678 https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26836 after deleting the current drivers with the device manager and make sure that windows will not update them again. -> No Blackouts but you have old drivers. 

    I think the problem comes from the combination of the latest surface firmware update an the latest intel graphics drivers.

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