Surface Pro 4 battery drain while OFF

Anonymous
2017-07-05T14:02:24+00:00

I have a HUGE battery drain while power off (not hibernating)  at least 5-10 percent per day.   I windows updates done.   I used to think it was because of the keyboard being attached. but I have switched to a Brydge Keyboard.  Does anyone else have this issue or know how to fix?

Thanks!

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

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Anonymous
2017-08-04T04:59:28+00:00

Thanks Victor_S

Another solution I've found is to shut down the computer the old way - regular shutdown instead of hybrid shutdown.

You can use this shortcut:

C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 3 /c "Full Shutdown"

  • shutdown.exe can execute the various sleed/hibernate commands, including the regular shutdown.
  • /s means "shutdown". If we shutdown the normal way, it is a hybrid shutdown (/hybrid)
  • /t 3 means after 3 seconds. If you skip this it's 30 seconds by default.
  • /c "Full shutdown" is a simple comment that will appear in various places as the reason for your shutdown.

Keep in mind it takes a little longer to shutdown this way, and it takes a little longer to start afterwards, but I think the computer doesn't keep some systems active, thus you should see almost no battery drain, even for prolonged times.

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Anonymous
2017-07-05T14:59:17+00:00

That is a good question because the screen will be off.  Before shutting down and all programs are closed, you can do a CTRL+ALT+DEL and select the task manager and look at the processes that are still running at that moment and you may find 'something' but doubtful.

The power sub-system could also have a defect causing that as well and not actually shutting off the machine when it is supposed to be off.

The task manager may give you a clue when all programs are shut down.  If you can't find anything listed, it is possible you may need to contact customer support to get the machine swapped out.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-10-29T22:39:22+00:00

    Your Battery Report only shows 38 mWh capacity.  I was wondering if other Surface systems show the same number since my Dells are in the 45,000 mWh range.

    Sorry to ask but it does look a little strange..

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-10-29T18:11:59+00:00

    Following that advise would just keep me wasting my money on inferior MS products.   Rather than send MS $450 every 90 days,   I will just buy a better brand.  MS is choosing to leave everyone with this issue without any other option.   If I want a paperweight I can use my surface pro.  I am looking for an attorney to spearhead a class action lawsuit.   I have no doubt that you will join it, if t gets off the ground.  Why go back and drink poison water from the same well?

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-10-29T13:08:41+00:00

    So heres my conclusion and a short summary.

    When i had issue with my first surface (display got a white spot) i got a replacement device from MS. That device had the battery drain issue and lost about 10-15% batterycharge in 24h fully shutdown. When i let it drain to 0%, the voltage of the battery was so low, that even the bios settings (time, date) got lost. Thats an indicator for me, that even the undervoltage protection from the battery management system probably isnt working. To troubleshoot that issue i reseted the device once  and fully reinstalled the surface with the 1703 recovery image from the MS website. But i didnt solve the issue and so i send it back to MS.

    My 2nd replacement device doesnt have that battery drain issue anymore. My conclusion is, that it isnt a software issue or its a specific software/hardware combination that is causing this issue. If u are still in warranty, i would highly recommend to get a replacement. For those people who are out of warranty, they have to decide whether its worth for them spending 450$ for a replacement. If you buy a replacement device, at least you will have a 90 days warranty. So if the replacement is having the same issue, just send it back again.

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