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
    2017-10-16T15:33:27+00:00

    I've also done a clean wipe of the device and tried the things suggested online and on this thread. But nothing was able to fix the issue. I feel how you feel.

    The only option left is to trade it in Microsoft for a device in "mint" condition. This options means going through all the hassle of going to the country I bought the device just to get it replaced, and the replacement won't be a brand new device. Microsoft support also cannot guarantee that the replaced device will be free from issues. Totally not worth it! Looks like I have to live with it. Really disappointed after paying so much. Feel so powerless.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-10-16T15:16:59+00:00

    Same issue here!

    I wiped my Surface Pro 4 and flashed it with a recovery image from https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/surfacerecoveryimage - didn't change anything.

    With the new image I tried many things including the shutdown.exe with no effect (windows reports an uptime of a few second after start, so it was really off). When it touch the Surface after being off for about 20 hours, it seems a little bit warm (not hot).

    Also installed the latest firmware, i.e. all available updates as of Oct 16 are installed.

    It's not a battery issue, because when the Surface is on, the battery life is quite normal.

    This is really annoying! My battery got drained to 0% several times and I'm sure this already ruined the battery to some extent. For an expensive device like this, it's really a shame to see how many customers get their devices bricked by firmware updates :(

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-30T01:16:03+00:00

    Modern Standby is active when the display is off but the system is not in hibernation or powered down.

    If your system is draining power while being powered down, I would suspect the battery is not holding power or some internal component is leaking in some manner.

    But again, I do not have a Surface and may not understand the two battery situation.

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