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
    2019-02-05T02:57:57+00:00

    I've disabled Connected Standby, Quick Start-Up, running my i7 processor at 50% maximum speed (to keep the device cooler and reducing battery stress), hard reset, OS reinstall, and recently even enabling Battery Limit to prevent charging more than 50% to see if it would help with the battery drain when it's shut down completely.

    None of the steps I've taken work. I get a 10-15% phantom drain each night on a complete shutdown.

    I had no useful assistance with my Surface Hub problems as well - frequent disconnections from LAN and USB devices including keyboard and mouse, reducing the Surface Hub to just simply being a Display Port connector for my screen (and only just non-4K monitor

    • plug two screens in and I run into issues).

    It's only been 18 months since I bought the Surface Pro 4, and I'm tired of struggling with the various issues. It got to the point where I don't feel comfortable selling my Surface Pro 4 and Surface Hubs (got a replacement from Microsoft, but it has exactly the same problems), as I don't want to have to deal with any potential fallout from the would-be buyer.

    A very expensive lesson learned. Stay away.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-02-14T02:22:12+00:00

    As already posted , I was experiencing the  problem of battery drain at rate of 14 to 18 % per day ( average of a week ) in full shutdown condition. I have tried all the tweaks in settings , registry , full shutdown methods etc but it could not be corrected. 

    Then , I had sent it to Microsoft service centre at Kolkata (india) by taking lot of pain but they considered the complaint as not charging (I do not know , how any one can understand like that even after clear description of problem )

    They returned it back , closing the complaint as attended as there is no defect of not charging and It took 9 months.

    Again,  I have sent it back to repair with explaining past experience and the problem at different options (this time I have  put the problem at others section ). Further i stuck a paper at the back side of surface explaining the problem,

    It took around 20 days  from pickup to return. They have swapped it with another surface pro 4, i5 , Intel , windows 10 pro (But its hinge of kick stand is of different design) , physically inspected the replacement and found to be in mint condition (or new ). The best part is that it exceeded the expectation as its battery drain is surprisingly less than 1%  per week just in shutdown condition (no tweaks , no registry hacks , no full shutdown but just as received condition) and approx 3% battery consumption per day in sleep condition , this is  pretty comparable to  my android phones (blackberry keyone or redmi note 4 or lenovo android tablet )

    However In my case you might have noticed that  the problem was there from the day one of purchase. How it can pass quality certification?when it designed compete android tablet. I have purchased brand new (sealed)abut now ended  up with a  refurbished ( or new  unknown )

    It is also pertaining  to mention that 1year, 5 month  out of 2 years warranty is consumed without using it.

    I wish  Microsoft ensures that  whatever has happened to me  will not happen to others by ensuring quality

    Regards

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-03-06T17:02:11+00:00

    Last news regarding my claim about this battery drain defect.

    I received a call, yesterday from an MS representative and, guess what, Microsoft does not give a sh.. About this problem.

    No replacement solution except for the same device (in my case at least 3 replacement without any amelioration.

    After the smartphone abandon and this particular Surface case, my recommendation, as an it professional, DO NOT BUY a Microsoft product. 

    I would recommend, all of you, to widely communicate about it (social network for example, maybe microsoft deign to react !

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