Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous
2017-01-19T07:47:47+00:00

Hi All,

Update: Flickergate is now having a forum to bring all affected users at a single platform to plan for resolvement of issue. Please join at

 https://forum.flickergate.com

UPDATE: Check FlickerGate.com for videos of the problem and to submit your own. 

I purchased SP4 device a few months ago and it was working fine for a month. Then I noticed that when the CPU is at its max, the screen flickers a bit. Investigating further revealed that it flickers even if it is setting idle. It does not flicker if at least one of the following thing is done:

  1. A video being played in browser 
  2. If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
  3. If I use the touchpad
  4. If keyboard is used for typing

This resulted in making the device completely unusable while reading articles or ebooks. I am a developer, most of the time I have to read the code and to do that, I have to constantly keep a finger on the touch pad or the screen. I contacted surface support in October and November and was told that the developers are working on the patch. Looking at the updates the developers are pushing since then, I don't think anyone is even aware of the problem there. 

My previous support ticket numbers are:

 ***deleted personally identifiable information***

***deleted personally identifiable information***

Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem (and the fix) and if not, what's the procedure for the refund? I will rather go for a mac then sacrificing $2000+ for a dancing screen.  

Kind Regards,

Abbas

***Personal information deleted by the moderator. Please see the Microsoft Community Frequently Asked Questions for more information on how you can protect your privacy.***

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2018-05-11T17:59:00+00:00

Hey Everyone,

Creating the best products and experiences for our customers is our top priority.

We have heard your feedback and after careful examination, have determined that a small percentage of Surface Pro 4 devices are exhibiting a screen flicker that cannot be addressed with a firmware or driver update.

To support customers affected by this issue, we will replace eligible Surface Pro 4 devices for up to three years from the date of purchase, free of charge. If you believe your device is experiencing this issue, please visit our Surface Pro 4 screen flicker article for more details.

Bryan [MSFT]

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-12-05T06:05:53+00:00

    Thanks for your post.. I rolled back my display driver, let's see whether this helps.. Anyways thanks again for your suggestion

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-12-05T04:43:10+00:00

    Hi All,

    I tried many ways on this forum but did not solve the problem. Finally, I decided to order a new lcd replacement for Microsoft Surface Pro 4 from https://www.aliexpress.com and replaced the flickering one in my surface pro 4. I've been using it for more than 3 months and the screen is no longer flickering. It costs me total of $120 including replacement cost. Hope to give you a cheaper solution than send it out for warranty from Microsoft. 

    Kind Regards,

    Minh Hoang

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-12-05T04:01:03+00:00

    Hi,

    I have been experiencing this screen flickering issue for many months now and was wondering if there is a fix to it. 

    Say if I left the surface in the shutdown mode overnight and turn it on the next day for work.  Progression of flickering is approximated as below, but essentially the longer it's turned on the worse it gets and eventually being not usable.

    Hours 0-1:  Everything works fine and no flickering observed

    Hours 1-2:  The bottom 10% of the screen begin to flicker

    Hours 2-3:  Half of the screen is flickering

    Later:          Whole screen is shaking

    Thanks for your help

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-12-05T02:47:36+00:00

    If your driver version is greater than 20.19.15.4463

    Try this:

    1.

    Intel(R) Graphics Driver: 20.19.15.4463

    Download zip: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiE1VFHYXP0E5\_kHlToDX38iSoDoIw and extract

    Update Driver > Browse my computer > Let me pick > Have Disk

    Point to 64gh4463.inf

    Let it install.

    2. 

    Intel(R) Graphics Driver: 20.19.15.4352

    https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25620/Intel-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-7-8-1-10-15-40-6th-Gen-?product=88355 

    Download the zip and follow per 1. steps and look for "igdlh64.inf"

    It appears that there could be some kind of regression in drivers.

    Disclaimer : I got the driver from microsoft employee, you can run some scans if you are being cautious, but trust me it has nothing bad :) Posting something here until microsoft officially does something, it's a pain to see lot of users complaining about it with no official acknowledgement of the issue. I roll backed using the same procedure, it apparently helped some folks, but this #1 or #2 DID NOT work for me. Posting just in case if it helps anyone.

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