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

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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
    2017-12-17T00:30:49+00:00

    hang about - I use my pen all the time, with Bluetooth OFF. what's different?

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-12-16T08:50:58+00:00

    Well, here is my update.

    I had managed to temporarily 'fix' the shaking the same way I did the first time (after going through EVERY single fix possible, it was the only time it stopped for a bit) by setting my wifi as metered connection to stop any updates (and also stopped the Defender too). It didn't fix itself right away, it took a 3 or more weeks to 'stabilize' (which is what I call it since I have no good explanation why this worked twice already for a little while) and finally the flickering was gone with the exception of the little white lines at the bottom. But the overall horrible flicker was gone once more.

    The first time around it lasted about 4 months flicker free. This time about 45 days. Both times it all went to hell when I went somewhere else with my surface and used the internet. As that other wifi was not set as metered, the effin updates downloaded and installed themselves automatically (i managed to stop only one, but like a bunch of other ones got installed) and boom! the flicker was back. exactly like last time I inadvertently connected to another wifi and got the damn updates.

    Not only did the flickering come back with a vengeance, the heating did too (which had stopped during the aforementioned period)....and worse. Now my BLUETOOTH doesn't work either! So NO PEN. Simply appears as not connected and nothing I do fixes it. I troubleshooted, tried updating the drivers for the bluetooth, etc. Nothing. When I open the settings screen it says it's on, but when the action center screen pops from the right side of the screen that same bluetooth says 'not connected'.

    I thought maybe the pen was the one that wasn't working properly, so I unpaired it and then tried to pair it again, and nothing happens. The little light on the pen doesn't appear and the surface doesn't detect anything, since it's the bluetooth that is not working (I have two pens, one new, so it's not the pen. neither is getting paired or detected).

    In other words, now it's overheating, flickering and the pen is no longer working. Just keeps getting better and better. 

    I trying really hard not to smash this thing against the wall in pure rage and frustration!!! Microsoft is truly the worst. :(  merry christmas to me! (>.<)''

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-12-16T00:27:34+00:00

    how do you add the seconds to the task bar?

    Here you go: 

    https://winaero.com/blog/taskbar-clock-show-seconds-windows-10/

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-12-16T00:16:03+00:00

    how do you add the seconds to the task bar?

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