Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shaking

Anonymous

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:

A video being played in browser
If I keep the touch screen busy by either taping it or keeping a finger on it
If I use the touchpad
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***

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.***

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

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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2,779 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-05-25T14:01:34+00:00

I agree! But I don't think they are going to do anything about this. I am currently in negotiations with a rep about replacing my unit, but as with everyone else, she wants me to go through all the troubleshooting "fixes" that are a complete waste of my time. I don't have a Microsoft Store nearby, so I can't carry it to them and so far there is no agreement from them to replace it.

I think we need to band together and get the media involved in this situation. I'm emailing all the major networks asking them to do a story on the Pro4's. I'm also looking up every review I can find and posting about this problem.

Maybe if everyone emails the networks, we can get Microsoft moving ...

newsmanager@foxnews

******@nbcuni.com

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Swimming/mailform?id=10294723

http://www.cbsnews.com/contact-us/

This is my short email to all of them...

Surface Pro4 - No help from Microsoft

There is an ongoing issue with Pro4 defects and users are getting no help from Microsoft. They claim to have been working on it for a year, but really need to do a recall. See this forum: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro4-surfdrivers/surface-pro-4-screen-flickering-shacking/570165cb-50a0-4d71-bcb1-310ddd869d1d

Also - batteries not charging, fans running constantly (even when turned off), etc.

Would love to see a report on this.

Don't know if this will help, but at this point it can't hurt.
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Anonymous

2017-05-25T10:58:01+00:00

So a morning of work on my SP4 and just by applying the Max processor state to 78% seems to have been a workaround for the problem. I did not need to adjust any manual fan settings.

It would appear that this could be an issue with the Intel SpeedStep, or it's heat related. I am doing a CPU stress test now at this 78% figure to confirm all is okay at this level for a length of time.

It still needs a fix from Microsoft, but at least my SP4 i7 is now usable again without causing me eye strain.

EDIT: Nope, issue has come back after some CPU stressing. However, it adds further evidence that the issue only occurred when stressing the device out further. Reducing to 78% max CPU state has reduced the screen shaking effects, but not completely removed it.
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Anonymous

2017-05-25T08:28:20+00:00

Software repair tool has been run numerous occasions. No help.

WIll try the fan and CPU settings mentioned.
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Anonymous

2017-05-25T01:49:03+00:00

Hi Joseph,

We do appreciate the update, but I agree with Peter above; this is indeed getting out of hand. So many months our devices have been rendered useless and your engineers are only now looking into it? Outrageous.

As is obvious from the many responses thus far, the Software Repair Tool is of no help. Not even a factory reset fixes the problem.

Another thing to add to your report; the press is finally catching on and releasing articles on this issue: Microsoft has no response to Surface Pro 4 screen flickers

I do hope that the bad press would help hasten your team's effort in addressing this problem.

Regards.
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