Surface Book 2 screen flicker issue

Anonymous
2017-11-20T22:26:35+00:00

Hi,

I have the 15" SB2 and am experiencing a screen flicker issue. Here are the details:

  1. You have to be using battery only, will not happen when charging SB2
  2. You have to have brightness below say 35 or 40% - harder to see when brighter though still seems to me to be there
  3. They way to reproduce this is as follows:

    a. Choose a solid background - I used the "Cool Blue" solid color.

    b. Have a window with a lot of WHITE background available

    c. With nothing open, just desktop background with solid color, open window with a lot of WHITE background

    d. Look at the white area and do you see flickering? 

    e. Looking closely at this, if you see it, you can see there is a stepping function of some sort that goes about 10 times getting slightly brighter each time/flicker. After the 10th or so time, it stabilizes and stops.

    f. Next, if you close the window and go back to just the solid background, you see it do a similar flicker and you can see it step back down in brightness about 10 times and again stabilizes/stops.

I did call Microsoft yesterday about this and they had two 15" models and saw this on both and said it shouldn't do this and there would be a fix for this coming. 

My reason for posting this is I have two questions:

  1. Microsoft, can you tell me when this will be fixed and how I can find out about the fix? I am assuming it will be a software fix? I forgot to ask this...
  2. Is everyone seeing this or just a good number of SB2's?

Obviously, I just got this SB2 and if everyone is seeing it, I am less concerned as I expect a fix will be coming. However, if there are only a few SB2's seeing this, I am wondering if I should return it and get a new one as perhaps it might be just a couple SB2's.

Thanks!

-DM

-Dave

Surface | Surface Book | 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.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2017-12-20T04:47:02+00:00

Hi,

I have a significant update:

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with Microsoft Tech Support (who was interfacing with MS Engineering). Today, I spent some time with tech support testing out a possible fix for this issue. I am VERY PLEASED to report, it appears they have given me a fix that WORKS!!!!!

The fix is a very simple registry setting. I have been playing with things since making the change and have not seen the issue anymore...

This clearly works with Surface Book 2. I don't know if it will work for other surface devices but if you have this registry entry, you can try making the change. The step to fix is as follows:

  1. Open up Regedit (to edit registry)
  2. Backup your registry before making the change - Once in Regedit, Right-Click on Computer, then Export to backup file, can put on desktop...
  3. In the image below, it shows you where the registry entry is. You need to find this, locate the "FeatureTestControl" entry where the image shows you to find it. The value for FeatureTestControl should show: 0x00009240. Right-Click on this entry and modify binary, change the 40 to 50. Then exit registry.

Note, as indicated on left side, I had to select 0001. If for some reason you don't see FeatureTraceControl there, you could check 0000 just above 0001. Again, I saw it at entry 0000.

  1. Once you have exited registry, Reboot system

Again, this worked for me and hopefully for you.

Let me know if this works for you.

Thanks,

  • DM51

P.S.   Great work by Microsoft getting this resolved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was this answer helpful?

60+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

116 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-06-15T11:48:23+00:00

    Are there any in India because I face a similar problem and I bought Surface Book 2 in the US but I am in India.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-16T02:21:29+00:00

    Hi Paul,

    Thanks for the update. 

    I am sure you will do quite well with the Surface Laptop, it also seems like a great system.

    Great to hear no more screen/video issues.

    Enjoy!

    -DM51

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-15T08:47:22+00:00

    I just want to share my solution here, the major problem is the Panel self-refresh function in the battery mode.

    It solved the top edge flicker problems perfectly on my device, which is a Surface Book 2 13inch 1T.

    1st step is, I downloaded the newest Intel graphics driver, it must be the Zip file!!!

    and then you just follow a youtube video that teaches me how to correctly install the graphics driver, here is the link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3\_f2MdUASPY&t=204s

    2nd. Once you successfully install the driver, then you go to the

    Intel UHD graphics control panel

    under the Poweryou can find On Battery

    and then, you turn off the Panel self-refresh function, and BOOM!! problem solved~~~~

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-15T06:20:56+00:00

    Hi DM51....

    An update on my situation. I ended up returning the second SB2 and switched to a Surface Laptop 16/512 (gold).

    I miss the SB2's build, but, no more screen/video driver issues.

    I hope that Microsoft can iron out all of the bugs in the SB2. It is a really nice device.

    Paul

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments