Just a few weeks after Microsoft finally made available the Core i3 and Core i7 models of its Surface Pro 3 tablet, many consumers started reporting an overheating issue. And it’s becoming clear that is not one or two isolated incidents, as users are reporting their tablets get extremely hot and as a result users are also experiencing loud noises from high spinning fans.
Though, Microsoft has yet to comment on this heat problem, some users are taking upon themselves to find a fix. And according to a Microsoft Support forum thread, user Step_001 states that the issue appears to be caused by the Windows Installer Module and Windows Installer Module Worker.
These processes will start running without apparent reason and will spike the Surface Pro 3 processor and memory really high causing the device to overheat and making the fan loud and annoying.
Some users in the same Microsoft Support thread agree that going to the Task Manager and ending these two processes, temporarily solves the heat and the annoying loud fan. It’s worth noting that this is not a fix documented by Microsoft and it isn’t clear if the procedure will fix the problem to every Surface Pro 3 Core i7 overheating issue. (If you’re experiencing the issue, it doesn’t hurt to try.)
If the problem actually cause a software bug in Windows 8.1, we can expect Microsoft to issue an update soon, but if it’s a design or hardware problem, this could become something very complex to address for the company.
Source Microsoft via Neowin | Reddit thread on Surface Pro 3 overheating
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].