Microsoft pushes fix for Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book battery power management problems. Since the company introduced both devices to the market a large number of users have been reporting that their devices will never enter into sleep mode correctly causing the components to get hot and a significant battery drainage.
The power management on both Surface devices were a known issue for Microsoft, but the company never officially communicated the problem to customers, nor it provided information when the problem was going to get fixed.
On February 17, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are both getting a new update described as “System Hardware Update – 2/17/2016”, and on a new article at the Microsoft Devices Blog, Panos Panay, Corporate VP at Microsoft, says “Today’s updates include a set of Microsoft and Intel driver and firmware updates for Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 that will help you get the most of the power management options that Surface is designed to offer and continue to make your Surface more productive”
While the new update brings a much needed fix for the latest iteration of Surface devices, there are still a number of other issues that need addressing, such as random blue screen of death and Intel video driver crashes. The company didn’t share any details when an update will be released to resolve these issues, but said that it will continue to listen to customers and address any other problems accordingly.
Along with the power management resolution, the new update for Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 brings the following changes.
Surface Book “System Hardware Update – 2/17/2016”
- Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Management Engine
- Microsoft driver update for Surface System Aggregator Firmware
- Surface Management Engine update (v11.0.0.1202) improves system stability.
- Surface System Aggregator Firmware update (v88.1081.257.0) improves accuracy of battery status and battery life during sleep.
- Surface UEFI update (v104.1085.768.0) improves battery life and improves stability during power state transition changes into and out of sleep states.
- Intel Precise Touch Device driver update (v1.1.0.226) improves stability during power state transition changes into and out of sleep states.
- Intel HD Graphics 520 driver update (v20.19.15.4364) improves display stability, system stability and battery life.
- Intel Display Audio driver update (v8.20.0.745) supports compatibility with the updated graphics driver.
- Realtek High Definition Audio(SST) driver update (v6.0.1.7734) improves system stability.
- Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) Audio Controller driver update (v8.20.0.866) improves system stability.
- Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) OED driver update (v8.20.0.866) improves system stability.
- Intel Management Engine Interface driver update (v11.0.0.1176) improves system stability.
- Intel Serial IO GPIO Host Controller driver update (v30.63.1603.5) improves auto rotation reliability when tablet mode is turned off.
- Intel Serial IO I2C Host Controller driver update (v30.63.1603.5) improves auto rotation reliability when tablet mode is turned off.
- Surface Book Base Firmware driver update (v1.2.0.0) improves battery life during sleep.
Surface Pro 4 “System Hardware Update – 2/17/2016”
- Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Management Engine
- Microsoft driver update for Surface System Aggregator Firmware
- Surface Management Engine update (v11.0.0.1202) improves system stability.
- Surface System Aggregator Firmware update (v103.1081.260.0) improves accuracy of battery status and battery life during sleep.
- Surface UEFI update (v104.1085.768.0) improves battery life and improves stability during power state transition changes into and out of sleep states.
- Intel Precise Touch Device driver update (v1.1.0.226) improves stability during power state transition changes into and out of sleep states.
- Intel HD Graphics 520 driver update (v20.19.15.4364) improves display stability, system stability and battery life.
- Intel Display Audio driver update (v8.20.0.745) supports compatibility with the updated graphics driver.
- Realtek High Definition Audio(SST) driver update (v6.0.1.7734) improves system stability.
- Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) Audio Controller driver update (v8.20.0.866) improves system stability.
- Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) OED driver update (v8.20.0.866) improves system stability.
- Intel Management Engine Interface driver update (v11.0.0.1176) improves system stability.
- Intel Serial IO GPIO Host Controller driver update (v30.63.1603.5) improves auto rotation reliability when tablet mode is turned off.
- Intel Serial IO I2C Host Controller driver update (v30.63.1603.5) improves auto rotation
The February update for Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book is available immediately through Windows Update. The update will download and install automatically, but you can always go Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and tap the Check for updates button.
Did the update fix the sleep problems in your Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book? Tell us in the comments.
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].