[REQUEST] Surface Pro (2017) battery issue

[Jim Hruska]

So, this is actually for my business system - I use this system to run my business and have noticed that for a while now the battery is not charging correctly. I can have the system on power cord for as long as I want - sometimes for a few days as I leave it charge for the weekend. Then, when I take it off the power cord, within 30 minutes, usually more like 15 minutes of screen time, the Surface is reporting a dead battery and shutting down. The system reported full battery when on power cord and immediately after I took it off - so it thinks that it's charged, but I should be getting hours, not minutes of battery life.

So, the questions I have are:

1. Does anyone know of any firmware or software fix for battery life?

2. Does anyone have any experience with opening this thing up and changing out a battery? How hard/involved is it in comparison to working on a cell phone or a different laptop?

Thanks for any insight that anyone can offer.

 

[Porthos]

2. Does anyone have any experience with opening this thing up and changing out a battery? How hard/involved is it in comparison to working on a cell phone or a different laptop?

This might help.

 

[sapphirescales]

Surface Pro

Time to sh*tcan it. Next time don't buy a disposable paper bag unless you like throwing it in the garbage every year or two. You can't even open these things without cracking the screen.

 

[Jim Hruska]

Time to sh*tcan it. Next time don't buy a disposable paper bag unless you like throwing it in the garbage every year or two. You can't even open these things without cracking the screen.

Well, the only reason I chose this was the form factor fit my needs - I was carrying a full size (huge) laptop provided and required by my primary client at the time but still needed to carry something that I could use to run the business and handle everything that didn't belong to that client. I needed something in a size that fit in my briefcase but had enough power to run what I needed to run - hence the Surface Pro. Now, I'm not at that client any longer, so I have a bit more freedom and if I need to buy a new system, I can get something with a better repairability.

 

[Porthos]

I can get something with a better repairability.

Get business class. Not some consumer junk from Best Buy or Walmart.

 

[Jim Hruska]

Considering the amount of money that I paid and the capabilities of the system, I expected business class. Microsoft is not some fly by night company and the system was the 5th generation of the line of products. I have a system with an I7, 512G SSD and 16G of RAM with Windows 10 Pro. What in that list of specifications, if you didn't know that it was a Surface, is not business grade?

I was perfectly happy with the capabilities of the device. It runs all of the software that I require and asked of it. The only issue that I've had is that the battery went bad. This can happen on any laptop. Unfortunately, at least partially because of the tablet form factor, the device is harder to work on than most other laptops and there is no easily replaced battery. This is a limitation but does not automatically make the device junk or a "disposable paper bag". It is a choice that was made to keep the size of the device smaller.

Frankly, if the only thing I get in response to a simple question about the repairability of a system is advice to buy business class, then I don't know what good asking questions is on this forum. Whether I decided to buy this or another system, the question is about whether it is possible to open the device and change out the battery, not about you or anyone else's opinion of my choice of hardware for whatever my reasons were.

Porthos, your first response was useful in that it answered the question. The other response from you and the response from sapphirescales are in the class of what I would call trollish in that they didn't address the question and are making judgements of my choices and/or equipment with no knowledge of the situation or why a choice was made.

 

[sapphirescales]

I would call trollish in that they didn't address the question

Oh really? I answered your question perfectly. No - you can't open it without destroying it. Next time buy better hardware. Either that or pay more than the thing is worth second-hand for a replacement screen/battery and end up with a system that will never be the same again after opening it. If you don't like this answer then buy something different next time. Don't shoot the messenger.

Considering the amount of money that I paid and the capabilities of the system, I expected business class. Microsoft is not some fly by night company and the system was the 5th generation of the line of products.

As opposed to what - Apple? As badly as Apple products are overpriced and how disposable they are, the Surface line is even worse. I fricking hate Apple but I'd sooner buy an iPad/MacBook than a Surface.

You can buy a really nice HP Elitebook or Dell Latitude business class that flips around into a tablet with built-in LTE so you can go on the internet anywhere without a hotspot for less than $1,500. It will even come with a 3 year warranty extendable to 5 years for like $100. Only clueless end users buy crap like Apple or Surface products. Yes, they're shiny and trendy but they're absolute garbage in reality.

But hey, you could just bend to the will of these companies, throw your current Surface in the garbage and buy another one that will last another year or two. It's your choice. Don't like the advise of a technician? Then go ask hipsters in Starbucks what their opinion is. Whining like a little b*tch about the consequences of your decisions won't get you anywhere in life.

 

[Porthos]

The other response from you

Many will do exactly what I said. As for the surface, to me, one look at it and I can already tell it is disposable because of the difficulty of repair because of like you said the tablet form factor.. It can be done but the risk of screen damage is extreme. MS, like Apple, want you to replace it instead of fixing it.

 

[Markverhyden]

@Jim Hruska the point is that a Surface is a disposable device. Which implies a number of things.

When tablets came out, which is what a Surface is, I looked long at hard at substituting a tablet for a traditional laptop. Like many of us we need a portable platform that can perform tasks that can be done on a desktop. Of course a good quality, business class laptop can fill that slot.

iPad, including the Pro. Considered it for some time but the walled garden made it a no go. Don't have the flexibility to do changes at the underlying OS level.

Android. Same as above.

Surface. I was intrigued because it had a full featured OS with all the functionality that comes with it, including a KB. Additionally the available ports allowed plenty of connectivity options. Came close to buying a Surface Pro some 3 years ago but did not for one reason. Repairs. In the end it's just as bad as all the other tablets as it's disposable.

Cliffs Notes version. If I can't get it repaired within a reasonable time frame and/or upgraded I'm not interested.

Can't speak for others but I want to have a portable solution that has some upgrade and repairability. Have a 2012 13" MBP which meets my Apple ecosystem requirements except the upgrade part. Unfortunately, due to Apple's cr@ppy spares attitude, it's not very repairable. In the M$ world I've a couple of laptops. Still keeping a Dell D630 running since it has a real serial port. My primary M$ laptop is a Lenovo 450 which meets both requirements. Dual boot with Linux gives me the best of both worlds.

 

[Porthos]

Lenovo laptops are real portable if not expensive for the new ones. Good specs as well. Fairly sturdy and pretty repairable as well.

 

[Jim Hruska]

Markverhyden,

And I acknowledge all of that and agree... the form factor was what made me choose the Surface because I was already carrying a large laptop for the customer I was supporting. It was a conscious decision. The ask was what experience anyone had with opening one up now that I have the problem that I have. The issue I took with the responses was the casual assumption that I made a bad choice without knowing anything about the system - the statement that it was "a disposable paper bag" or suggestion to "buy business class. Not some consumer junk". These are value statements and offer no value to the question of whether the device is repairable or how hard it is to open. That's why I called it trollish... it had nothing to do with not liking the answer. I asked for one thing and got told basically that I made a bad choice of computer which is not what I asked.

The extraneous comments not in answer to my question and sitting in judgment of my choice of device are what I take offense to and what I was calling trollish. The actual response to the question that said it can't be opened without risk to the screen, while not an answer to "does anyone have experience doing it", does at least answer "how difficult does it appear to be". Which is not a direct answer but at least is on topic.

 

[sapphirescales]

the statement that it was "a disposable paper bag" or suggestion to "buy business class. Not some consumer junk". These are value statements and offer no value to the question of whether the device is repairable or how hard it is to open.

That is EXACTLY what those statements answered. You just didn't like the answer. Either that or you have severe problems with reading comprehension. How much more descriptive could you get than "disposable paper bag?" Can you "fix" a disposable paper bag? No. You throw it away. Same answer with a Surface.

 

[River Valley Computer]

1. To answer your question on the repair of a Surface - it is very difficult and parts are relatively expensive. I personally use one but have had three disasters with it in the 4 years I've had it. All three were from dropping it. Cracked screen everytime. 1st time I thought we could fix it - NOPE. Does not open easily. What I ended up doing is getting a service contract thru Directv for repair of any digital devices that we personally own. It costs about $25/mo and I have used it 2X on the Surface. The first time I sent it into MS for repair and it was around $400 for replacing screen/digitizer. The last time Directv replaced it with a new unit.

2. We, as a service center, just love Technibbles and it is a daily read, but we do get upset with the sanctimonious comments that several people always seem to make. You just have to ignore those few, all-knowing people and enjoy the others. A lot of good information is exchanged on here. There are always a few that know EVERYTHING about ANYTHING. Welcome aboard and enjoy.

 

[Porthos]

but we do get upset with the sanctimonious comments that several people always seem to make. You just have to ignore those few

It hurts me to possibly be rolled into that category.

 

[River Valley Computer]

Remember that old joke?

I wasn't inferring you were one. I'm just saying there are several that seem to know EVERYTHING because it's the way THEY do things and nobody else is right. Also several with unknown wealth and can charge gazillions for a service call. Just sayin' Still love the group!!!

 

[Porthos]

I wasn't inferring you were one.

The OP sure did.
Also, The OP was a consultant wanting to get into MSP but this forum also is about the repair of computers not just monitoring them as a MSP.
Many of us here are 100% repairs and know the repairability of many systems and know what to recommend for systems and most know when to throw in the towel and replace.

 

[Jim Hruska]

The OP sure did.
Also, The OP was a consultant wanting to get into MSP but this forum also is about the repair of computers not just monitoring them as a MSP.
Many of us here are 100% repairs and know the repairability of many systems and know what to recommend for systems and most know when to throw in the towel and replace.

Actually, I thanked you for the first comment and said what I said about the second comment because I felt it was less helpful and more of a judgment of my decisions. I stand by my statement but I apologize if you feel that I unfairly characterized you. It is off of only two posts that I have seen from you since it's my first interaction with these forums... Not a particularly auspicious first encounter with the members here.

And yes, I know that this particular forum is about the repair of computers, hence the reason that I chose to post this request here. It was about a particular hardware question and therefore on topic for this forum. I only gave the rest of the information as an explanation of where I'm coming from and why I'm here on TN. I don't focus on hardware any longer although I used to build computers as a side gig years ago. I have been in the networking and consulting end of IT for the last many, many years and am not as up as I used to be on hardware. Based on the price and the fact that M$ has a business leasing option for the Surface, I bought it for my business dealings and, as I said before, because it was the right form factor for my use case.

Since hardware is not a primary part of my business, I came to this forum looking for expert advice on hardware and not opinions about what type of computer it was that I'm using. Whether someone thinks that a computer is trash, a "paper bag" or not business-class is not an answer to the question of is it repairable. It's a judgment of quality and again is being made without thought to the reasons behind my use of the computer. Also, I'm not alone is using Surface computers/tablets. There are many sold including many sold to businesses. And other manufacturers have followed the design language as well including Lenovo who has a tablet eerily similar to the Surface that is used at the last Fortune 250 company where I consulted.

I appreciate the help that you did provide and I also want to thank River Valley for their welcome and thoughts on the matter.

As to this question, I'm going to drop it and I won't be responding again to this thread... It's not worth it to me to spend time arguing with others about this stuff. I have the computer I have and will need to choose to either get it fixed or replace it. That's my choice to make and after the video you posted, I know that it's not something I want to try to tackle myself.

On a lighter note, I would like to thank all those that posted and got me worked up enough to post in response. I was worried that I wouldn't find enough as a newer company to give me a reason to post the five posts to get access to the restricted forums... because of this thread, I've not only posted over five posts, but I feel that I can post my opinions when I have something to contribute...

Thank you all for your input and have a great weekend.

 

[Porthos]

I don't focus on hardware any longer although I used to build computers as a side gig years ago.

One last question, Other MSP's might chime in. How can a MSP operate if they can not repair a client's system or would one always have to contract out when a MSP client has a hardware issue?

 

[Markverhyden]

Over the years I've done work for some decent sized MSP's in my area as a contractor. My experience is that many do not have a lot of staff that are really break/fix oriented. Rather they rely on warranty/extended warranty to provide hardware service. The critical thing is making the customer aware of the process.

 

[Porthos]

Over the years I've done work for some decent sized MSP's in my area as a contractor. My experience is that many do not have a lot of staff that are really break/fix oriented. Rather they rely on warranty/extended warranty to provide hardware service. The critical thing is making the customer aware of the process.

Thanks for the insight, Mark.