It’s been a very bad year for Surface Pro 3 customers. In March, users began experiencing battery issues which only allowed a partial charge. It wasn’t until July that Microsoft acknowledged the issue, and a further month until it was resolved.
According to the tech giant, the previous issue was only present in batteries produced by Simplo. However, new reports suggest that customers with LGC batteries are now experiencing more severe problems.
Inability to Charge
A Microsoft Answers thread reveals that the issue varies from user to user. Some are reporting their device can’t hold a charge at all, while other’s just drain quickly.
Plugging in the Surface Pro 3 results in a message with the battery percentage, followed by “not charging.” It appears that the issue began after the August 29 firmware update. Ironically, this is the patch that was supposed to fix battery life for
It appears that the problem began after the August 29 firmware update. Ironically, this is the update that was meant to fix battery life for Simplo users and provide general lifecycle improvements.
According to a community moderator, Microsoft is working on a fix for the issue. It involves removing the battery driver (rather than just deleting it) and restarting to prompt a re-install.
We’ve listed the company’s official guide below. However, many users have reported no luck:
- “Plug in your Surface.
- Select the search box in the taskbar, enter device manager, and in the search results, select Device Manager.
- Select the arrow next to the Batteries category.
- Double-tap or double-click Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery, select the Driver tab, and select Uninstall > OK.
(Or you can right-click Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery and select Uninstall.) - Leave your Surface plugged in.
- Go to Start Windows logo, and select Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates. If updates are available, they will download and install automatically.
- If your Surface doesn’t restart automatically, restart it manually. Go to Start Windows logo, and select Power > Restart.”
Not a Definitive Solution
The Microsoft Answer thread began on August 30th, and many are still having the issue. The company has given some basic steps but hasn’t addressed the role of the latest firmware update.
Users are left angry once more, and the company is trying to charge users $450 for a replacement. This is despite claims from the Surface team two years ago battery change would be $200 after the warranty period.
However, even $200 is too much for such a widespread issue. Clearly, the problem is with a faulty hardware/driver combination and not users. If Microsoft does not address the issue soon they risk losing future customers and could end up on the other side of a lawsuit.
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Last Updated on April 9, 2020 12:00 pm CEST by Ryan Maskell
