Newsletter Archives

• Intel releases more Meltdown/Spectre firmware fixes, while Microsoft unveils a new Surface Pro 3 firmware fix that doesn’t exist

  Posted on February 21, 2018 at 09:01 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  You’d have to be incredibly trusting — of both Microsoft and Intel — to manually install any Surface firmware patch at this point. Particularly when you realize that not one single Meltdown or Spectre-related exploit is in the wild. Not one.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security Firmware, Intel, INTEL-SA-00088, KB 4073119, KB 4078130, Meltdown, Spectre, Surface Pro 3

• New Surface Pro 3 firmware update reported

  Posted on August 24, 2017 at 14:04 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Rich Woods at Neowin reports that Microsoft just released new firmware for the Surface Pro 3. Funny thing about that – the official update page says it was released on August 16.

  Surface Pro 3 devices on Windows 10 Anniversary Update 1607, that attach the new Surface Pro Type Cover and the Surface Pro Signature Type Covers

  My Surface Pro 3 is running Insider (Fall Creators Update) Fast Ring, so I can’t check.

  Can anybody out there confirm if the new set of drivers just went out the Auto Update chute? If so, can you confirm if the drivers are just for version 1607 (the Anniversary Update), as it says on the official update page? Or are they for 1703 as well?

  UPDATE: Paul Thurrott reports that the updates are only for version 1607. Which makes no sense to me, unless 1703 had the drivers and somebody forgot to put them in 1607.

  ANOTHER UPDATE: Barb Bowman reports that she just got three updates on her Surface Pro 3 that’s running Win 1703 — Keyboard, System, HIDClass – and they’re all dated March 3. Her three drivers version numbers correspond to three of the five driver updates listed on the official update page. But the dates are all wrong. Go figger.

  Windows Patches/Security Surface Pro 3

• Microsoft rolls out Surface Pro 3 firmware and driver update

  Posted on January 31, 2017 at 12:29 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  They’re still working on it. 🙂

  Intel(R) HD Graphics Family

  20.19.15.4568 improves Miracast and docked video performance.
  Intel(R) Display Audio

  6.16.00.3197 improves Miracast and docked video performance.

  Surface Pro UEFI

  3.11.2050.0 improves system performance for the latest Windows versions.

  The update is dated Jan. 30.

  Hat tip to Barb Bowman.

  Windows Patches/Security Surface Pro 3

• Surface Pro 3 battery problems continue

  Posted on November 10, 2016 at 12:04 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you have a Surface Pro 3, and you’re still having battery problems – in spite of the November 7 firmware/driver update – you aren’t alone.

  On the Microsoft Answers forum thread devoted to the topic, Barb Bowman has the latest:

  I’ve been trying to get clarifications on almost a daily basis since this all started… In order to install [the Nov. 7 driver update] successfully, the OS must *think* that the battery is at 40% charge or greater. I don’t know any way to trick the OS into doing this.

  If you have a Surface pro 3 and you haven’t pulled a Belichick, you should check what your computer says about your battery. From my Sept. 20 InfoWorld article on the topic:

  Make sure your SP3 is fully charged, unplug it from the wall, right-click Start (or hit Ctrl-X), and choose Command Prompt (Admin). In the resulting box type: powercfg /batteryreport and press Enter (note the space before the / and no space in batteryreport). That generates a file, typically c:\Windows\System32\battery-report.html.

  Open the file. Near the top of the report you’ll see the battery manufacturer name (likely SIMPLO or LGC-LGC) followed by a series of numbers. Design Capacity will tell you what the battery should be pushing. For LGC batteries, that’s going to be 42,157 mWh. Look at the Full Charge Capacity, which may or may not match the Design Capacity, thus showing one level of degradation of your battery reserves. Then look at the list of Recent usage power states, where you may find that your battery’s been unable to get up to a full charge.

  Barb doesn’t have good news, for those of you who are still having battery problems:

  The only other option right now is to contact support, pay the $29 to talk to someone and hope you get someone that can really trouble shoot. My opinion is that the support agents will just send you to the $450 out of warranty exchange and there’s no guarantee that you will receive a device that won’t develop issues after the short warranty on it expires (or has other problems).

  If you have a Surface Pro 3 – or know someone who does – you should take the time to check.

  Windows Patches/Security battery problem, LGC battery, Surface Pro 3

• Update: Microsoft has responded to the report about defective LG batteries in Surface Pro 3

  Posted on October 17, 2016 at 17:58 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Read it and see what you think.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Other LG battery, LGC, Surface Pro 3

• Microsoft refuses to honor Panos Panay’s promise for $200 replacement of defective Surface Pro 3 batteries

  Posted on October 14, 2016 at 14:15 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  And a whole lot of Surface Pro 3 owners are steamed about it.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows.

  Other battery, Surface Pro 3

• Remember Batterygate? It’s back, bigger than ever, with a fratricidal twist

  Posted on September 20, 2016 at 08:02 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Did the patch that saved Simplo batteries on the Surface Pro 3 screw up the more common LGC batteries?

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security Batterygate, LGC, Simplo, Surface Pro 3

• Surface Pro 3 SIMPLO battery fix appears to be working

  Posted on August 30, 2016 at 08:06 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  But three key questions remain.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security battery, Simplo, Surface Pro 3
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