14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just released new firmware updates for three models in its Surface lineup, so those who purchased a Surface Pro 4, a Surface Book, or a Surface 3 with LTE should deploy these new versions as soon as possible.
The release notes for the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 are pretty similar and include stability improvements when resuming from sleep or hibernation. This is clearly a welcome tweak, given the infamous “sleep of death” issue that has been impacting Surface Books and Surface Pro 4s since the launch in October 2015 - a number of devices failed to resume from sleep and got instead a BSOD.
Additionally, there’s also a fix that optimizes battery usage when in connected standby, while the firmware also resolves an issue with the touch screen remaining active when the clipboard is closed against the keyboard.
Fixing the sleep of death
The Surface Book also comes with a particular improvement that “reduces occurrences of unexpected shutdowns while the device is sleeping,” according to the official release notes (which you can read in full at the end of the article).
For the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4, the new firmware updates the Microsoft driver for Surface UEI, Surface Base Firmware, and Surface Integration, while the Surface 3 LTE release will be listed as “Surface IA7260 Firmware Update” and bring improved reliability of mobile broadband connectivity.
As with any other firmware update, these new versions are shipped to devices through the integrated Windows Update feature, but remember to charge your device before starting the install or at least to keep it plugged in during the whole process.
Microsoft says that firmware updates are being sent to devices gradually, so it could take a while until all of them receive the files. We’re not aware of any issues for the time being, but we’ll be keeping an eye out on reports and will let you know should bugs be discovered.