Why is the Surface Pro 3 so bad all of a sudden?

Mathias Lindberg

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Windows 10 finally came out last month, and I could leave Windows 8.1 behind, like I had on my desktop long ago.

Well, not really. Using Windows 10 on Surface Pro 3 for two weeks, I'm considering rolling back. Random touches being registered on the device, when I'm not even touching it, is quickly becoming annoying. I can see the circle that indicates it's being touched, but it isn't being touched.

Then there's the pen. Part of why I got the Surface Pro 3 over a MacBook was for school. The pen and OneNote app was great in Windows 8.1, but now there's less options for the size of your writing. Worst of all, the screen does a horrible job at registering the Pen. You have to put it really close to the screen, and even then, you can see the Pen cursor appear and disappear, at the same very short distance. On-top of that, despite being activated in the Surface app, the top button on the Pen, does nothing with OneNote for Windows 10.
 

homeedition88

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I believe Surface team is separate from Windows team.
Surface team has only 4 device for windows 10 right? (Surface pro / pro 2 / pro 3 / Surface 3) It looks like they didn't test this 4 device for windows 10. 4 PC's to test windows 10 how hard can it be? Right? But no they did not test it. If they said we test it then I say hire decent tester (Here in this forum there are better testers then in Surface team, If they have any)

Short story; I already roll back to win 8.1 and don't recommend win 10 to any surface pro 3 user at the moment.
 

Mathias Lindberg

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I believe Surface team is separate from Windows team.
Surface team has only 4 device for windows 10 right? (Surface pro / pro 2 / pro 3 / Surface 3) It looks like they didn't test this 4 device for windows 10. 4 PC's to test windows 10 how hard can it be? Right? But no they did not test it. If they said we test it then I say hire decent tester (Here in this forum there are better testers then in Surface team, If they have any)

Short story; I already roll back to win 8.1 and don't recommend win 10 to any surface pro 3 user at the moment.

I'm trying to do a clean install, since that helped with my desktop's constant BSOD, and I never did one after upgrading to Windows 10 on my SP3. There's other problems though, like the part that connects my keyboard to my Surface, making cracking sounds when I move it. And then there's the problem with the kickstand becoming loose and not closing correctly, which I thought they had fixed since the last Surface I owned, which was the original RT. I'm not sure if I should try to have my device replaced, because touching the device seems to cause some display problems, the kickstand feels flimsy after only using it a few weeks, and the keyboard is making cracking sounds as mentioned above.
 

Tsang Fai

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Windows 10 finally came out last month, and I could leave Windows 8.1 behind, like I had on my desktop long ago.

Well, not really. Using Windows 10 on Surface Pro 3 for two weeks, I'm considering rolling back. Random touches being registered on the device, when I'm not even touching it, is quickly becoming annoying. I can see the circle that indicates it's being touched, but it isn't being touched.

Then there's the pen. Part of why I got the Surface Pro 3 over a MacBook was for school. The pen and OneNote app was great in Windows 8.1, but now there's less options for the size of your writing. Worst of all, the screen does a horrible job at registering the Pen. You have to put it really close to the screen, and even then, you can see the Pen cursor appear and disappear, at the same very short distance. On-top of that, despite being activated in the Surface app, the top button on the Pen, does nothing with OneNote for Windows 10.

I do not have the random-touch problem you mentioned.

I guess you are talking about the app version of OneNote, which does not allow adjusting the pen size. I use the Desktop version and everything works so fine (as fine as I did in Win 8.1).

Indeed I enjoy so much using my Surface Pro 3 with Windows 10. I believe there is some problem with your installation of Windows 10.
 

spasell

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I have many of the same issues. OneNote in particular. I loved the features of the Metro Version but they are gone now.
 

Loc Ngo

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I haven't encountered any of those issues with the phantom touches and Onenote and the pen like you described. However, I installed my Surface from scratch to its factory setting and then upgraded to Win10, so that maybe how.
 

nasellok

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Ive gotten some of these issues, but the most recent update has seemingly fixed them. The new Onenote app is really lacking - they need to bring back the radial menu, its was the best feature of the 8.1 app. I am using the desktop version until they improve the app, it has more features anyways. Another annoyance with the app, is that the keyboard pops up every time I touch the screen, and palm rejection isn't what it used to be. They need to fix this stuff asap
 

garak0410

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I have a SP3 that I got with Windows 10 pre-loaded and battery life is less than half it was when on Windows 81...I actually do like 10 better but batter life is just so bad...on all my 10 devices even (Venue 8 Pro, Windows 10 Mobile, HP Stream 7)
 

jerkwad_robot

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I do not own a Surface Pro, but those phantom touches you have I had on a completely different device. In all the research and testing I performed, it came down to two things; either drivers or the digitizer. I had to have Dell replace the entire digitizer plus connector from digitizer to the graphics card, and that fixed the issue. It might be Win10 and a driver issue, but I think it's more coincidence that it started after the upgrade.
 

Witness

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As much as I like some of the features in 10, I'm also thinking about rolling back on my SP3.


  • Battery life is shorter
  • App Store doesn't seem to work
  • OneDrive placeholder feature missing rendering it almost useless to me
  • OneNote app is read only now??
  • Cortana requires set up every time I reboot
  • Cortana could not hear me - Mic level is really low despite tweaking the sensitivity
 

Jcmg62

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I find that the Photo's app in W10 is much, much worse on the SP3 than it was in W8.1

I love my SP3, it's my primary device for work and entertainment, but I would agree that it just felt like a far more polished, in-tune device when it was running W8.1

I guess the reality is that the SP3 was built with W8.1 in mind, hence the reason the hardware and software just came together so well.

By the standard I would imagine that the SP4 (when it bothers to actually get past the rumour stage and actually arrive) will be provide a far better Windows 10 experience. Then again, is that going to make me shell out ?800+ for a new Surface less than 12 months after I picked up the SP3?.....I don't think so......
 

jojoe42

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I'm trying to do a clean install, since that helped with my desktop's constant BSOD, and I never did one after upgrading to Windows 10 on my SP3. There's other problems though, like the part that connects my keyboard to my Surface, making cracking sounds when I move it. And then there's the problem with the kickstand becoming loose and not closing correctly, which I thought they had fixed since the last Surface I owned, which was the original RT. I'm not sure if I should try to have my device replaced, because touching the device seems to cause some display problems, the kickstand feels flimsy after only using it a few weeks, and the keyboard is making cracking sounds as mentioned above.

Hey, SP2 owner here and ironically I had most of your issues. Most of them also have solutions/reasons:

1. Terrible battery life: This is a known feature and MS will be looking to improve this with the October update. You can also try turning off update sharing with Windows 10 machines (basically it acts like file-sharing except for updates) by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options > Choose how updates are delivered and flick the switch to off.

2. Pen not registering: Had this issue back on Windows 8.1 and it carried through on Windows 10. I manually reinstalled the drivers and rebooted to make it work. Also make sure that under Services Windows Driver Foundation is set to start automatically - I've noticed if it isn't some drivers don't work sometimes

3. Kickstand: all kickstands get wobbly over time, and unfortunately it will never completely stay solid. I had a similar worry that one day I'd put the kickstand down and that it would give way and smash down on the table. No such occurrence here. The kickstand hasn't gotten any more wobbly in the past year so I'd safely assume it'll be fine!

4. Keyboard - what do you mean by 'cracking sounds'? Does it sound like something is going wrong in terms of the connection between the keyboard and the Surface or is it something wrong with the actual cover? Personally I had a few issues with mine so they just sent me a new one free of charge.

Nuclear options:

5. Display issues, system stability etc. I'd definitely recommend a complete reset. My Surface was in a bad state after updating to Windows 10, but after backing up everything and hitting reset (instead of refresh) everything runs buttery smooth now and I've little to no issues (touch wood :p). Just give the reset option a shot before sending it back.

6. Returning: I'd agree with others in this thread that your display issues wouldn't have been caused by Windows 10 itself (unless you can find other people with the same problems as you) - it sounds hardware related. So if the reset does nothing then return it! MS are usually very good with returns/repairs.

Hopefully some of that helps!
 

jojoe42

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I generally think that a full reset is the way to go. I was always complaining about various issues with my SP2 beforehand and now everything's spick and spam running fine for the last couple of months
 

Tsang Fai

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I find that the Photo's app in W10 is much, much worse on the SP3 than it was in W8.1

I love my SP3, it's my primary device for work and entertainment, but I would agree that it just felt like a far more polished, in-tune device when it was running W8.1

I guess the reality is that the SP3 was built with W8.1 in mind, hence the reason the hardware and software just came together so well.

By the standard I would imagine that the SP4 (when it bothers to actually get past the rumour stage and actually arrive) will be provide a far better Windows 10 experience. Then again, is that going to make me shell out ?800+ for a new Surface less than 12 months after I picked up the SP3?.....I don't think so......

It has to be admitted that some built-in apps of Windows 10 are not quite ready yet. They lack features needed by more advanced users.

Seems that the built-in apps are kind of "mobile apps" in terms of functionalities. No one would complain if these apps are for iPad. But for Windows PC, they should have more functionalities.

Universal apps can be as useful as traditional desktop programs. I hope Microsoft can put more resources in polishing their Windows 10 built-in apps - set a good example of the great possibilities of universal apps!

Microsoft is just too busy this year that many things are not so perfect. But in general I love Windows a lot.
 

Mathias Lindberg

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Hey, SP2 owner here and ironically I had most of your issues. Most of them also have solutions/reasons:

1. Terrible battery life: This is a known feature and MS will be looking to improve this with the October update. You can also try turning off update sharing with Windows 10 machines (basically it acts like file-sharing except for updates) by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options > Choose how updates are delivered and flick the switch to off.

2. Pen not registering: Had this issue back on Windows 8.1 and it carried through on Windows 10. I manually reinstalled the drivers and rebooted to make it work. Also make sure that under Services Windows Driver Foundation is set to start automatically - I've noticed if it isn't some drivers don't work sometimes

3. Kickstand: all kickstands get wobbly over time, and unfortunately it will never completely stay solid. I had a similar worry that one day I'd put the kickstand down and that it would give way and smash down on the table. No such occurrence here. The kickstand hasn't gotten any more wobbly in the past year so I'd safely assume it'll be fine!

4. Keyboard - what do you mean by 'cracking sounds'? Does it sound like something is going wrong in terms of the connection between the keyboard and the Surface or is it something wrong with the actual cover? Personally I had a few issues with mine so they just sent me a new one free of charge.

Nuclear options:

5. Display issues, system stability etc. I'd definitely recommend a complete reset. My Surface was in a bad state after updating to Windows 10, but after backing up everything and hitting reset (instead of refresh) everything runs buttery smooth now and I've little to no issues (touch wood :p). Just give the reset option a shot before sending it back.

6. Returning: I'd agree with others in this thread that your display issues wouldn't have been caused by Windows 10 itself (unless you can find other people with the same problems as you) - it sounds hardware related. So if the reset does nothing then return it! MS are usually very good with returns/repairs.

Hopefully some of that helps!

When I say cracking sound, I mean the part between the keyboard and the connector to the Surface, makes a cracking sound when it is bended.
 

Protocol Rahul

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I just bought the surface pro 3, and fortunately came with 8.1 installed, I also own i7 laptop (touch) and running 10 is a jaggering experience, don't like the touch, edge is just poor and at time while OS becomes unresponsive. I'll stay with 8.1 on my surface till they come up with something good for touch users.
 

edgarze

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Interesting to see that 8.1 was damned by a vast majority, but apparently that same crowd shows that 'change' (to whatever new Windows version) is the true cause of this response.
 

Mathias Lindberg

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Interesting to see that 8.1 was damned by a vast majority, but apparently that same crowd shows that 'change' (to whatever new Windows version) is the true cause of this response.

It's actually a lack of change. There's animations and even entire applications like Reader, that use the old UI, which doesn't work when the taskbar is always visible. Windows 8 had smooth animations, but if you pull in from the left, there's no proper animation.
 

rdubmu

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I highly suggest OneNote 2013, it has all the features available for One Note. You can go full screen as well. It works great!
 

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