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Microsoft rolls out awaited battery fix for Surface Pro 3

Microsoft is rolling out a promised software fix for Surface Pro 3 users running Windows 10 who've experienced battery-drain issues over the past several months.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft is rolling out a software fix that is aimed at fixing battery-drain problems experienced by a number of Surface Pro 3 users running Windows 10.

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In late July, Microsoft officials acknowledged they were aware of the battery capacity problems reported by "a limited number" of Surface Pro 3 users. They said at that time that the problem wasn't with the battery cells, but rather something the company planned to address via software.

Today, August 29, Microsoft made the firmware update live that is designed to fix the problems.Microsoft just posted the following in its Forums regarding the problem and the fix:

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your continued patience here. We have now completed our testing of the update and it has passed our quality assurance process.

The update, "System Firmware Update - 8/29/2016", is now available to install from Windows Update.

Before installing this update, ensure that your Surface Pro 3 is plugged directly in to AC power using the standard AC power adapter (do not use the Surface Docking Station), disconnect any USB devices or external monitors, and check that Windows shows a 40% charge or greater when you hover over the icon in the taskbar before you begin.

Once you install the update, please select Restart now (do not shutdown). After your Surface restarts, please manually restart it a second time to complete the process.For more information, please see our Surface Pro 3 Battery FAQ article.

Thanks again.

The Surface Pro 3 issue seemed to be affecting primarily those with Simplo batteries. Microsoft officials attributed the cause "an error condition occurs that causes the full charge capacity of the battery to be misreported to the operating system and device firmware."

As noted in the Surface Pro 3 FAQ, "when this condition occurs, the system no longer charges the battery to its full actual capacity, and the Surface is unable to function on battery power."

Once the fix is applied, "the reported full charge capacity will self-correct over the next several charge and discharge cycles," officials said. Surface Pro 3s that have not been affected by the issue also won't experience the battery problem, the FAQ said.

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