Microsoft Issues Surface Book Firmware Updates (Updated)

Microsoft Issues Surface Book Firmware Updates, No Explanation

They’re doing it again: Surface Book owners can look forward to a new set of firmware updates in Windows Update today. But there’s no explanation about what’s being fixed.

UPDATE: This time Microsoft was able to provide a list of the fixes in less than 24 hours. See below. –Paul

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Microsoft is doing this a lot lately. For example, the last set of Surface Book firmware updates were delivered to customers sans-explanation on October 28. But it didn’t publicly document the changes until the following week.

Today’s updates are listed as follows:

  • Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI.
  • Intel Corporation driver update for Intel(R) Precise Touch Device
  • NVIDIA driver update for NVIDIA GeForce GPU

As with all other firmware updates, a reboot is required as the updates need to be installed while Windows is offline. (Meaning “not running,” and not “not connected to the Internet.”)

I’ll monitor the Surface Book update history page and see if Microsoft can document these updates faster than it did last time. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: Here’s what’s new.

Intel Corporation driver update for Intel(R) Precise Touch Device. Intel(R) Precise Touch Device 1.2.0.70 reduces false touch events when the device is closed.

NVIDIA driver update for NVIDIA GeForce GPU. NVIDIA GeForce GPU 21.21.13.6961 improves system stability.

Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI. Surface UEFI 90.1380.768.0 improves system stability.

 

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Conversation 23 comments

  • 1217

    18 November, 2016 - 9:44 am

    <p>I’d be curious to know what these updates changed. &nbsp;I had to recover from a System Restore Point after rebooting with this update installed; my Explorer shell was essentially "down for the count", as I couldn’t open Task Manager or reboot normally, and certain applications weren’t starting correctly, such as Docker. &nbsp;My Surface Book has been working fine since, though my update history does still show that the updates applied successfully, even after the recovery. &nbsp;Time will tell what happens next. &nbsp;I can say, though, that this is the first time I’ve had an issue with my Surface Book; I’ve owned it for about 3 months.</p>

  • 940

    18 November, 2016 - 9:54 am

    <p>I guess Microsoft’s telemetry data indicates that 99,9999% of the users never bother to click the "more details" button.</p>
    <p>Since they are more and more forcing the updates to be installed, why bother a) to create release notes or b) to read them?</p>
    <p>Welcome to Windows as a Service!</p>

    • 5234

      18 November, 2016 - 10:57 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26149">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/matsan">matsan</a><a href="#26149">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>That’s a lot of 9’s.</p>

      • 940

        18 November, 2016 - 11:02 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#26168">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Waethorn">Waethorn</a><a href="#26168">:</a></em></blockquote>
        <p>You are probably right. With 4000 alpha members here at thurrorr.com and 400M Windows 10 users, the correct number should be 99,999%. Sorry about that typo :-)</p>

        • 5234

          18 November, 2016 - 4:16 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#26173">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/matsan">matsan</a><a href="#26173">:</a></em></blockquote>
          <p>That’s one too many r’s.</p>

    • 5767

      18 November, 2016 - 11:37 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26149">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/matsan">matsan</a><a href="#26149">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Maybe if Paul makes a big enough stink, Microsoft will start to include some details.&nbsp;</p>

  • 5234

    18 November, 2016 - 10:58 am

    <p>Question for the Surface Book owners out there:</p>
    <p>Can you use NVIDIA’s generic video drivers, or do you have to get them from Microsoft? &nbsp;Are Microsoft’s drivers as current as NVIDIA’s?</p>

    • 180

      18 November, 2016 - 12:19 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26169">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Waethorn">Waethorn</a><a href="#26169">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>No, yes, no.</p>

      • 5234

        18 November, 2016 - 4:17 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#26184">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Polycrastinator">Polycrastinator</a><a href="#26184">:</a></em></blockquote>
        <p>It’s definitely not for games then. &nbsp;I bet the performance dock is the same.</p>

  • 6913

    18 November, 2016 - 11:01 am

    <p>Just installed on Surface Book, and unfortunately did not deal with the IME problem, which is still running at boot-up at 25%-50% of CPU capacity. &nbsp;Still have to manually "end task" at every boot-up.</p>

  • 7577

    18 November, 2016 - 12:13 pm

    <p>These updates didn’t fix my problem, which is that my Surface Book crashes randomly every couple of days, often overnight when no programs are running and the lid is closed. Today, hours after the most recent updates were installed, my SB crashed a few seconds after loading Outlook 2013.</p>
    <p>My Surface Book experience has been nothing but frustration and disappointment. I expected that Microsoft’s flagship laptop would be able to run Windows 10 and Microsoft Office without crashing, and I was dead wrong.</p>

    • 6922

      18 November, 2016 - 2:11 pm

      <p><em>&gt;&nbsp;I expected that Microsoft’s flagship laptop would be able to run Windows 10 and Microsoft Office without crashing</em></p>
      <p>that was a logical assumption. Reality proved Microsoft isn’t up to the task.</p>

    • 5577

      19 November, 2016 - 12:18 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26182">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Niterider4">Niterider4</a><a href="#26182">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>There’s a reason that individuals (as opposed to companies) often buy Macs.</p>
      <p>It just anecdotally seems to me that Macs are far more common than the raw statistics would imply when you go to say a Starbucks.</p>
      <p>It’s kind of like rental cars. You see a lot of GM rental sedans. But among real people, it’s more Hondas and Toyotas.</p>
      <p>Microsoft is the GM analog here, and Apple is the Toyota analog. Real people purchase certain brands more often when it is their own hard-earned money.</p>
      <p>And I’m saying this as a non-Mac user.</p>

  • 180

    18 November, 2016 - 12:18 pm

    <p>We were expecting an update to enable the dial, and given it can sit on the screen, updating the touchscreen would make sense too. Suspect the NVidia driver is just their rolling driver updates. That’s all supposition, but the timing would make sense.</p>

    • 364

      19 November, 2016 - 11:10 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26183">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Polycrastinator">Polycrastinator</a><a href="#26183">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>No, No we were not. Why were we not? Well, the dial was already&nbsp;enabled (you just need windows 10 build 1607 or later). I have been using mine since the 11th. The dial only works on screen on the Studio, on all other Surfaces it works in off screen mode, which given its size and the size of the screens is just fine.</p>

  • 5577

    18 November, 2016 - 2:45 pm

    <p>Honestly why buy a premium notebook these days?</p>
    <p>The premium MS notebook crashes, has hot bag issues, and gets updates with no explanation.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>The premium Apple notebook has no ports, not a good graphics processor, and is wildly overpriced.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>The sweet spot is the middle of the market. As a premium (=low volume machine) buyer, you are paying a lot and asking for trouble.</p>

    • 5530

      19 November, 2016 - 1:07 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#26197">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Winner">Winner</a><a href="#26197">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Most of the crashes, hot bag issues, and sleep issues have been fixed. But issues like the screen refusing to eject still remain.</p>

  • 250

    Premium Member
    18 November, 2016 - 4:06 pm

    <p>Wild guess: These driver updates look to me like something that might be germane to the Surface Studio as well. Earlier today I got an email from Microsoft Store saying that my pre-ordered Studio would ship next week, about three weeks before the stated December 15 release date. I wonder if the firmware updates are just a way to tie up loose ends and simplify the driver library before the new hardware goes out the door.</p>

  • 5496

    18 November, 2016 - 5:06 pm

    <p>Do you really need an explanation to what the Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI.<br />Intel Corporation driver update for Intel Precise Touch Device<br />NVIDIA driver update for NVIDIA GeForce GPU&nbsp;</p>
    <p>It’s obvious for UEFI, either the touchscreen or the mouse, and for video.</p>

  • 5554

    18 November, 2016 - 11:49 pm

    <p>MS does not inspire much confidence in these Surface devices with the weekly ninja updates that break as much as they fix. &nbsp;Ponderous. &nbsp;Guess that’s what happens when you fire the entire QA department.&nbsp;</p>

  • 4610

    Premium Member
    19 November, 2016 - 10:27 am

    <p>It has fixed the false touch issue which had rendered the device useless when docked until a reboot – every single time my SB went to sleep and was resumed. The pointer would fly all over and select whatever it landed on. This had been happening since the next to last cumulative update.</p>

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