Surface Pro 3

Problems with the Surface Pro 3 and how to fix them

I have a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and we examine some of the most common Surface Pro 3 problems that people have been experiencing, and see if we can figure out workarounds or solutions.

Issue: Surface Pro 3 won’t turn on

If you try tapping the power button only to find that nothing happens, don’t panic. This is a common problem and you’ll soon have it working again.

Possible solutions:

Try holding down the Power button and the Volume up button for 15 seconds. Then, wait a few seconds, and tap the Power button again. [Note: you only have to tap the power button to turn it on, don’t hold it down]

Problem: Random freezing

A lot of people have been complaining that their Surface Pro 3 keeps freezing randomly. It looks like this could occur when switching apps, when on the Start screen, or while doing nothing at all.

There’s no common cause, so try to pay attention to what you were doing when the freeze occurred. That could help you figure out what the problem is.

Possible workaround:

Hold down the Power button and the Volume up button for 15 seconds. Wait a few seconds, and then press the Power button again and it will restart.

Other potential solutions:

Make sure that your Surface Pro 3’s firmware is completely up to date. To check, swipe in from the right edge and tap Settings > Change PC Settings > Update and recovery > Check now.

Some people reported an issue specifically with f.lux which was apparently fixed with an Intel driver update. The quick workaround is to uninstall f.lux, or you can check for new drivers from Intel.

You could try a restore, refresh, or reset of your Surface Pro 3. Check out instructions on how to do any of these at this >Microsoft website.

Glitch: Cursor disappears

Some Surface Pro 3 owners have found that folding the Type Cover keyboard back makes the cursor disappear, and it refuses to return when the keyboard is flipped back around. Others have found that the cursor just disappears at random when they’re using the mouse.

Workaround:

Try removing and reattaching the cover.

Other potential solutions:

This issue may have been resolved with an update. Tap Settings > Change PC Settings > Update and recovery > Check now > Install updates.

There could be another device interfering with the Surface Pro 3. Try moving to another location and see if the problem persists. Try unplugging any other accessories you may be using.

Bug: Slow and limited Wi-Fi

Many people have run into a problem with Wi-Fi connections and the Surface Pro 3. Some people had problems shortly after its release. Others have only encountered Wi-Fi issues after installing updates. Wi-Fi issues with the Surface Pro 3 seem to appear most often when waking the device from sleep. This can cause Wi-Fi connectivity on the unit to get downgraded to Limited. When this happens, connection speeds can slow to a crawl.

Workarounds:

Swipe from the right edge and tap Settings. Then, tap on the Wireless icon. Manually disconnect from your Wi-Fi network, then reconnect.

For some, the problem seems to be related to Instant Go or Connected Standby. Turning those off could help. To do so, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features. Tap Turn Windows features on or off, which is located on the left hand side of the window. Make sure that Hyper-V is checked off, and then restart your SP3. Now, go to Control Panel > Power Options and tap Choose what the power buttons do on the left. Then, tap Change settings that are currently unavailable. Uncheck Turn on fast startup.

Problem: Overheating

A lot of Surface Pro 3 owners have had problems with the tablet overheating, specifically the Intel Core i7 version. Overheating can occur regardless of what the owner is doing. You don’t have to attempt to play Crysis 3 in order for this to happen.

Possible solutions:

Some people have suggested that processes called Windows Installer Module and Windows Installer Module Worker are causing heating problems. You can open Task Manager and try shutting those processes down to see if the heating situation improves.