Another SP2 Mystery Update

[jrapdx]

Today an update was offered:

System Hardware Update - ‎2014-‎03-‎11
Download size: 205 KB
You may need to restart your computer for this update to take effect.
Update type: Important
These updates are released by PC manufacturers to help improve the stability and performance of PC hardware.
Help and Support:
Microsoft Support

I tried the link, but "Microsoft Support" isn't particularly supportive, telling nothing specific about this update, at least that I could find.

Earlier in the month I received and I installed a System Firmware Update, which was also dated "2014-‎03-‎11". As I recall, the size of that blob was about the same as the one being offered today.

Anybody know what today's update is about? Is this "late arrival" a mistake, or is it good, bad or ugly?

It would be really helpful if MS provided a little more information about what they're doing.

 

[machistmo]

I would imagine that this was another fix related to the failure to wake from sleep and other related issues. I know that only recently has my SP2 started behaving remotely normal. In order to carry mine around with me I disabled all sleep features and shut the device down when not using it. I only recently started allowing it to go to sleep. I also was finally able to inject the Surface Cover Telemetry driver into the recovery partition as resetting the device only resulted in the machine still refusing to wake from sleep and the added bonus of an unknown device in Device Manager. Only to dig in find it was the surface telemetry driver that I was utterly unable to install.

Anyway that's all fixed and I no longer use this device for productivity and so no longer worry if it updates successfully or not. Though I have to admit to holding my breath whenever I see that black screen with white writing that reads " PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE INSTALL A SYSTEM UPDATE ". As for the mystery updates, I can only say that other companies, COUGH APPLE, COUGH, COUGH, do that same thing all the time. It is fast becoming the norm... These aren't the Droids you're looking for ... You don't need to know what is in this update, just install it /waves hand....

 

[benjitek]

...in order to carry mine around with me I disabled all sleep features and shut the device down when not using it...

Personally, I've found the best power configuration settings to be: Sleep when lid is closed, plugged in or battery and Hibernate when power button is pressed, plugged in or battery. Because the hard drive is SSD, it powers up extremely fast from Hibernate.

I've found that with the SP2, it's better to think of sleep-mode as a temporary-off-battery-saving mode, but not a state to leave the device in for an extended period, doesn't seem to agree with it.

 

[GoodBytes]

This is not a firmware upgrade, it's just driver. So if anyone is worried, don't be.
If you wonder which driver it is for? We don't know.

I had a few of them. I didn't notice anything change in terms of usage. I didn't compare every driver version before and after. Too lazy and don't have the time for that

 

[Dayton]

Yup usually a driver, you may have chosen a driver that MS doesn't view as the latest or you disabled something in the device manager.

 

[mtalinm]

"if anyone is worried, don't be"

Except that this update stopped my daisy-chained DP monitors from working. Have rebooted several times and it's a no-go. Very unhappy.

 

[Sir Face]

This is not a firmware upgrade, it's just driver. So if anyone is worried, don't be.
If you wonder which driver it is for? We don't know.

I had a few of them. I didn't notice anything change in terms of usage. I didn't compare every driver version before and after. Too lazy and don't have the time for that

Maybe they corrected their Intel Video driver so that it was compatible with Hulu? I don't dare do updates anymore, they've screwed up too many things on my SP2!

 

[mtalinm]

Just spent an hour on the phone with Surface Support and they couldn't get my external monitors working. Grr

 

[implode99]

Try this to fix the displays

Just spent an hour on the phone with Surface Support and they couldn't get my external monitors working. Grr

I had this happen . Try unplugging the docking station and plugging back in . if you use the dock.

 

[godashram]

Maybe they corrected their Intel Video driver so that it was compatible with Hulu? I don't dare do updates anymore, they've screwed up too many things on my SP2!

it's not just Hulu; Netflix and flixster (for ultraviolet movies) are also useless because of the last video update.

 

[jrapdx]

So this "System Hardware" update mystifies SP2 owners, and some have experienced video driver problems after an update. But I guess it's hard to pin down exactly which update "did it".

I haven't used multiple external monitors, Hulu, Netflix, flixter, etc. The driver bugs might exist on my system but by my use patterns haven't exposed them. Not a comforting thought. In the future, this SP2 could very well be running one of these apps/services and when it chokes, how the heck would anyone know what's going on?

Sigh. Still clear as mud if installing the update is a good idea or not. If it's a driver, or drivers, seems important to know which drivers are involved. If trouble develops we'd know what to look for and roll back the installation right away. Can't see any merit in making it harder for the end user than it has to be.

 

[jrapdx]

Yup usually a driver, you may have chosen a driver that MS doesn't view as the latest or you disabled something in the device manager.

Actually, I haven't installed drivers (outside of updates) except for a few not provided by MS at all, e.g., an old Ricoh printer. The drivers per Device Manager are current, standard, MS supplied versions.

So the "hardware update" is probably a driver, but it seems silly not to say what it is (or is a part of). Having that information, I could install the update and have a much better idea what to look for to check if the update breaks something and if it does, then I have the opportunity to promptly roll it back. Don't understand what makes that impossible.