Article: SP4 & SB Firmware Updates Released 1/22/16?!

[DavidZ]

while i agree with what you are saying, i hardly think a couple of months is "right away". i definitely want them to get it right as well, but they have had months, and not so much as put out press responses or updates on what they are doing. then there is the whole, they shouldn't have released the devices until they had it right. this is NOT a surprise for them. they knew about this well before they released them. but they cared more about getting them out before christmas, to push sales, than they cared about their customers and giving them a great product.

I'm glad they released it last year, even with all the problems.

Microsoft stated in early December “Yes, The ‘standby’ battery life is an issue we are working on and have been working on. We can put the processor into a deeper sleep state than it is currently set to. We couldn’t do it at RTM for a variety of reasons, power management is a very hard computer science problem to solve especially with new silicon. Currently it is not in the deepest “sleep” that it can be so there are wake events that would not otherwise wake it. We will have an update for this issue sometime soon in the new year.”

I take Microsoft at their word that it's "very hard computer science problem." Perhaps their biggest mistake is not elaborating publicly in more detail on what the problem is and the steps and time frame required to fix it. In that sense, they neglected to set expectations. As a result, they're frustrating users and getting blowback from bloggers. So, essentially, their biggest mistake is in the public relations arena.

 

[Bogie]

Just got this 2 minutes ago...waiting to restart until I know what is in it, but hopefully some good stuff!

 

[jnjroach]

Just got this 2 minutes ago...waiting to restart until I know what is in it, but hopefully some good stuff!

View attachment 7831

Getting ready to reboot now...cover me I'm going in

 

[Nspyr]

waiting for some good new guys ...

 

[Bogie]

Here's the list of updates:

The following update will be listed as “System Firmware Update – 1/27/2016” when you view your update history.

Note
When Surface updates are provided via the Windows Update service, they are delivered in stages to Surface customers. As a result, not every Surface will receive the update at the same time, but the update will be delivered to all devices. If you have not received the update then please manually check Windows Update later.

• Surface Embedded Controller Firmware (v103.899.256.0) adds battery charging enhancements and thermal tuning.
• Surface Fingerprint Sensor driver update (v2.2.10.6) improves accuracy.
• Wireless Network Controller and Bluetooth driver update (v15.68.9037.59) improves access point compatibility and throughput on 5Ghz networks.

 

[jnjroach]

No issues thus far...

Here is the official updates:

Surface Embedded Controller Firmware (v103.899.256.0) adds battery charging enhancements and thermal tuning.
Surface Fingerprint Sensor driver update (v2.2.10.6) improves accuracy.
Wireless Network Controller and Bluetooth driver update (v15.68.9037.59) improves access point compatibility and throughput on 5Ghz networks.

 

[Bogie]

No issues here either. Had to reboot to install obviously but needed another reboot to complete installation -- other than that, everything seems okay.

My wireless throughput in my home office, where I normally had 75Mb/s, is now 90Mb/s --- I'll take the 20% increase! Will continue to speed test to see if the 5G wireless tweaks are legit.

 

[wynand32]

Installed the firmware update, still testing. I notice that it resets the Intel HD drivers to the "old" versions (I think; I don't believe today's Windows Insider build did so). Wonder if it will sleep with the older drivers...

 

[jnjroach]

Installed the firmware update, still testing. I notice that it resets the Intel HD drivers to the "old" versions (I think; I don't believe today's Windows Insider build did so). Wonder if it will sleep with the older drivers...

That confirms that something is amiss with the install of your GPU update, my Driver remained the December Update.

 

[wynand32]

That confirms that something is amiss with the install of your GPU update, my Driver remained the December Update.

Well, I did the complete uninstall/reinstall when you suggested it previously, so I don't know what could be wrong with it. Incidentally, I'm surprised today's update didn't include a new graphics driver. They pushed an updated driver to the Surface Book for the integrated GPU and not Intel, as I understand it. Something must be up.

 

[cme4oil]

Installed the firmware update, still testing. I notice that it resets the Intel HD drivers to the "old" versions (I think; I don't believe today's Windows Insider build did so). Wonder if it will sleep with the older drivers...

The intel driver didn't get touched when I updated. Just as a data point.

 

[bonzer2u]

I cant believe their still pushing 4326, a beta driver and wonderin why so many people are having display issues. 4352 is superior but still way short of mature....