Surface Pro 7 wipes out all running programs when it wakes from sleep

[Paul Zimmer]

On my spro7, when it wakes from sleep ALL user programs are GONE. It's just like a reboot. After going round and round with Microsoft Support, having them log into my machine and finally reaching second level support, they said, "the sleep mode feature is not available for your surface pro 7 model".

From what I read online, this (wiping out all running programs) is standard procedure for "Modern Sleep Mode". I find this difficult to believe. I would think users would be up in arms. Do people really accept the idea that when you open your surface pro to wake it, you basically have to start from scratch??

Is this normal?
Thanks!

 

[DKenn]

This is not normal!

If you open Windows Event Viewer and look in the Windows logs > System log you should see some time/date related events (e.g. Kernel Power)?

It sounds like your system going to sleep and then powering down (e.g. shutdown). This can be caused by hardware and/or software.

 

[Paul Zimmer]

THANKS for your reply. Just hearing this isn't normal is a relief.

I remember looking at the Event Viewer logs, expecting the culprit to be Updates (thank you, Apple, for showing that abusing your customers can be both profitable and fun - now Windows thinks it can just reboot your system any time it feels like it). I didn't keep notes, but I recall being confused as to what was happening.

I started working on this issue in May and had googled myself into believing that this was how Modern Standby worked. I ended up jumping through all sorts of hoops trying (without complete success) to use hibernate and totally disable sleep. So, I just used Macrium Reflect to restore the system to the status quo ante and will start over from scratch. I may return here for help with the Event logs.

Thanks!

 

[Paul Zimmer]

Caught it! I closed the lid to put it to sleep, but did not turn off the bluetooth mouse. I think the BT mouse might wake it and I haven't (yet) found a way to stop that. Anyway, it (and the mouse) sat absolutely still for most of the day on the couch - not plugged in. When I woke it, all my programs were gone. Here's a condensed version of the Event Log (info from the details pane in italics):
Information 8/21/2023 9:16:57 AM Kernel-Power 507 (158)
The system is exiting connected standby

Reason: Input Mouse.

Error 8/21/2023 9:16:57 AM SurfaceTconDriver 13 None
Surface Tcon Driver TP Read fails, Status = 0xc0000186

Error 8/21/2023 9:26:42 AM SurfaceTconDriver 13 None
Surface Tcon Driver TP Read fails, Status = 0xc0000186

Information 8/21/2023 9:26:58 AM Kernel-Power 506 (157)
The system is entering connected standby

Reason: Idle Timeout.

Information 8/21/2023 6:20:58 PM Kernel-General 12 (1)
The operating system started at system time ‎2023‎-‎08‎-‎22T01:20:57.500000000Z.

[A bunch more boot-related messages, then]

Critical 8/21/2023 6:21:01 PM Kernel-Power 41 (63)
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

[More stuff, then, peculiarly…]
Information 8/21/2023 6:21:05 PM Kernel-Power 105 (100)
Power source change.

Information 8/21/2023 6:21:05 PM Kernel-Power 521 (220)
Active battery count change.

[Note: The computer was on battery THROUGHOUT this process]

Any thoughts? My thoughts:
1) The Surface Tcon Driver TP Read fails thing seems to be a common Surface Pro issue
2) Could it be a hardware problem with the battery? After this reboot, the battery showed >80%


Thanks for any help anyone can give!
Paul Zimmer

 

[DKenn]

A Kernel Power issue explains the closed apps. It could be caused by faulting hardware or software.

Ruling out a few culprits might help. I would suggest keeping the Surface connected to the power supply to see if the problem persists and disable Bluetooth in Device Manager.

 

[Paul Zimmer]

The sleep while plugged in test is already underway. This using the factory power supply.

I'll try the BT disable next. I've been through every device that seems remotely related (mouse, keyboard, Bluetooth, HID) and can't find how to disable Wake on the BT mouse. In "powercfg -devicequery wake_armed", all that shows is the keyboard (original factory cover/keyboard). Yet, still, the mouse will wake it. Now I turn off the mouse before I put the computer to sleep - very tedious.

 

[Paul Zimmer]

Follow-up. It went a couple of days on power without issues. Then I unplugged it, and, overnight, it did it again. Same fingerprint - the Event Log shows it going to sleep, then nothing until I press the power button (because it didn't wake from kybd), then it shows "not shut down properly".

Filed a warranty claim with MS. Accepted and I'll send it back when I can spare it.

Thanks for your help DKenn!!

Paul Zimmer

 

[DKenn]

Yes, that does sound like a warranty job! Glad you got it resolved.