Surface Pro 4 Firmware Update Woes Prompt Microsoft To Issue Replacements

Last month reports were making the rounds that Microsoft had started to issue replacements for Surface Pro 4 devices that had screen issues due to faulty firmware updates. Some Surface Pro 4 owners were able to get Microsoft to give them a warranty replacement, and others were unsuccessful in getting that done. Microsoft has now stepped up and acknowledged the Surface Pro 4 firmware issue and all affected users will be able to get a warranty replacement for defective devices.

Microsoft has acknowledged the display issues that owners of these devices are seeing is a direct result of the July firmware update for the tablet. That firmware update caused driver issues that had to do with the Surface embedded controller and Surface UEFI, which caused them both to throw a "(code 10)" driver error.

Users who own one of these devices can see if they are affected by the bad firmware by going into Device Manager and looking for yellow warning triangles that have the (code 10) error. If you have those triangles and error code, replacement devices can be obtained via the Surface Support website. Users will talk to a support staffer, explain the driver issues, and presumably a replacement will be on its way after the defective device is returned. It's presumed that replacement devices are Surface Pro 4 units, but that is unclear.

It's still unclear exactly what about the firmware update issued last summer caused these firmware problems. This firmware issue isn't the first problem that Microsoft has had with the Surface Pro 4 devices. In February 2018, users were resorting to putting their Surface Pro 4 tablets in the freezer to resolve a flickering screen issue. Microsoft eventually acknowledged that issue and began offering warranty replacements on units with the problem.