The battery isn't being read properly and it's losing power even when the device is turned off?
The battery isn't being read properly and it's losing power even when the device is turned off?
Hi there,
I've been working with a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 for about two and a half years now. Recently, I noticed some unusual shutdown patterns. Around 10% mark, it would abruptly warn me to connect my PC and then shut down instantly—no safe transition time. This happened more frequently as the battery level increased.
I also experienced a strange behavior when the device was completely powered off. It drained power completely; after leaving it off for a week, it was fully dead. The last check I did was yesterday, after using it for over enough time to charge properly (it reported full), then I turned it off and unplugged it. About 15 hours later, the battery was back at 92%. I ensured fans were off and the keyboard backlight didn’t light up when keys were pressed—it definitely seemed inactive.
When I bought this used model to replace my old Surface 3 (which still had more charge), it showed about 80% capacity according to PowerShell. After a clean install, I started using it as my main PC. This was after the previous owner left it plugged in constantly—a habit known to harm battery life.
Currently, the battery is around 79%, and usage has been stable. The recent readings show it’s holding up well, but I’m still monitoring closely.
I don’t plan to replace this Surface battery anytime soon.
Surface Pro 4
Windows 10 Pro
Intel i5-6300
8GB RAM
Battery report
Another unusual action is shutting it down entirely, which drains the power. If I leave it off for a week, it will be fully inactive. This could signal that the battery should be replaced soon, since it can't retain charge properly. Windows 10 Pro
Open Device Manager, navigate to Batteries, you should see two entries. Right-click and uninstall both the Microsoft AC Adapter and the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery, then restart the laptop to check if this resolves the issue.
Thank you for your response. I disconnected it completely at full power and followed your instructions (though I didn't remove the driver software—should I have done that?). Once restarted, the battery level reached 92%. I plan to monitor its performance over the next day or two.
I restored it now, it stands at 82%. Before that, it was at 88%
Important details that I overlooked: Whenever the battery level drops (before reaching the "Battery Saver" stage), I connect it to my desk and plug it into the dock. Right after, the device switches to a blue "Locking" screen, then quickly turns off before powering back on. It continues operating, producing connection and disconnection sounds, but remains unresponsive until I manually restart it. After restarting, the battery percentage displays as 0%, even though it was well above 20% (sometimes even at 40%). I’m wondering if this isn’t just a battery issue, or if there’s another problem I’m missing. This behavior occurs with both the Surface Dock 2 and the original charger.