*** The Official Microsoft Surface Thread ***

[Adrianr]

So, you bought something that blew you away to start with but then cant get the hang of how it does what it does, hardly the devices fault there chap
Have you looked over o XDA, there's a fair few Surface users over there that might be able to help you if the guys here cant...

Oh come on, how often have you used a product for 10/15 minutes in store that's brilliant only to find it lacking when you get it home and really put it through its paces? It's a fantasic showroom product, the build quality is exceptional and the way the OS flows around is beautiful. However the core functionality is too hit and miss. It's a shame because she really doesn't want an iPad, but the next step from here is either the Pro, or a Macbook Air, both of which are twice the price!

I'll have a look over at xda if she decides she can work around the problems (which she's found some success in by just abandoning all Metro apps and doing it all via desktop and the desktop version of IE), but it seems like a proper computer would be the better solution if that's all she's going to do!

 

[Martini1991]

DELETE.

 

[cu3ed]

Oh come on, how often have you used a product for 10/15 minutes in store that's brilliant only to find it lacking when you get it home and really put it through its paces? It's a fantasic showroom product, the build quality is exceptional and the way the OS flows around is beautiful. However the core functionality is too hit and miss. It's a shame because she really doesn't want an iPad, but the next step from here is either the Pro, or a Macbook Air, both of which are twice the price!

I'll have a look over at xda if she decides she can work around the problems (which she's found some success in by just abandoning all Metro apps and doing it all via desktop and the desktop version of IE), but it seems like a proper computer would be the better solution if that's all she's going to do!

What are yo having problems with?

I'm never touching a iOS or Droid based device as they are utterly hindered by comparison.

 

[sas.wlv]

Picked up the pro 2 on Xmas Eve and got to admit I'm loving it. Windows 8.1 feels amazing with the touch screen - even in desktop mode it has been easy to use. The type cover, as mentioned above, is fantastic.

The pen is a great piece of gear and works well in OneNote, particularly liking the ink to text feature for converting hand written words into computer text. I also found it impressive that the search function will look through your handwritten stuff - going to be a big help with any note taking. Would love to see what a decent artist could do with the kit!

Being able to play some of the games on my steam list has been a bonus too. So far have given walking dead and cnc3 a go. Netflix has also been flawless as has streaming video and music from my windows home server.

Really pleased so far and for my requirements definetely a better choice than an iPad or similar tablet.

 

[johnny sublime]

Hi, I finally got myself a surface 2 and I've been looking for some good apps all the recommendations online are all from the start of the year can any give an up an up to date list of good apps

 

[cu3ed]

Depends what you are looking to do with it!?

 

[Adrianr]

What are yo having problems with?

I'm never touching a iOS or Droid based device as they are utterly hindered by comparison.

I'm on my phone so cant really list all the issues, but it's just stopped turning on now so it's going back anyway. Excellent!

 

[johnny sublime]

Depends what you are looking to do with it!?

A little of everything really. I'm using it to control my server using remote desktop connection that works amazingly. some on the go gaming.

 

[PAULRYAN52]

hi, i got a surface pro 2 128gb for xmas and its been working great until tonight when it won't wake from sleep, i've tried keeping hold of the power button to force a restart but it won't turn on, is there anything else i can try before i return it to the store i purchased it from, oh and the battery is full

 

[johnny sublime]

Not sure if there is a way to do it but there might be a way to do a soft reset

 

[PAULRYAN52]

i've just plugged in a usb mice and it lit up like it's receiving power but the screen is still blank

 

[Adrianr]

hi, i got a surface pro 2 128gb for xmas and its been working great until tonight when it won't wake from sleep, i've tried keeping hold of the power button to force a restart but it won't turn on, is there anything else i can try before i return it to the store i purchased it from, oh and the battery is full

This is what was happening to mine, 'Sleep of death'. I didn't think there were problems with the pro though, I could only see mentions of the Surface 2. Some had reported it going away with updates and coming back with others, but as it's brand new I'd definitely look into getting a new unit (Good time for praise of John Lewis actually, excellent service). They guy at JL did said quite a few were being returned and he knew exactly what the problem was without me explaining it too much.

I got mine back on by holding the power button for 10 seconds, then pressing it once, but this does just restart the device so you'll lose some things you had open.

 

[Trig]

There are issues after the latest update with the Pro2, mine was playing up so I reset it as I didnt know at the time it was a bug.
Now I'm faced with the telemetry bug as well lol...

 

[PAULRYAN52]

This is what was happening to mine, 'Sleep of death'. I didn't think there were problems with the pro though, I could only see mentions of the Surface 2. Some had reported it going away with updates and coming back with others, but as it's brand new I'd definitely look into getting a new unit (Good time for praise of John Lewis actually, excellent service). They guy at JL did said quite a few were being returned and he knew exactly what the problem was without me explaining it too much.

I got mine back on by holding the power button for 10 seconds, then pressing it once, but this does just restart the device so you'll lose some things you had open.

i've tried holding the power button to restart but still won't come on

 

[Adrianr]

i've tried holding the power button to restart but still won't come on

It took a few tries. You have to hold it down for 10/15 seconds, it's quite a while.

 

[PAULRYAN52]

i've held it for longer but still no luck, i plugged in a usb mice and the mice lit up like it's receiving power

 

[PAULRYAN52]

is there anything i can do to prevent this happening with the replacement

 

[Martini1991]

I've had weird of stuff with the original Surface with that, I literally just mess with it for a bit and it starts to work.

 

[Adrianr]

is there anything i can do to prevent this happening with the replacement

Check out xda for the first hand advice, but with the pro I believe you can restore the device to pre-December updates (October was the one that worked iirc), then turn off sleep and set it to hibernate instead.

 

[£15]

I was looking for opinions on buying via the MS Student store. My nephew qualifies, so I'll be asking him to buy it on my behalf. I'm after the Surface 2 Pro 128gb @ £799. There's a £15 app voucher and a £80 store voucher on offer. I'd be looking at using the voucher to buy a keyboard in a separate order. There's also 6% cashback via Quidco (about £40).

I've been holding out in case there were any new year offers, but I don't know if that's likely to happen. Do they have a track record for such sales?