Surface Pro Firmware Rolling Out with New Intel Graphics Driver

Today, Microsoft is rolling out what is supposed to be a massive fix in a firmware update for its Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 (non-pro) line. Both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book have been under serious customer scrutiny since launch, but lingering problems have plagued the 3-series - particularly video crashes. All have received numerous updates and firmware upgrades to try and fix problems that aren’t just annoyance, but productivity limiting. Try using a Surface Book for a day and you’ll come across a bevy of problems in just that short time.

So, today’s firmware update should provide some ease for Surface 3 users with hope that Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book will be addressed soon – but it’s always best to keep your fingers crossed. In addition to the Surface woes, Microsoft is notorious for delivering updates that are just a slight bit off kilter. I’ve already heard from some that the firmware update can’t download, and others can’t get it installed. Personally, I’ve had no issue. So, your mileage will vary, apparently.

In addition to today’s firmware update, many will be overjoyed to see that an Intel graphics driver has shown up. This particular driver has been in beta since before the 2015 holiday season, and it seems it is now ready for primetime (again, finger-crossing is encouraged). Even on the Surface Pro 3 model, the Intel graphics driver has been a heinous beast, causing bluescreens, driver crashes, and overdriven cooling fans.

For those that had high hopes that the Intel driver is being made available for more than just Microsoft’s Surface line, you can forget about it. I’ve attempted to locate it through Windows Update from an HP Spectre and Lenovo Yoga 900 and they’ve both come up empty.

Additionally, Aaron Hall says...

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Both are available from Windows Update today. If you have issues with either the firmware update or the new Intel graphics driver, let us know so we can warn others.

P.S. The update history pages for the Surface hardware has not been updated yet, so we can’t be sure exactly what is included in today’s firmware update. Let’s hope it’s all good.