Surface Book out of warranty does not turn on.

Question

Tried everything suggested by the MSFT support literature but in vain. Old device with Windows 10. Light in the detach key on the keyboard lights red.

Answer 1

Hello, Herman Uscategui.

Welcome to Microsoft Community!

After reading your description, I understand that your Surface Book is currently not booting up properly. Also, the detach button light is lit in red.

I believe you have referred to the content in the link below:

Surface won’t turn on or start - Microsoft Support

The main reason why you can't separate the screen from the keyboard is that both the keyboard and the screen have less than 10% battery. Therefore, you will see the red light on.

Fix problems detaching or attaching your Surface Book keyboard - Microsoft Support

So, at this point I would like to confirm with you that your Surface Book 1 will continue to charge. It is possible that this could be a low battery causing it to not boot up and you could try booting it up with access to a power source.

If you successfully boot up your Surface Book while plugged into a power source, try manually updating its drivers and firmware to troubleshoot potential driver issues and maintain device performance:

Download Surface Book Drivers and Firmware from Official Microsoft Download Center

At the same time, it is worth noting that the Surface Book, the first generation of the Book series, has been discontinued worldwide. Microsoft no longer provides out-of-warranty repairs.

Therefore, it may be difficult to get hardware-level support. However, I will give you as much advice as possible based on the follow-up situation.

I look forward to your progress.

Best Regards.

Leo.L - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hi Leo,

Thank you for your reply. I tried three different Surface Book chargers and the Detach key still lights red. As the Surface does not turn on, I suspect that the battery is not charging.

I am cognizant that my Surface Book is out of warranty, and while I am transitioning to another Surface Book laptop I would like to transfer the few files I have in the hard drive and keep the settings configuration that I currently have.

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Thank you!

Answer 3

Thank you for your reply.

Well from the description so far, you are no longer able to charge your Surface Book 1.

Thankfully, it is still possible for us to back up or synchronize some of your settings or apps on this Surface Book 1 if you have signed in to this device using your Microsoft account.

I will share this support link with you:

About Windows backup and sync settings - Microsoft Support

You can click here to view the devices under your Microsoft account and select the relevant backup content.

Best Regards.

Leo.L - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 4

Hi Herman Uscategui,

Leo's backup plan here makes it easy to back up files to OneDrive, but please allow me to share a more complete guide here:

Back up your Windows PC - Microsoft Support

By reading the information in this link, you can intuitively confirm how this feature works. 

However, if you have important data, I would recommend using a removable hard drive to store it, as it may not be reassuring to store data with OneDrive, and if you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, your OneDrive only has 5GB of space to work with.

At the end, we'd love to help you upgrade to a new, more capable device. Please check out our online Microsoft Store, visit one of our locations in person, or chat with an expert to learn about ongoing and special promotions.

Best Regards,

Mitchell | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 5

Hi Mitchell,

Thank you for your reply and recommendations. I do have a 365 account and a back up in my OneDrive would not be a problem.

Most of my files are backed up in OneDrive but a few are still in my Surface hard drive. As mentioned in prior message, my Surface does not turn on and a back up is not feasible unless we have a way to do it. I believe the battery is not working as the screen detached keyboard button is lighted red.

I will appreciate if you have any suggestions. I am intending to purchase a new Surface laptop.