Microsoft Surface 4 Mouse Pointer Disappears but then Reappears when woken from sleep

Question

I have a 6 year old Microsoft Surface 4. Still works pretty good, except the mouse pointer keeps disappearing to the point I can't get any work done on it. At the time I am writing this is one of the only times I have had it keep going. Typically, when I wake up the machine, the pointer appears, but it only lasts for a few seconds to maybe 20 seconds, and then it disappears. I put the machine to sleep by pressing the power button, wake it up and it is there again for a few seconds to 20 seconds or so, and then it goes away again. I'm not on an extended machine. I do have a typecover hooked up to it, but it doesn't seem to matter if it is hooked or not. I can't activate anything on the screen with my fingers or pen when this happens either. Any though? I've just done a complete re-install, but same thing. In fact, it just disappeared now while I was typing this, so will have to put it to sleep and wake up in order to click submit.

Answer 1

Thanks for letting me know, jercate.

In that case, if reimaging did not work, then we are indeed dealing with a potential hardware issue already. Please be informed that Surface Pro 4 has already been discontinued and no longer has replacement available for hardware related problem. What I could suggest is to visit our official website: Surface.com to check for updated hardware specifications which are being used nowadays. Otherwise, you can also check your trade-in options through Microsoft Trade In & Recycling Program - Microsoft Store.

Answer 2

OK. Thanks for your help. I'll look into recycling it.

Answer 3

Hello jercate,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Community. I'm sorry to hear about this issue on your device. I understand how concerning it is to have such problem.

This might be due to software issue or corrupted system files. Please give these methods a try and observe your device:

Force a shut down and restart your Surface

• Press and hold down the power button until your Surface shuts down and restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

Run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

• In the search box on the taskbar, type Surface Diagnostic Toolkit, then select it in the list of results.
  If it's not already installed, you can download it from the Microsoft Store.
• Follow the on-screen instructions in the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit.

Update Windows. Ensure all pending updates are installed.

• Select Check for Windows updates. Or select Start > Settings > Windows Update.

Manually install drivers and firmware for Surface

• Check what is the current OS Build of your Windows version by typing winveron the search barnear the Windows logo.
• Go to Download driver and firmware for Surface**,**choose (your Surface model) then click Download.
  Choose the .msi file closest to your current OS Build and click Next.
  After downloading, run and install the .msi then Restart.

Run the System File Checker in Windows

• Follow instructions on Using System File Checker in Windows (microsoft.com).

If issue persists after performing the methods, then we may need to reimage your device. To do so, follow the procedure in Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface (microsoft.com).

I hope this helps.

Regards,

StevenK

Answer 4

Thanks Steven,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Not sure if I mentioned, but I had done a full reinstall and wiped everything clean. I didn't need any of the files on the computer. Going through the steps anyways, I have done up to step 5 and no fix yet. I'm trying to do the last step, but tI can't even type in what is necessary. It's not only the mouse pointer, but the screen and the keyboard become unresponsive as well. Perhaps I have a hardware issue here, not just a software issue.