Tip of the Day: Updating Surface Pro Firmware Offline

Today’s Tip… Updating Surface Pro Firmware Offline

If you watch the forums, you likely saw posts regarding (extremely) slow boot.wim downloads while PXE booting and issues with the docking station not charging a Surface Pro 3. The resolution is simple: upgrade the firmware and drivers!

The article referenced below provides the offline steps to upgrade the firmware and drivers. Though the article uses the Surface Pro 3 as the example, the same steps can be used for the Surface Pro and the Surface Pro 2, but not Surface RT and Surface 2.

Why did this happen?

The Surface Pro 3 was released before the docking station and GB NIC were available. New, out-of-box Surface Pro 3s were built with an image that did not contain the new firmware and drivers.

Where can I find the download?

The firmware is available through Windows Update. If you don’t have access to Windows Update, you can download the firmware and drivers directly.

Download location: “Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro firmware and driver packs” - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38826

Reference: “How to Update the Surface Pro 3 Firmware Offline using a USB Drive” - https://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2014/10/20/how-to-update-the-surface-pro-3-firmware-offline-using-a-usb-drive.aspx