Boy, Windows RT 8.1 sure has had a splendidly storied launch. Microsoft rolled out the new update on October 17, but had to pull it down real quick short after it was available on the Windows Store.
The reason for this being a number of issues discovered on several devices — including the Surface RT.
Not it appears that the update also had another bug, as Surface RT owners started reporting notably decreased battery life after deploying Windows RT 8.1. Redmond has not actually confirmed the issue, officially, but surprisingly it has offered a quick workaround.
As the company explained on the Surface support page:
“If you updated Surface RT from Windows RT 8.1 Preview to Windows RT 8.1, you may notice a decrease in battery life. During the update, the wireless adapter power policy isn’t migrated. Instead, the power policy is set to a default value that consumes more power both during use and in the connected standby state.”
A handy step-by-step workaround is also available on the page above, with detailed instructions on how to restore the wireless adapter policy to the correct settings.
These should fix the issues until users are provided with a full patch.
If you are a Surface RT owner that has encountered this battery issue, then head on over to the link above, take a look at the workaround and follow the instructions to set things right — at least until the next Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft has moved much quicker over the years to resolve issues, but most will still act like they never fix issues with their products.
I’m with you.
Wrong, misleading and a disservice to your readers. It is an update mistake, not a windows 8.1 bug, the prof lies here, If you install 8.1 from 8.0 (none preview) the battery setting are correct and no problem exists. 8.1 doesn’t need a patch.