Question from Billy P.: I dropped my Surface Pro 3 a few days ago and it shut off when it hit the floor.
I thought I had destroyed it for good but when I pressed the power button it started up just fine.
I used it three days in a row and everything seemed normal but last night I turned it on and nothing happened. No lights, no sounds, no nothing.
I’m hoping this is just a simple fix since it worked ok for a while after I dropped it.
Can you tell me how to get the back off of it and what to check once I get it opened up?
Rick’s answer: I’m sorry to hear about this issue with your Surface Pro 3, Billy. I know how frustrating these things can be.
Unfortunately there’s really nothing you can do on your own to diagnose and fix this issue. While the Surface Pro 3 is an awesome machine, if it develops a hardware problem after the warranty has expired it’s usually toast.
Unlike traditional laptop computers (and even some tablets) the Surface Pro 3 is constructed in a way that makes it very difficult for the end user to open up the case and find out what’s going on.
If your machine is still under warranty you can send it in to Microsoft and have it repaired for free.
However, if the warranty has expired I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for the repair, and that repair fee will be substantial as you can see by viewing the “Out of Warranty Pricing Chart” on this page.
You might possibly be able to find a third party computer repair shop that can fix your machine, but even then you’ll be looking at a very hefty repair charge.
Bottom line: I wish I had better news for you Billy, but I’m afraid I don’t.
There’s virtually no chance that you could ever fix your Surface Pro 3 yourself because of the way it’s made, and sending it off for repair would cost you the proverbial “arm and a leg” with an extra finger or two thrown in.
Bonus tip: Situations like this are one of the many reasons why I always recommend creating System Image backups on a regular basis. Having a recent backup on hand will ensure that you’ll at least be able to recover your precious photos and other important files.
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