On the eve of the Surface Pro 3 release, Microsoft releases firmware update

Dear BetaNews readers, a poem from yours truly. Ehem. Twas the night before Surface Pro 3 release and all over the net, people were anticipating having their computing needs met. If you preordered the tablet you should be fine, but if you didn't reserve it, get up early and start waiting in line. Thank you.

Yes, tonight is the eve of the official Surface Pro 3 release. If you are buying it tomorrow, you will be very happy. However, once you turn it on, before you do anything, you should check for updates. Why, you ask? Well, earlier today, Microsoft released an important firmware update and you might as well get it out of the way. As per a Microsoft representative, here's how to get it manually:

• Step 1: Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Settings.)
• Step 2: Tap or click Change PC settings, tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Windows Update.
• Step 3: Tap or click Check now.
• Step 4: If there are updates available, tap or click View details.
• Step 5: Tap or click to select the updates you want to install, and then tap or click Install.
• Step 6: Restart Surface twice after the updates have been installed; the entire update process should take 10-15 minutes.

For experienced Windows users, I am not telling you anything new. Of course, if you enable automatic updates, you should be alerted to it at first boot anyway.

As per Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft told her that the firmware update fixes the reported power bug that some people encountered, where the Surface Pro 3 would not boot. Strangely, not everyone was affected, and with very heavy use, I never had a problem booting once. Also included are performance improvements.

In addition to the firmware fix, an additional update will enable the enhanced stylus/pen functionality for OneNote, such as double-clicking the pen to take screenshots. After you install all Windows Updates, you will want to update the pre-installed OneNote Modern app too, by doing the following:

• Step 1: Launch the Windows Store app
• Step 2: Swipe in from right and tap or click the Settings charm
• Step 3: Tap or click App updates
• Step 4: Tap or click check for updates

There you go, now you are ready to use your new Surface Pro 3. You should start having fun immediately. Lastly, I would suggest clicking here for some awesome app and program recommendations.