Progress M1-4 carried about 2 tons of supplies and food for ISS. Progress M1-4 spacecraft carried food, medical equipment, a variety of tools, a ThinkPad computer, a "central post" computer, cables, tethers, electrical gear, alarm system components, carbon dioxide absorbent and additional backup oxygen candles. Also on board were supplies for the space station's zero-gravity toilet, a sleeping bag and a Russian exercise bicycle. Clothing items included underwear, spare coveralls and fur-lined boots.  

The Progress failed to automatically dock with the space station. The navigation system failed to lock on its target. The crew, watching a camera angle from the Progress spacecraft on a black-and-white TV screen, indicated that the cargo ship was having problems. Gidzenko reported that the Progress "seems to be stabilizing slightly, and then it seems to wander off again. It seems to be oscillating...It’s still rocking around – it’s sort of an inelegant rocking of the image here. We seem not to be going over into a lock or capture mode." With the spacecraft closing in on the station, Blagov gave Gidzenko the go-ahead to take over manual control of the docking. Gidzenko used the remote control system to maneuver the supply ship within 5 m (16.5 ft) of the station, but then sunlight glare washed out the TV picture, making it impossible for the crew to adequately eyeball the approaching spacecraft, so Gidzenko sent computer commands to fly the Progress to a point 50 m (165 ft) from the station, gaining time until the station could circle around to the dark side of Earth. The station passed out of range of Russian ground communications stations. Sporadic bursts of telemetry data showed the Progress made contact with the station, a wait ensued before officials were able to verify a safe, successful docking.

Due to the proximity of the nadir ports on the Zarya and Unity modules, the Progress spacecraft must be moved before the shuttle Endeavour’s planned arrival. The Progress must be unloaded by the crew prior to December 2, when it will be jettisoned so the shuttle Endeavour's can dock. Once undocked, there is no way to automatically re-dock the Progress after Endeavour departs. When the Progress initially docks, it retracts one of the antennas it uses to perform its automatic docking, so once the spacecraft docks to a port, it has to manually re-dock thereafter. Usually a crew takes a month or more to unload a Progress spacecraft's dry cargo and repack it with unneeded gear and trash.