Here's a horror story with a sweet ending. I'll keep it short:
PROBLEM:
After the September 9 firmware update, for some reason, my Surface Pro 3 would not boot up. My beautiful Surface Pro 3 i7 512, from August 1, 2014, was bricked (well, half-bricked). Got the infamous BCD error. Nothing could bring it back to life.
Took the SP3 to a Microsoft Store kiosk, then was referred to a full store elsewhere in the city. Took it there, and the techs there could not recover it, either. As it turns out, if I would have done something simple to my SSD drive, I probably would have been okay.
SOLUTION:
Microsoft replaced my SP3. Though I do have a Microsoft Complete policy on it, I was still under the general warranty. And I happened to have all my files synced with Onedrive.
- Got a replacement on the spot. Peeled off the Stickerboy skin and surrendered a well-preserved SP3 for a new one.
- Warranty transferred to new machine.
- All my Documents were automatically restored from OneDrive.
Talked with the technicians there. Some units were bricked in this manner after that Intel update. Turns out, if I would have created a bootable recovery image on the SSD, I probably could have recovered the previous machine, due to a particular way the SSD is accessed for recovery.
WHAT I AM DOING NOW:
Even though I have files on my MicroSDXC, I moved the files away, made the drive bootable (from the Start menu, search for 'Create Recovery Drive'), and then moved my files back. Took about 10 minutes.
The only cost was some worry, and replacement Stickerboy skin. But I love my SP3 now, more than ever.
- Keep a recovery disc handy. SSD is perfect for this - even a 32 GB.
- Allow OneDrive to handle ALL your documents. OneDrive syncs between my Macs, PCs, and my iPhone.
(Note: You can see from this image that I also run Airport Utility for Windows, allowing me to access my Apple network/backup drives)
PROBLEM:
After the September 9 firmware update, for some reason, my Surface Pro 3 would not boot up. My beautiful Surface Pro 3 i7 512, from August 1, 2014, was bricked (well, half-bricked). Got the infamous BCD error. Nothing could bring it back to life.
Took the SP3 to a Microsoft Store kiosk, then was referred to a full store elsewhere in the city. Took it there, and the techs there could not recover it, either. As it turns out, if I would have done something simple to my SSD drive, I probably would have been okay.
SOLUTION:
Microsoft replaced my SP3. Though I do have a Microsoft Complete policy on it, I was still under the general warranty. And I happened to have all my files synced with Onedrive.
- Got a replacement on the spot. Peeled off the Stickerboy skin and surrendered a well-preserved SP3 for a new one.
- Warranty transferred to new machine.
- All my Documents were automatically restored from OneDrive.
Talked with the technicians there. Some units were bricked in this manner after that Intel update. Turns out, if I would have created a bootable recovery image on the SSD, I probably could have recovered the previous machine, due to a particular way the SSD is accessed for recovery.
WHAT I AM DOING NOW:
Even though I have files on my MicroSDXC, I moved the files away, made the drive bootable (from the Start menu, search for 'Create Recovery Drive'), and then moved my files back. Took about 10 minutes.
The only cost was some worry, and replacement Stickerboy skin. But I love my SP3 now, more than ever.
- Keep a recovery disc handy. SSD is perfect for this - even a 32 GB.
- Allow OneDrive to handle ALL your documents. OneDrive syncs between my Macs, PCs, and my iPhone.
(Note: You can see from this image that I also run Airport Utility for Windows, allowing me to access my Apple network/backup drives)
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