Surface Pro 4 - Corrupt Windows - Bitlocked drive

[OBX.Guy]

I have a surface pro 4 that has a corrupt drive. It boots with the Preparing Automatic Repair, then Diagnosing the repair.
Then the restart & advanced options screen comes on. I have the bitlocker key.
No mater which options I choose it will not boot or repair.... (Because the OS is corrupt)
I can boot off a Windows 10 image... choosing the repair also doesn't work (Obviously)
I can get to a system prompt from the USB boot drive.
When I try the install it showes the 4 partitions but says it can't install because it is bitlocked.

What are my options.... Is there a way to get my files off the drive???

Can I just delete the whole drive and start over... will I lose any of the Surface Pro OEM files..
If I am OK to lose all my data... how to I do a new install with all the right drivers and partitions.

Thanks for any help....

 

[sharpuser]

Were you using OneDrive while the Surface Pro 4 was working correctly? If so, your files from the "Documents" folder are backed up by the OneDrive cloud service. Other settings on your PC, including personalization like screen background, favorite links on the Edge browser, are also backed up.

You need a clean install of Windows 10. Instead of choosing to repair, choose to completely re-install Windows 10. Files from your drive will be erased, the drive will be checked, then the OEM files you refer to will come with Windows 10. After you then sign on with your Microsoft account, OneDrive will start recovering your cloud files in the background. Be patient. They will restored.

You will have to re-install Office software, if you were subscribing. For that, go to office.com and sign on with your Microsoft account. Then choose to install Office.

Let us know of your progress. See you on the other side.

 

[OBX.Guy]

OK... I understand about one drive and I would probably say it was not used... I am not the user of this Surface..
However... whether I have one drive or not... How do I install windows since the drive is BitLocked.
Can I delete the drive??? What happens to the Surface Pro drivers if I do that and I don't have one drive.

I realize I might lose all my data but right now the drive is locked preventing an install.

 

[sharpuser]

The user of the Surface Pro 4 has the bitlock code stored and viewable in their Microsoft account.

If you are the rightful owner or custodian of that Surface device, and you need to do a clean install, you should obtain a USB drive, and on a computer that works, follow these instructions:

Microsoft Support | Download a recovery image for Microsoft Surface

 

[OBX.Guy]

Thanks for the info.... very confusing with all the links.
One question....
The documents tell you how to create a recovery disk, but it is explaining how to create from the surface pro. As stated mine is corupted so this is not possible. Can this be created from a surface pro 7..?? Is it macine specific or just windows specific?

 

[sharpuser]

You can make this disk from any computer. Be sure to select the model of computer you will be restoring (Surface Pro 4). The web page has a button or two which is specific to the model you are using. Click the link "My Surface device is not listed here" to find your model.

 

[OBX.Guy]

Thanks for the additional information.... but now I am more confused...
I downloaded a recovery image from the web page that asked for the product and serial number. This file supposed to be copied to the USB recovery drive.

The instructions for the recovery drive was in one of the page links... But the instructions tell you how to create a recovery drive from the machine you want to restore. As stated I have a corrupt drive and can not create a recovery drive from the Surface pro. I was unable to find any information on how to create a recovery drive from a different machine.

The page you show is new to me and does not come up on any of the links associated with the recovery of a surface pro.

Hopefully this will be the last question.... and that whatever the recovery drive is will allow me to unlock the drives for the install.

Thanks

 

[sharpuser]

I was unable to find any information on how to create a recovery drive from a different machine.

1. Go to a working computer.
2. Insert your USB drive.
3. Visit that webpage. Choose "My Surface device is not listed here". Choose Surface Pro.
4. Download and follow instructions.

5. Go to your non-working computer: Surface Pro.
6. Insert your USB drive from steps 1-4.
7. Power restart.

 

[OBX.Guy]

1. Go to a working computer.
2. Insert your USB drive.
3. Visit that webpage. Choose "My Surface device is not listed here". Choose Surface Pro.
4. Download and follow instructions.

5. Go to your non-working computer: Surface Pro.
6. Insert your USB drive from steps 1-4.
7. Power restart.

Do you have a link for this page???
Is this a complete recovery drive or do you still need to copy the files from the recovery image to it.

 

[OBX.Guy]

If you have a corrupted hard drive on your Surface Pro with Windows 10 and you have tried everything to fix it and can't get it to start then you are probably reading this conversation.
If you need to reset/reload the operating system I have outlined the steps to minimizeyou having to read through a lot of different web pages.

If your drive or install is corrupted then chances are the drive is BitLocked with no way to unlock it. Because of this a windows 10 image will not work to restore your surface pro. Additionally a standard install will not have all the Surface Pro drivers needed.

If on your original install you allowed OneDrive to sync your files then they will be restored once your reload the system. However any installed apps or programs will be lost.

You can perform all these steps from any working Windows 10 system

You will need a USB drive 8GB to16GB depending on your model.

Go to the following link. There you will be able to download
a recovery image for your exact model. This file needs to saved to the computer and will be copied to the recovery drive later. It will take some time to download.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surfacerecoveryimage

On the computer you are on.... insert the USB drive... it will erased and overwritten. In your desktop search window tyepe Recovery Drive, select create a recovery drive. Uncheck the "Back up system files.... Then continue to create.

Once it has been created, copy all the files from the recovery image to the USB drive. Replace any duplicate files.

Once done, insert the USB drive into the corrupted Surface Pro. Hold down volume button while pushing the power button for
a couple of seconds. Release the volume button once the spinning dots appear. The device will boot of the USB drive.

Select language and country.... select troubleshoot... select recover from a drive... If prompted for a key, select skip this drive.... Select just remove my files...

Follow the online instructions to setup the Surface Pro.

This is all covered in a video halfway down the page on the following web page. It may take sometime to load so be patient. It is all you need to see on that page.

Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface - Microsoft Support

Learn how to reset your Microsoft Surface and solve problems using a USB recovery drive or Surface recovery image.

support.microsoft.com

Hope this helps.... Thanks to the people that provided answers for me...