Surface Pro 8.1 Update 1, Hard Freeze & Now Won't Boot

[jnjroach]

How are you creating the image to boot from? Are you using an ISO and copying it to the USB or are you using an Image?

I have successfully booted the SP2 using the ISO copy to thumb drive using the below: (Assume ISO is "D:" and USB Thumb Drive is "E:")

Mount Windows 8.1 Pro ISO

from an elevated CMD Prompt:

xcopy d:\*.* /e/f/s e:

 

[F27]

I am using an 8.1 or 8.0 Pro x64 iso. I have been using the Rufus USB tool which apparently put's it all together properly so it will work with a Surface (GPT and UEFI compatible etc) but none have worked even with secure boot disabled.

I also tried using DISKPART followed by just copy and pasting the iso contents over, would using xcopy make a difference?

Would the Surface need any special W8 Surface iso or would any normal Windows iso be OK? All I want to do it get to any recovery menu and I thought any Windows 8 iso would do.

I have also had no luck making a USB from a recovery image made from another Surface. I don't know how to put those files onto USB in a bootable way.

I appreciate the help jnjroach

 

[jnjroach]

It needs to be a Pro....

If you have access to another Pro, you can create a USB Recover Drive by following the below:

https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/storage-files-and-folders/create-a-recovery-drive

Then follow these steps to reset:

Reset your Surface from the USB recovery drive by following these steps:

Step 1: Make sure that Surface is shut down and plugged in.
Step 2: Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port on Surface.
Step 3: Press and hold the Volume Down button while you press and release the Power button.
Step 4: When the Surface logo appears, release the Volume button.
Step 5: When prompted, select the language and keyboard layout you want.
Step 6: Tap or click Troubleshoot, and then tap or click Reset your PC.
Step 7: If prompted for a recovery key, tap or click Skip this drive at the bottom of the screen.
Step 8: Tap or click the target operating system you wish to reset. This refers to the current operating system installed on Surface.
Step 9: Tap or click Yes, repartition the drives. On the next page, tap or click Next.
Step 10: Choose either Just remove my files or Fully clean the drive. The option to clean the drive is more secure, but takes much longer. For example, if you are recycling your Surface, you should choose to clean the drive. If you are keeping your Surface, you just need to remove your files.
Step 11: Tap or click Reset.
Surface will restart and the Surface logo displays while the reset process completes (this can take several minutes).

 

[F27]

What iso did you manage to boot your SP2 from? Was it a surface specific one? Because creating recovery USB's from another surface doesn't create an iso, just files on the stick.

 

[jnjroach]

I used a MSDN ISO.... The recovery USB isn't an ISO it activates the recovery partition

 

[F27]

Is there any reason why my Surface is booting into a black screen with a moveable white cursor when using one of the USB sicks?

 

[jeffskent]

Here's a link to a good youtube.com video on how to boot from a bootable usb drive. I got the video by doing a google search on "make a usb recovery bootable stick". Lots of info from MS and others.

[video=youtube;tShKxTNgoO8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tShKxTNgoO8[/video]

There are lots of directions in the search results as to how to make the bootable recovery usb stick from a functioning SP. Perhaps you can find another SP owner in your country without an MS Store to allow you to take 10 minutes to make a recovery stick from their SP. You could also buy a new SP, make a recovery stick, and return the SP and get your money back. Not terribly ethical, but not a mortal sin either. You might offer a computer repair shop with an SP, $20 or so to make you a recovery stick. I'll make you one, if you really need it, but the purchase of the $20 stick and the mailing of said stick could take a couple of weeks or longer. You should be able to do this operation in a few hours even if you live in Outer Mongolia.

Think back to how this issue may have started in the first place. You said you were updating your $900 computer and you chose to surf the web at the same time? Not a good choice in my opinion. Sort of like teaching a surgeon how to sing scales while he is operating on your brain. One thing at a time, please.

Please post the results of your endeavors here, as we all might someday have this issue. I have yet to make a bootable usb stick for my machine, but, it now seems like a good idea. Good luck.

 

[F27]

I would seriously recommend creating a bootable stick for your Surface now I've seen how easy it is for things to go wrong. All recovery options / partition are useless without it.

I do need to get hold of someone elses Surface Pro to make a stick but its not exactly a popular device, stores I don't think even have Pro 1's on display anymore. I also don't know if I need an 8.1 or 8.0 Surface to do it.

This was just a Windows Update, they are supposed to be downloading and installing in the background when you are working. Microsoft never say you cannot use the device when running Windows Update. Whether I was on IE or not the whole OS hard froze. I think it would have done it even if I was just leaving it alone.

 

[Bazzer]

I could send you the files on my recovery disk over the internet. you would then need to create a bootable USB stick then add files. MS help some were do show how to do it.

 

[carp969]

I had a similar issue last week. Every USB stick I created from a vanilla 8.1 ISO wouldn't work. But I know the usb stick was EFI compatible.

In the end I used my Zalman VM-200 to emulate a DVD drive.

If you have access to USB dvd drive boot with the volume down on after disabling secure boot.

 

[F27]

I could send you the files on my recovery disk over the internet. you would then need to create a bootable USB stick then add files. MS help some were do show how to do it.

I actually have some surface recovery disk files from the internet, but I don't know how to put them on the USB properly (bootable). If you could give some step by step instructions it would be great.

The files look like this..

boot (folder)
efi (folder)
sources (folder)
bootmgr
bootmgr.efi
reagent

I had a similar issue last week. Every USB stick I created from a vanilla 8.1 ISO wouldn't work. But I know the usb stick was EFI compatible.

In the end I used my Zalman VM-200 to emulate a DVD drive.

If you have access to USB dvd drive boot with the volume down on after disabling secure boot.

Exactly the same, any USB I make with a W8.1 iso does not boot! I don't have an external DVD drive, would that be the best using a burned iso?

 

[carp969]

It was the way I ended my pain. I even verified that I had a EFI boot compatible drive by using the latest Ubuntu DVD and making that into a UEFI usb stick which worked but for obvious reasons I didn't want to put that in my SP.

I used my older version of this

http://www.zalman.com/global/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=750

Which basically takes an ISO and makes it into a DVD drive. I was amazed it worked but it was faultless.