How to Continue Reinstall on Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Without Keyboardc
- #1
Well, first you ask Microsoft support. That does not go well: they tell you to send them your Surface. But that's not really a good option - to lose your tablet for two weeks over a software problem? That's just not fair!
So, next, you try googling for help. But all you ever find are similar unanswered pleas for help, which usually end up being either unanswered or closed by moderators.
But fear not, as you CAN solve this, and you don't even need to do crazy things like making your own recovery image, or downloading one from weird Chinese sites.
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HOW TO REINSTALL WINDOWS 8.1 ON YOUR SURFACE PRO WITHOUT A RECOVERY PARTITION/USB
Step 1.
Obtain a Windows 8.1 ISO. I can't tell you where to obtain one, but it is not a hard task.
The flavor Surface Pro uses is Windows 8.1 Pro x64. I used the EN-US version, as I have an American Surface, so I can't verify how other languages will work.
Step 2.
Burn that ISO to a USB drive. I suggest using Rufus for that: http://rufus.akeo.ie/
Step 3.
Boot your Surface from the USB drive.
To do that, hold the volume down button when turning on your Surface
Step 4.
Install Windows 8.1.
Step 4.5.
It will ask you for an install key, and might not accept your real Surface key. The reason for that is that the installer for Windows 8.1 does not accept Windows 8.0 keys (and your Surface might have one of those).
To proceed with installation, you will need this install key:
This key is for installation only. IT DOES NOT ACTIVATE WINDOWS.XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB
Step 5.
After installing the OS, you'll notice that it's not behaving quite right, for example, there are 4 rows of tiles on the start screen instead of three.
Go to Windows Update, and install everything.
Step 5.5.
If you installed with the install key, use this utility to get the original Windows key: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/30363-Windows-8-Product-Key-Viewer
Choose the "MSDM" option, copy that key, and activate Windows with it.
Step 6.
Enjoy your happily recovered Surface. 
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So there. That was a little guide on how to recover a Surface Pro without a recovery drive. I was in this situation myself recently, and Microsoft offered me to send my Surface to them - which would've cost me $200, as I live in a different country from the one my Surface came from, and also would've meant living without my tablet for a month or even longer. So I just fixed it all myself.
- #2
- #3
Cause I've got only wireless mouse and original type cover, which does not work for some reason, and that's why I want reinstall windows.
- #4
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- #6
has anyone of you got the issue with the touch controller? and after the windows reinstall did it come back?
regards
- #7
Worked perfect on a MS Surface Pro 1, with windows 8.1 Pro install USB, no keyboard or mouse needed.
Thank you! :good:
- #8
For those unable to boot normally into Windows, holding VolKeyDown + Power while the unit is off will force the unit to boot from removable storage (doesn't have to be a USB Stick, you can plug in any kind of bootable media, including a USB DVD-ROM).
Have fun!
- #9
Thanks a heap for this guide, thought my Surface was done for.For those unable to boot normally into Windows, holding VolKeyDown + Power while the unit is off will force the unit to boot from removable storage (doesn't have to be a USB Stick, you can plug in any kind of bootable media, including a USB DVD-ROM).
Have fun!
Hi,
Can this method work for surface pro 2?
- #10
Hi,Can this method work for surface pro 2?
I'm gonna try this now on my Surface Pro 2 because I got one with only scandinavian languages and I'm from Germany ^^ Will report back!
# UPDATE #
Worked perfectly fine
- #11
I just installed the latest Firmware / Drivers MS has pushed through Windows Update,
and i would like to refresh my Surface Pro 2 to get a clean install.
- First thing i did was create a bootable usb drive using Microsofts new 'Create Installation Media Tool'
. I selected 'Windows 8.1 Pro x64' in my native language which is Dutch.
The tool created a bootable USB stick, which i haven't tried yet.. before i continue i have some questions;
....
1. I copied my recovery image to a USB stick and deleted the recovery partition.
- If i reinstall Windows can i still use the recovery usb in case something goes wrong during the installation, or is it linked to your current installation?
2. Would Windows automatically recognize the serial number, which i believe is stored in the BIOS / UEFI, and activate Windows? I've written down the serial using the tool mentioned in the OP to be on the safe side.
3. Like i mentioned before, i installed the lastest driver / firmware package, will Windows automatically install the latest drivers after installation or first install more basic drivers to get WiFi up and running and then install the latest drivers?
4. When you install new driver / firmware software will Windows automatically update the then older drivers in the recovery image?
I've read the previous posts saying that everything went smoothly, but i just want to make sure i'm not forgetting anything..
i have a Surface Pro 2 btw!
- #12
I just installed the latest Firmware / Drivers MS has pushed through Windows Update,
and i would like to refresh my Surface Pro 2 to get a clean install.- First thing i did was create a bootable usb drive using Microsofts new 'Create Installation Media Tool'
. I selected 'Windows 8.1 Pro x64' in my native language which is Dutch.The tool created a bootable USB stick, which i haven't tried yet.. before i continue i have some questions;
....
1. I copied my recovery image to a USB stick and deleted the recovery partition.
- If i reinstall Windows can i still use the recovery usb in case something goes wrong during the installation, or is it linked to your current installation?2. Would Windows automatically recognize the serial number, which i believe is stored in the BIOS / UEFI, and activate Windows? I've written down the serial using the tool mentioned in the OP to be on the safe side.
3. Like i mentioned before, i installed the lastest driver / firmware package, will Windows automatically install the latest drivers after installation or first install more basic drivers to get WiFi up and running and then install the latest drivers?
4. When you install new driver / firmware software will Windows automatically update the then older drivers in the recovery image?
I've read the previous posts saying that everything went smoothly, but i just want to make sure i'm not forgetting anything..
i have a Surface Pro 2 btw!
1:I have no idea
2: Yes it will, I have a surface pro 1 and it was activated automatically, so i didnt had to do anything with my serial. (on a new windows 8.1 install)
3: Yes it will, but you can always install them manually (doesn't really matter unless there are issues with drivers).
4: Dont know (dont think so). (I havent ever uses a recovery installation ever, i always install everything manually back on
.- #13
I did the steps and everything went fine. But I had to disable secure boot at first.
Now, after the isntallation of Windows 8.1, I activated it again and reinstalled the default keys. Is this the way it is meant?
Or do I need to leave it disabled?
Thank you very much!
Best regards,
thrain2
- #14
I removed my recovery partition to regain the space.
Does your method reformat the drive and repartition everything? Will it reinstall the recovery partition?
I remember all former windows os installations I've done allowed me to format the drive and clear the partitions and then either create new ones myself or use the blank disk. Win7 would (on a blank disk) create it's recovery partition.
- #15
To anyone looking to do this, use the official media creation tool. It's free from Microsoft and extremely simple.
I didn't have to disable secure boot or anything, just hold down the volume and power button with the USB plugged in.
The installer let me delete all my existing partitions and it automatically created only the ones needed.
It never asked for a key and was activated correctly when I booted into widows.
I found the installer created 3 total partitions on it's own.
1st a 300mb empty partition which I believe is supposed to be for windows RE and required by bit locker.
2nd a 100mb partition containing an EFI folder.
Note: these two aren't supposed to be accessible, I did special mounting to check them out.
3rd the rest of my disk space was created for my system partition
I'm mostly happy with this.
The only issue I've had so far is I can't turn bit locker on, even though there is a 300mb partition, it's empty and bit locker complains about the widows recovery environment not being on the system dive.
- #16
So I went ahead and did it.To anyone looking to do this, use the official media creation tool. It's free from Microsoft and extremely simple.
I didn't have to disable secure boot or anything, just hold down the volume and power button with the USB plugged in.
The installer let me delete all my existing partitions and it automatically created only the ones needed.
It never asked for a key and was activated correctly when I booted into widows.
I found the installer created 3 total partitions on it's own.
1st a 300mb empty partition which I believe is supposed to be for windows RE and required by bit locker.
2nd a 100mb partition containing an EFI folder.
Note: these two aren't supposed to be accessible, I did special mounting to check them out.
3rd the rest of my disk space was created for my system partition
I'm mostly happy with this.The only issue I've had so far is I can't turn bit locker on, even though there is a 300mb partition, it's empty and bit locker complains about the widows recovery environment not being on the system dive.
Thanks for sharing this.good
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- #19
I used the freeware ISO2Disc to burn a Windows 10 ISO file to my USB drive and I can then reinstall successfully. Remember to choose GPT partition style as Surface Pro can boot in UEFI mode only.
- #20
The only issue I've had so far is I can't turn bit locker on, even though there is a 300mb partition, it's empty and bit locker complains about the widows recovery environment not being on the system dive.
I did basically the same, reinstall a clean Windows on my Surface pro 3, but can not turn on bit locker, too. Have you figured out, how to solve this issue?
Similar threads
Source: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-how-to-reinstall-windows-on-your-surface-pro-without-a-recovery-key.2711610/
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