surface tablet won't boot

[cmwillo]

hi.

I have a surface tablet with "Couldn't find bootable operating system." error message. I've tried downloading several system restore and recovery images but so far none have worked. Any suggestions?

[jmak]

Have you recently had a Windows update?

 

I've started seeing this issue:

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-confirms-bitlocker-issues-in-the-latest-windows-updates/

 

We don't enforce Bitlocker and now that I've read more I've started to believe users who say they didn't enable it. Slight side story, but the last one I dealt with,I had a similar follow up issue to what you've described, only on a Dell Latitude.

 

I managed to recover the data and was able to use a Dell Recovery OS USB to reinstall Windows. The weird bit is that even though I eventually got that back to a full working version of Windows, I still can't image the PC from WDS, a Windows boot disk or from the rest this PC option on the running OS. It just doesn't see the drive.

 

Unfortunately not much help to you, other than knowing there's another victim. The only thing I haven't tried is replacing the drive as I don't have a spare m2 SSD.

[MartinT]

Unfortunately not much help to you, other than knowing there's another victim. The only thing I haven't tried is replacing the drive as I don't have a spare m2 SSD.

 

You've opened up a Surface?

[jmak]

You've opened up a Surface?

Not on this occasion - Dell Latitude. I only mentioned it as I'd seen the same issue and wondered whether it's a Windows update thing rather than a Surface thing.

 

I did look inside a Surface a couple of weeks ago. It was taking itself apart though. Expanding battery...

[djacks-mint]

I have the same thing with a bunch of Surface Go devices.

 

It seems to be random, and unfortunately nothing to do apart from get rid of them or trade them for a laptop. I've tried a network boot via a USB Network adapter and while it's worked a single time, that device got caught in a boot loop during windows installation with seemingly no way out.

[MartinT]

I've tried a network boot via a USB Network adapter

 

You should be able to boot a Windows bootable USB (like a recovery drive) and reinstall the OS?

[techedu07]

We have some - now old - surface pros, I.T. created an image from one device with Macrium Reflect free, one pen drive is set to boot up with it and the image is on the bigger one. Not used it recently, but that worked fine with older windows 10 and let it update after that.

[Duke5A]

You've opened up a Surface?

 

Opened...a what?!

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Duke5A

[mjhardisty]

We've had a few fail this way - raised it with Microsoft Surface support and they replaced them - worth a shot.

[djacks-mint]

You should be able to boot a Windows bootable USB (like a recovery drive) and reinstall the OS?

 

So after a bit of fiddling with the ones I have that show "no bootable device"..... I'm no further forward than I was when I started!

 

Booting into windows installation media clearly shows the 64GB drive there, but after the windows install it just goes straight back to No Bootable Device.

 

It's dead, Jim... Might try Chrome OS Flex on them

[Kinny82]

This is the fix: Surface Go or Surface Go 2 turns on and shows "No Bootable Device" - Microsoft Support

 

Microsoft released a download for fixing this issue, I fixed mine using the link above.

[Romgeek]

Did this fix work on a surface pro or on a surface Go?

 

I have a bricked surface pro 6 after deleting a boot option in the bios and need to add this back

 

Thanks for any help

[Kinny82]

It worked on a Surface GO, so not sure if it would work on a PRO or not. Not sure what you mean by deleted a boot option. Does UEFI BIOS see your storage drive? If not the HDD is probably broken.

[Romgeek]

This is what I deleted from the Bios and Boot priority

[Romgeek]

I think I need to rebuild that partition somehow. But this is more difficult 9n a tablet than a desktop... It is weird that this article mentions that this item would be rebuilt automatically at the next reboot. Well not for me so far... Looking forward to getting good advice from anyone here.

Can't believe this all happened after letting my surface pro 6 going through a normal window 10 to 11 upgrade. I Lost everything... Wow thanks Microsoft!

[Kinny82]

It does seem that Microsoft have updated the Surface's UEFI BIOS and it has bricked them. Have you tried booting from a USB with the Windows 10/11 ISO Recovery? https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface-recovery-image - This would mean you could create the partitions again through setup. You would though lose all the data which is currently on the device.

[MartinT]

I'm not clear on why you disabled that entry in your BIOS?

[Kinny82]

I'm not sure either, can you default the BIOS? that might fix it. But if it is because of the Microsoft update it sometimes corrupts the OS.

[Romgeek]

I eventually did restore the boot entry by installing a windows 10 ISO and not the Microsoft re commended recovery file.

 

I also went ahead and updated to a Windows 11 iso and am running it with no Issues now on my surface pro 6

 

Thanks everyone !

 

Ps. I worked also with Microsoft on-line chat support and they eventually told me after 2h I had to send it in .... Eventually costing me a crazy $450. What were they thinking!!