1.) I really appreciate your support here ! Thanks for the link to xda ! 2.) When I start the "tool" as admin, it starts the Power Shell as admin. A 2nd window pops up, but the font is so small...and everything went so fast...I mostly read "is not installed"...but it did indeed un-install even more kbs. I could tell by the "Updates are beeing prepared 100%" after a restart. Instead of running the tool 16x ... ;D I choosed testmode. Failed. 3.) It says it successfully booted into testmode (before the reboot)...and "your surface will reboot in 30 seconds"...but after the reboot no testmode was there. I could still not use bcedit. Still protected. 4.) So I started the "development tool" once more and choosed uninstall kbs again. This time it was so fast, I couldnt read a word, but it ended with the: "Your computer is beeing prepared" message and "Updates are beeing worked on" After the reboot, it said Updates are beeing worked on (100%), so I guess I have to start the "removal part" as long as the protected message will show up. Already on the next reboot, it took ages and I kept looking at: "Windows is getting prepared, please do not turn of the computer" Also the mouse cursor suddenly showed up and I moved it around a bit...to be continued, the "Windows is getting preapred" screen is still there... Update1: After aprox. 10 minutes the Surface Rebootet. Stil bcedit fails. So "Uninstall Updates" via the tool again, watching the "Windows is getting prepared screen" Followd by a slow "Updates are getting prepared". it might take another 10 minutes, now beeing at 30%. Update2: Heureka ! After this last "updates are beeing prepared", the reboot threw me right into testmode !!! So I had to start the "removal tool" 4 times to have a clean Windows 8.1 RT and finally end up into testmode. What an adventure. So next step later this day, insert the ready Win 10PE USB Stick into the Surface 2 and boot it up the Surface 2 by holding down VOLUME DOWN + POWER...or, should that fail, advanced reocvery...something...Ill be back Update3: The Surface tries to boot from the USB Stick, its flashing and even says "Please wait while we install a system update" but it just restarts once more after some seconds and jumps into Windows 8.1 then. So I tried "Restart+Holding Shift" and got into the "Use USB" Option It restarts, USB Stick starts flashing, I get the "Please wait while we install a system update" again...and after seconds the Surface restarts again, just to get into Windows 8.1 RT, which is still in testmode. I created the USB Stick as you wrote. Im aware there are "strange" USB Sticks out there, but I dont have another one ready right now. Hmmm, do I still need to exchange the files on the USB stick from your ESP_2017-10-12 archive ? Or was that done via bcedit already ? Update4: After several restarts, trying to boot from USB and trying to read the message, it says : "Please wait while we install a system update" @_@ ...and then it restarts and throws me into 8.1 again. Hmmmmm... p.s. -Trying to use "original recovery method" via advanced recovery, it wont accept the USB stick and asks for the original. -Trying to use "automatic repair" says "Couldnt repair"
I dug out a old Surface RT I had laying around and trying to do this install. Its still running this command...sllloooowww, is that normal? 7. Extract WinPE on USB Flash drive formatted to FAT32: dism /apply-image /imagefile:C:\winpe.wim /index:1 /applydir:[Flash-Drive-Letter]:\ Also for this command is two flash drives needed or is this the same drive for "[Flash-Drive-Letter]"? 8. Create new boot-BCD on USB drive formatted to FAT32: bcdboot [Flash-Drive-Letter]:\Windows /s [Flash-Drive-Letter]: /f UEFI
7.) Depends on your stick. USB 2.0, 3.0 and if your mainboard supports it. It took some time to create the stick, I drove for some food in the meantime. So probably some hours, yes. 8.) Its the same flashdrive, not 2 different ones. Would love to hear back from you, if it worked.
Volume down and power gives a WMI error and rebooting with shift to choose USB just ends up back in Windows 8.1. I am redoing the USB drive on with a light so i can watch for disk activity
I got hands on another USB Stick Im already copying the image to. Will boot it tomorrow. I also ordered a bunch of different small sticks on ebay, just to be sure it is not a USB Stick problem.
Tried different stick, we must be missing a step. I see it reads the drive but then moves on and boots to 8.1.
Sorry. I am terribly busy now, but try also with WinPE v8-1 for comparison. Also make boot menu, so you can directly click on the button "Boot from USB" For example: Code: bcdedit /set '{bootmgr}' testsigning on bcdedit /set '{default}' description 'Windows RT 8.1 Test Mode' bcdedit /set '{default}' testsigning on bcdedit /set '{default}' safeboot minimal bcdedit /copy '{default}' /d 'Windows RT 8.1 Safe Test Mode' bcdedit /deletevalue '{default}' safeboot bcdedit /timeout 10 That will create Safe-Mode option and give you Boot menu, from its options, you can boot from USB.
Ill try to boot WinPE v8-1 tomorrow as well. The idea with the boot menu might help as well. Much appreciated you put so much work into this, making us revive these "useless" tablets again ! @turbogizzmo You get the "Please wait while we install a system update" message as well, or still your WIM error ? Any chance for a photo ?
No errors or "please wait" just see it reading the USB drive and moving on to boot into 8.1. I am pulling down the deployment kit from MS and the 8.1 recovery image for my RT to restore or try to inject. Also creating a recovery drive and seeing if I replace the 8.1 files with 10.....
@moderate do you know of a link to known working ARM 32bit WinPE disc that could be downloaded and tested again the RT? I just want to confirm if we are somehow creating the PE disc wrong or if the RT is just not booting them.
I clicked the discord link on that day it was still valid. I never used discord though...and I cant only see some VPN download and some chats and I can see some guys in the general section, but I cant join it. No idea where to look for Surface discussions :S My 2nd USB Stick with Win 10 PE did just boot into 8.1, no message. I havent even looked for the original 8.1 recovery image. Too hot here. ^^
For now I no longer have access to this Surface. So you managed to install Windows 10 PE then ? What did you change ?