Database Info

Windows 8.1RT esd file, booting 8.1 from VHD

I screwed up my 8.0 install a bit (messed registry hard, office is not working, office setup controller crashes :good, and found that I can't shrink my OS partition, because reasons. (seems that some unmovable system files are at the end of partition, diskpart shows that I can shrink about 30gigs, but even 10 fails). I decided to play with OS on VHD. 8.0 works as usual, every "desktop" guide apply here, but it's known that upgrade to 8.1 throws an error that it's impossible to install it on VHD.
It's also known as being not true, as on desktop people are attaching this vdisk to virtual machine, running upgrade, and after booting real machine from it... well, it works. But there's no ARM VM to do that - still I think there's other way to do it.
Seems that very recent version of dism tool from leaked 8.1 2014 upgrade supports ESD files. So what I'm thinking about is upgrading image directly using it, on desktop.
But I'm looking for a way to obtain ESD file. When I started upgrade from Windows Store, in \Windows\Software Distribution\Downloads I found only .exe file responsible for upgrade, but not .esd itself. Any hints where it's located? Or anyone can share it?

Ok, found them unencrypted in c:\$Windows.~BT (hidden folder). Oh, it contains full Windows 8.1 installer. Full means really full. From USB Recovery (as when trying from running OS it complains that boot.wim is missing) I can run classic "Windows Setup", it even asks me for CD-Key
Now it's time to install 8.2 x64 on VM to play with this .esd image.

[GUIDE] How to reinstall Windows on your Surface Pro without a recovery key

Okay, so some of us were in this boat. You have to reinstall Windows on your nice little Surface Pro tablet. But sadly you don't have a recovery partition or a flash drive! So what are you supposed to do?
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.
----
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:
XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This key is for installation only. IT DOES NOT ACTIVATE WINDOWS.
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.
----
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.

A lot of people seem to be posting in that other recovery thread, so I'm just gonna make this visible again.

Only one question, do I need a keyboard or mouse for that?
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.

I think it should pop up the on-screen keyboard if you use touch.

Anyone else did this process and got the Surface Pro 2 back to "out of the box" state?

touch screen
has anyone of you got the issue with the touch controller? and after the windows reinstall did it come back?
regards

Worked perfect
Worked perfect on a MS Surface Pro 1, with windows 8.1 Pro install USB, no keyboard or mouse needed.
Thank you! :good:

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!

Can this works for Surface Pro 2
westjgames said:
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Can this method work for surface pro 2?

syahchrono said:
Hi,
Can this method work for surface pro 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

question
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!

koffiemelk said:
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 .

Hi together,
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

So I have a question.
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.

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.

iXNyNe said:
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing this.good

Anyone tested this yet with a surface 3 or surface 3 pro?

Tried this with my Surface 3, which is stuck currently on Win10 10074, and the install key didn't work.

It works
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.

iXNyNe said:
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?

Get your key back from the bios Using dos

If you like me played a lot with your surface or any device running windows rt and you lost the original windows key. Somehow i forgot to copy it before i started wrecking the device with a lot of software in order to JB it. Then you get tired and wanna install your original windows rt but you forgot to take backup of the key. then fear not it is saved in the bios and here is the command to get it back.
Open CMD and copy paste this.
powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query ‘select * from SoftwareLicensingService’).OA3xOriginalProductKey"

Thanks!!
By the way... What do you mean "Jailbreak"? Or is that just for RT, not Pro?

i mean
pilotgav said:
Thanks!!
By the way... What do you mean "Jailbreak"? Or is that just for RT, not Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was trying to JB the 8.1 rt with some of my own ideas but did not work out well. gonna try again when i getting boored.

password bios surface
Hi, can you recovery bios password in the same way?

I must have missed something, but why would you need that on a Surface RT? You can just reset it with a USB disk image and it does not ask you for a key. Or am I mistaken?

[WIP] Secure Boot and Linux for Surface RT

I've been informed that this secure boot unlock is only for Windows 8.0 and NOT 8.1. Attempting this on Windows 8.1 can result in a brick! This may also be risky for Windows 8.0 You've been warned.​
We need some serious help and organization. This thread will be dedicated to getting Linux on these Surface RT tablets. We already have the secure boot unlock so why don't we have a full Linux install? I believe it's because all the information is strewn about the internet with incomplete information and broken links. So please keep this thread topic only on the topic of secure boot unlock and Linux booting on Surface RT.
Ok so about the unlock, for those who are asking you can get it here, check the end of the post. To run the secure boot unlock: Move the SecureBoot zip to the desktop, unpack it, and run the script InstallPolicy.cmd as an administrator. (right click and "run as administrator"). In my case it was not working properly because I was trying to run it off a removable usb thumb drive, you should run it from the desktop. Your tablet should reboot then you should get the "secure boot debug policy applicator" install menu with a bunch of warning text. If your RT device has a removable keyboard then please use the volume keys as the "arrow keys" to select accept and confirm it by taping the "windows key" below the screen, I had to do that for my Surface RT. It now should reboot back to windows and at this point you'll want to open a CMD in administrator mode (search for CMD, right click and "run as administrator") and run the command as mentioned in the included readme file.
Code:
bcdedit /set {default} testsigning on && bcdedit /set {bootmgr} testsigning on
Now reboot one last time and your good.
So now what? How do you boot? You can boot anything now by going to settings in the side bar menu, clicking "change PC settings", navigating to "general" settings, and at the bottom of that you should see an "advanced startup". Selecting "restart now" underneath "advanced startup" should bring you to a menu that will allow you to select a USB drive to boot off of. Included at the bottom is also a grub bootloader that's been created for these RT devices and a couple of other possibly related zips.
WE NEED PEOPLE WORKING ON GETTING THE KERNEL TO BOOT! SHARE THIS TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO COULD HELP! I was trying to use the source for a related (but not totally the same) hardware known as the "Cardhu Development Board" from Nvidia. The source code for that can be found here, and their own released version of Ubuntu Linux for Cardhu can be found here. I couldn't get the compiled kernel from source to boot but maybe some drivers can be had from that repository.
I DID NOT CREATE ANY OF THESE HACKS, I'm just more a hobbyist learning computers and programming who also loves Linux. Credit seems to go to users @Wack0Distractor, @black_blob, and the folks at ROL for the original hacks. Credit goes to @[email protected]@f for recovering the files, his original post is here, seems ROL had a bit of a issue and a lot was lost but their IRC is still up.

List of possibly related and useful information
Secure Boot Golden Keys: https://web.archive.org/web/20170604013028/https://rol.im/securegoldenkeyboot/
Below is a index of posts in this thread that should be of interest.
Page 9 Post #85 -- Getting into APX mode (AKA RCM mode): https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77286176&postcount=85

Reserved #2

How do we use the GRUB, ci_tools_arm & EFIESP??
I have Windows RT 8.1

XDA-00 said:
How do we use the GRUB, ci_tools_arm & EFIESP??
I have Windows RT 8.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Surface RT was a used tablet and it came with Windows 8.0 afaik, so everything just worked. I actually don't know what "ci_tools_arm" are but I do know with EFIESP and GRUB you just unzip the contents of just one (take your pick) to the root of a USB drive and they will boot whatever you configure them to boot. "EFIESP" can be used to boot the Windows IOT from https://forum.xda-developers.com/wi...ows-phone-windows-10-mobile-surface-t3365743/ while GRUB can be used to boot ANYTHING, even Windows, so long as you have the proper kernel or files. If you try to boot GRUB you'll just get the GRUB loader screen and the attachable keyboard doesn't work in GRUB, a USB keyboard might though. Right now we need someone to compile a working kernel with drivers for the RT line of devices.
EDIT: Booting stuff requires that you unlocked "secure boot" as mentioned above.

ShapeShifter499 said:
Reserved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are going to get people bricked with this method.
DO NOT under any circumstance use this guide if you are on RT 8.1. It will end up in crashing your device and possibly even bricking it (that has been reported). RT 8.1 automatically relocks the secure boot and if you try and install the EFI, it will brick your device.
DO NOT follow this guide unless you are on RT 8.0. Even if you are on RT 8.0, it is still risky.
The kernel for RT is structured differently than a standard linux ARM kernel. That's one of the reasons why linux will most likely not happen for RT devices.
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Is there any way to revert to RT 8 from 8.1?

2390 said:
Is there any way to revert to RT 8 from 8.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Qiangong2 said:
You are going to get people bricked with this method.
DO NOT under any circumstance use this guide if you are on RT 8.1. It will end up in crashing your device and possibly even bricking it (that has been reported). RT 8.1 automatically relocks the secure boot and if you try and install the EFI, it will brick your device.
DO NOT follow this guide unless you are on RT 8.0. Even if you are on RT 8.0, it is still risky.
The kernel for RT is structured differently than a standard linux ARM kernel. That's one of the reasons why linux will most likely not happen for RT devices.
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added warning to op. Thank you for letting me know.

Qiangong2 said:
You are going to get people bricked with this method.
DO NOT under any circumstance use this guide if you are on RT 8.1. It will end up in crashing your device and possibly even bricking it (that has been reported). RT 8.1 automatically relocks the secure boot and if you try and install the EFI, it will brick your device.
DO NOT follow this guide unless you are on RT 8.0. Even if you are on RT 8.0, it is still risky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quit the fearmongering, MSFT's security update has already been worked around
The kernel for RT is structured differently than a standard linux ARM kernel. That's one of the reasons why linux will most likely not happen for RT devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by this

Sam Za Nemesis said:
Quit the fearmongering, MSFT's security update has already been worked around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new dev tool, when run together with unlocking secure boot, bricks your device.
What do you mean by this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ARM processor is configured to the NT kernel. Unlike most which are configured to a Unix kernel.
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Qiangong2 said:
The kernel for RT is structured differently than a standard linux ARM kernel. That's one of the reasons why linux will most likely not happen for RT devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the device not loading any kernel when GRUB is loaded on a Surface RT? I thought when GRUB was proven to load, that any kernel would load on the Tegra processor, I've seen documentation online where most of the Tegra code (from Nvidia or from Open Source) was ported into the latest Linux kernel.

ShapeShifter499 said:
Isn't the device not loading any kernel when GRUB is loaded on a Surface RT? I thought when GRUB was proven to load, that any kernel would load on the Tegra processor, I've seen documentation online where most of the Tegra code (from Nvidia or from Open Source) was ported into the latest Linux kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We could just adapt a Linux kernel (like with Android) if the RT kernel was a Linux kernel, but it isn't. RT blocks different kernels from being loaded (like a locked bootloader, just more complex)
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Qiangong2 said:
We could just adapt a Linux kernel (like with Android) if the RT kernel was a Linux kernel, but it isn't. RT blocks different kernels from being loaded (like a locked bootloader, just more complex)
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any documentation stating this? Is the RT kernel active when we boot up GRUB?

There is Linux (Android) kernel available for TF502T Asus tablet which is almost the same as Surface RT and totally same as TF600T. Here you can still download it from Asus website: https://www.asus.com/us/support/Download/28/1/0/17/32/

[email protected]@f said:
There is Linux (Android) kernel available for TF502T Asus tablet which is almost the same as Surface RT and totally same as TF600T. Here you can still download it from Asus website: https://www.asus.com/us/support/Download/28/1/0/17/32/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could give it a shot later, sure. Thanks for the information.

ShapeShifter499 said:
Is there any documentation stating this? Is the RT kernel active when we boot up GRUB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have restricted access (basically cannot do anything), but yes. It is active.
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Qiangong2 said:
We have restricted access (basically cannot do anything), but yes. It is active.
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm guessing there is no known button combo to boot up some sort of debug mode, like the fastboot mode on android devices.
Has anyone seen if there are any JTAG or serial connections somewhere on the board?

ShapeShifter499 said:
I'm guessing there is no known button combo to boot up some sort of debug mode, like the fastboot mode on android devices.
Has anyone seen if there are any JTAG or serial connections somewhere on the board?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not as far as I know
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app

Qiangong2 said:
Not as far as I know
Sent from my Q5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft has really screwed this tablet then, I'm out of ideas for now. For anyone coming across this, if you have ideas or possible solutions please share them.

Windows 10 on Surface RT working (edited thread)

Read carefully, this is about the installation of Windows 10 ARM32 on the Surface RT1. Previously tried the Elektrohax tutorial (video on youtube and also posted at Alexenferman.com) but I was unlucky on my attempts.
This is the mentioned tutorial:
How to install Windows 10 on the Surface RT - Alexenferman
www.alexenferman.com
I followed the instructions but failed twice. Now I know what was wrong. The tutorial IS FINE, it works. The thing is you have to first apply a patched version of Windows RT8.1 and run some scripts, that was fine, now the specifics:
Don't "RUN" the scripts, do not double click, this was the issue on my side. It doesn't matter if you run the script as "Administrator", I repeat, in my case this was the problem, DO NOT RUN or just double click.
INSTEAD, open a CMD window elevated to Administrator privileges. Move to the location of the scripts, this means get into the specific folder, only then run the script.
This means, if you placed the script on a folder named "whatever", right clicking with administrator rights and then execute does-NOT have the same effect as getting inside the folder as in "CD\whatever" and then "name-of-the-script".
I tried several times and I can confirm this is the thing that failed on my attempts.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Being that said, that website has all the instructions and links. Follow the tutorial carefully step by step. Keep the files on a safe place, who knows how long those will be kept on the web.
After my failed attempts I tried the chinese tutorial posted on Youtube by cong cheng on his channel. It worked, it even has some scripts working as installer, yes it works BUT after taking a deep look it's a method that applies a set of files made for some Nokia device, while it works, it is in chinese, has some broken things and it is SLOWER than Alexen Ferman method.
In short:
- Chinese - applies an already customized W10 version, way slower
- Alexen - it is an installer, you end up with a much better version
Good luck.

So what did you follow? The forums here seem to contain loads of broken links. Love to try W10 on my Surface since it's only collecting dust in my closet.

Thread edited and updated above and below.

Regarding Windows 10 on the Surface RT (CHINESE TUTORIAL)
I have no idea what's the risk on using a chinese modified pack. This one is different to the one at Alexen Ferman website, here I didn't need to apply all those patches (extras, after finishing the install), instead it worked out of the box. It's the same release as far as I know, but it's been customized.
My experience, what works:
o Edge works, better than IE11
o MyTube works (Youtube works amazingly well on this APP)
o System not as fast as W8.1
o I just clicked "Activate Windows" the usual way and it worked
o Cameras work out of the box (front and rear), no patches needed
o Can run ported apps (Paint.net, Halite, etc).
o YES, you gain access to some other apps on the STORE but hey, read below
X Office was in chinese (preinstalled) and slower, couldn't change it
X Removed it and installed the Office package provided by Alex Ferman
¬ After reinstalling, Office now is FASTER (tested and confirmed)
X No alternative browsers (just some but it's just IE with skin)
X Was kind of tricky to remove chinese (there are still some traces)
X Store doesn't fully work, just allows installing whatever is in my library (owned)
X VLC is way slower and ugly, worked way better on W8.1RT
- XX The Brightness control is kinda broken. You have to disable automatic changes and use only manual (via button), only there you can apply diff real levels of brightness to the screen, BUT, it won't work forever, after a while it will get stuck and you would have to reboot and set it right after going to the desktop.
- XX I'm still exploring this, I don't fully like it to be honest. The touch keyboard works, yes but in my case at times stops making sounds, and also stops working. Unplug and plug again fixes this but... meh.
It wasn't that great, I was actually considering going back to Windows 8.1 RT.

Now the final install I have (Alexen method):
Everything works, you just have to follow the tutorial and you will actually install W10, it's not an out of the box ready image, it is an installer. The only broken thing so far is the brightness control as explained above (it's an issue with the release so it won't go away), and the store didn't work for me, but there is an alternate method to install apps described at Alexen website.
Other than that EVERYTHING is better, it's fast, decent. I'm keeping my RT1 with Windows 10.
Read carefully, follow each step and don't give up. That's all I can say.

I did manage to get this working on my Surface 2 myself, was an interesting experience I don't really have any need for this thing anymore, but I have been pissed about buying a locked out piece of equipment for 8 years, so more just to principal of the thing! Thanks to Alex for all the work.

How do you install office from alexenferman? I tried running setup, but it says this app cant run on your pc. Also have you found a program to un pack .7z packages?

Has anyone written a guide on how to go back to windows rt 8.1?

Kolyei said:
Has anyone written a guide on how to go back to windows rt 8.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here you have
Alexenferman [OLD] - How to go back to Windows RT on the Surface RT
⚠ Warning:
old.alexenferman.com

does anyone knows if it is possible to put google chrome book on W RT?

Haven't visited the thread until today.
xnappo said:
I did manage to get this working on my Surface 2 myself, was an interesting experience I don't really have any need for this thing anymore, but I have been pissed about buying a locked out piece of equipment for 8 years, so more just to principal of the thing! Thanks to Alex for all the work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great that you got it working, now that you mention that you don't have any need for the Surface anymore, consider selling it to one of the member of the team working on modifications, unless you change your mind now that your surface works differently. In case you decide to move on, consider posting here on the Discord community
Join the Open RT Discord Server!
Check out the Open RT community on Discord - hang out with 5,903 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.
discord.gg
mickeyx323 said:
How do you install office from alexenferman? I tried running setup, but it says this app cant run on your pc. Also have you found a program to un pack .7z packages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I simply downloaded the package and ran the Office Installer on the Surface (now with Windows 10ARM), your comment makes me think perhaps, you don't actually have a Surface with Tegra processor, please check. .7z? search for 7zip, that's the program to extract the files from the compressed package .7z
Kolyei said:
Has anyone written a guide on how to go back to windows rt 8.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, the link was posted by another forum member above.
bikrtoursportugal said:
does anyone knows if it is possible to put google chrome book on W RT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, impossible. They didn't create a binary (executable app) for the platform and the way it's built (the source code) seems unlikely for someone else to do it.
Anyone interested please check the Discord link posted on this message.

ricky4695 said:
here you have
Alexenferman [OLD] - How to go back to Windows RT on the Surface RT
⚠ Warning:
old.alexenferman.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got around to reading this. Thank you so much! I'm back on windows rt 8.1. One problem: Secure Boot is still disabled. Is there a way to re-enable it?

Kolyei said:
I just got around to reading this. Thank you so much! I'm back on windows rt 8.1. One problem: Secure Boot is still disabled. Is there a way to re-enable it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should repart the drive using the official image downloaded from microsoft's site. If you want to come back to completely stock you have to re-install windows using the standard procedure, not the installation through wim file

im having an issue at the installing the wim using the dism. says system cant find the path specified. i verified the drive labels and all any ideas?

can some help me, after successful installed and load windows 10 on surface RT... when i want to run CMD as administrator. it gave an error "The Parameter is invalid".

Looking for some help, I got to the Win10 install stage and keep getting 0xc000000f blue screen error on Win10 boot. From the guide, it says I didn't choose to not copy system files when creating my recovery drive, but I didn't have any other options. I unchecked the only box available. Not sure what is wrong or how to fix. I can't reset, it asks me for my recovery drive, it doesn't accept the drive I created.
Edit: I ended up creating a new recovery drive from my Win10 PC, unchecked the box to copy system files, downloaded the Win RT recovery zip file from MS, copied the contents of that folder into the new recovery drive, copied the Win10 .wim from Alexen to the flash drive, and retried step 4 (I had already installed the hacked RT image and disabled secureboot, etc.). It is now booting, at least getting farther than it did before, after flashing the Win10 image.

Running into an issue right after the installing the patched image I get to the Region and Language select after the reboot and cannot select anything. After a bit the display just goes black. What can I do?