Surface 4 Network boot and Image

[Tom Elliott]

@Psycholiquid what if you remove the network stuff?

[Psycholiquid]

@Tom-Elliott network stuff?

[Tom Elliott]

@Psycholiquid Yeah, have it boot without being plugged into the network.

[Psycholiquid]

@Tom-Elliott I changed it to SANBOOT and it worked. Testing again to verify

[Psycholiquid]

Excuse me I changed it to REFIND_EFI

[Psycholiquid]

Yep that worked, but what is that?

I am assuming it is just finding the boot partition on the hardware EFI

[Tom Elliott]

@Psycholiquid Yes. That’s why I suggested exit, but why is it trying to chainload?

[Psycholiquid]

@Tom-Elliott No clue

[Psycholiquid]

Testing capture and cloning now that I have most of the kinks worked out. Will report back.

[Psycholiquid]

Arghhh, Surface EFI partition. I got it copying over but that was a pain. Recovery partition next.

[Wayne Workman]

Can we do a summary of what’s been done so far that actually mattered? Have you successfully imaged yet? And, the Exit to HDD type that works is rEFInd ?

[Psycholiquid]

@Wayne-Workman I have no successfully imaged yet, I am afraid that if I image it with my image it will not have the EFI partition nor the recovery partition. If that is needed by the device it might brick it and I will not be able to get back into it.

So this is what I am seeing as partitions:

I am not sure if there is a UEFI section on the board of the device or if it just reads everything off of the disk. If the latter is the case when I put my image on there it wont know what to do. So I am attempting to ad those partitions into my image before I move forward.

I am hoping that if something bad happens I could always just boot from a USB flash drive to reinstall but I am still researching.

This is the Partitioning of my image:

I just added the RAW partition. I have some software here I am going to try and replace it with the partition I pulled off with a quick image form that software. Unless someone has already hit this part and knows a way around it or how to do it correctly.

[Wayne Workman]

@Psycholiquid

https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/surface-wont-turn-on?os=windows-10

http://technomaverick.com/2014/12/27/how-to-fix-a-bricked-microsoft-surface-with-official-recovery-files/

http://www.windowsobserver.com/2014/05/21/recovering-from-a-bricked-surface-rt/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/2tpyf2/how_to_unbrick_your_surface_123/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/3qf9rp/sp4_bricked_after_running_windows_update/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/3fbp8o/completely_bricked_surface_pro_3/

https://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/10/21/microsoft-issues-recovery-software.aspx

[Wayne Workman]

@Psycholiquid You might also take a RAW image first. RAW changes nothing on the drive.

[Psycholiquid]

@Wayne-Workman yeah I have done just that with some other software so I would have physical access to it on a USB drive. I’m just trying to find out for sure weather or not I can just boot to a USB flash drive if I was to wipe out that EFI partition on accident

[Wayne Workman]

@Psycholiquid I would think so, as the device’s firmware is what evaluates what devices can be booted from.

[Psycholiquid]

@Wayne-Workman I would agree but I want definitive proof before I move forward.

[Wayne Workman]

@Psycholiquid

straight from microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/storage-files-and-folders/boot-surface-from-usb-recovery-device?os=windows-10

Configure your Surface to start from a USB device

Once your USB drive is set up as a bootable drive with an appropriate operating system on it, you’ll need to set up your Surface to boot from this drive. This requires you to make changes in the UEFI. Here’s how to configure the boot order on Surface so the USB drive is the first option.

For info on using the UEFI on your Surface, see How do I use the BIOS/UEFI?

To make changes in the UEFI:
Step 1: Shut down your Surface.
Step 2: Once Surface has turned off, press and hold the volume-up button.
Step 3: With the volume-up button held down, press and release the power button.
Step 4: Continue holding the volume-up button until the Surface logo no longer appears on the screen.

You should now see the Surface UEFI. Do one of the following:

Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3: Go to Step 5 below.
Surface Pro 1 and Surface Pro 2: Skip to Step 9 below.

Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3:
Step 5: Select Configure Alternate System Boot Order.
Step 6: Do one of the following:

Surface Pro 3: Select USB > SSD
Surface 3: Select Network > USB > SSD.

Step 7: Select Exit Setup.
Step 8: Select Yes to save the configuration and restart Surface.

Surface Pro 1 and Surface Pro 2 (optional for Surface Pro 3)
Step 9: Select Secure Boot Control.
Step 10: Select Disable. This will allow Surface to search for an alternate device to boot from aside from your SSD.

Note
This may affect the look of your Surface splash screen.

Step 11: Select Exit Setup.
Step 12: Select Yes to save the configuration and restart Surface.
Start Surface from a USB drive

Once you’ve followed the steps above to set up a USB drive as a bootable drive and configure the UEFI appropriately, you’re ready to start your Surface from your USB drive.
Notes

Before starting your Surface from a USB drive, make sure you don’t have any other USB devices connected to your Surface, including USB mice, keyboards or other storage drives. Surface will try to boot from other USB devices after you change the UEFI configuration.
If you don’t want to start your Surface from your USB drive, make sure the drive is not inserted in the USB port on your Surface when you start it.

[Psycholiquid]

@Wayne-Workman Yeah those are guides for 2s and 3s. I am on the support line with “Bob” at M$. They are checking to be sure. I am sure it will be fine but if I brick a 1700 device my boss my call me bad names. I have gotten the answer direct form them that the UEFI is embedded int eh device not the HDD. So I am good to try now.

[Tom Elliott]

@Psycholiquid Is it okay to solve this thread, now that we CAN network boot and you CAN image this system?