Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool: Hardware problems detected.

Question

Hello,

I’m from the Philippines. I asked a friend from the US to purchase a surface pro 7 8/256 on November 2019, i received it through another friend on January 2020.

This thing is unusable, it always crashes and would sometime fail to boot. I’ve done countless resets, windows reinstallation and even purchased a windows 10 pro just to try and fix the problem. However after several frustrating attempt i still have the same problem. BSOD and no boot(stock on the windows logo with no dots). I’ve done Memory Diagnostic a LOT of time and most of the time it tells me that “Hardware Problem is detected”. Its very frustrating because i was very excited to get this device for its not available here in the Philippines. However the excitement turns into frustrations.

I guess there’s no way i could return this cause shipping cost a lot. It’s just sad. I think I’m done with microsoft.

any advise would help though

Answer 1

Hi JovanGascon,

Sorry for the delayed response.

As far as I know, it matters to the device warranty. If it's not beyond the manufacturer's warranty or shall I say, if you placed a replacement order online or over the phone and it has been processed successfully and the device warranty expires after a week, still you can get a replacement for the unit (as long as it doesn't have any physical damage) considering that the replacement order was processed before the warranty expired.

If this answers your question, please let our Community know by marking this post as an answer. Otherwise, it would be best if you can  contact support  for any replacement processes clarifications. 

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z

Answer 2

Thank you for that. However i’m concerned with the validity of the return. When will be the reckoning period for replacement? Would it be from the time pf actual delivery or the time of report?

Answer 3

Hi JovanGascon,

Thank you for the immediate response.

Yes, you wouldn't be able to get a replacement that easy because every Surface devices that need to be exchanged should be replaced from where it was purchased or from the country of origin. We really do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.

In case  you know someone who'll be going back to United States from Philippines, you can hand it over to someone and have it replaced.

If this answers your question, please let me know or mark this post as an answer. Otherwise, don't hesitate to respond to this thread if there's anything else that needs to be addressed.

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z

Answer 4

Hi JovanGascon,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Community. We really do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. 

To troubleshoot this issue, what I can recommend is to reimage the Surface device using a USB recovery drive.  This is a complete form of reset wherein you'll be replacing the current OS of the Surface device back to the default OS before it was updated.  Kindly follow the instructions below. 

- HOW TO DOWNLOAD, CREATE AND USE A USB RECOVERY DRIVE -

To download the Recovery Image:

You'll need a PC running Windows 7 or later or a Surface Device and a USB-C flashdrive (16GB or 32 GB).

1. Visit the page to Download the recovery image for your Surface
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Account
3. From the list of Surface devices available, select the device that you need a recovery image for

Please note that while you will only be presented with devices that are currently registered on your account, you will also be presented with the option to get an image for a different type of device. If you try to use this option, you will be prompted to enter the serial number for your Surface device. 4. Download the recovery image using the button on the page 5. When the download bar pops up at the bottom of your screen, save the file in a location you will be able to find it.

 Format USB Drive:

• Note: Formatting a recovery drive will erase anything that is already stored on your USB drive. Make sure to transfer any important data from your USB drive to another storage device before using it to create a Surface

USB recovery drive.

1. Insert your USB drive into the USB port of your PC.
2. From the desktop, open File Explorer
3. Tap and hold or right-click on the USB drive and choose Format
4. Select FAT32 as the file system and enter a Volume label to name the USB drive, such as RECOVERY, and then tap or click Start
5. Tap or click OK to erase the contents of the USB drive
6. Tap or click OK when the format is complete

Create a recovery drive:

1. On your Surface or PC, open recovery image that you downloaded by double-clicking it or right click then select Extract and then Extract all.
2. Select the USB drive you formatted earlier for the location and click Extract.

Use a USB recovery drive to reset your Surface:

1. Shutdown the Surface
2. Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port
3. Press and hold the volume-down (-) rocker
4. Press and release the power button
5. When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down (-) rocker
6. Surface will start the recovery software on the USB recovery drive
7. When prompted, choose your language options and keyboard layout
8. Select Troubleshoot
9. Select Recover from a Drive. Choose Remove Everything and Fully Clean the Drive. Recovering this PC.
10. If prompted, select Repartition the drives
11. If prompted for BitLocker Key, tap Skip this Drive and continue with the reimaging process.

After successfully reimaging the Surface device and the issue persists, then this confirms that the device is really having a hardware problem and the best thing  to do is to get a replacement for the unit. So, we highly suggest to **contact support**for replacement options and they'll tell you how replacement is being processed.  

If this helps, please let our Community know by marking this post as an answer. Otherwise, don't hesitate to respond to this thread if you need further assistance.

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z

I’ve done this a lot of times. But the same problem persist. Returning it i guess is not an option. For i’m in the Philippines. There’s no support for Surface here.

Answer 5

Hi JovanGascon,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Community. We really do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. 

To troubleshoot this issue, what I can recommend is to reimage the Surface device using a USB recovery drive.  This is a complete form of reset wherein you'll be replacing the current OS of the Surface device back to the default OS before it was updated.  Kindly follow the instructions below. 

- HOW TO DOWNLOAD, CREATE AND USE A USB RECOVERY DRIVE -

To download the Recovery Image:

You'll need a PC running Windows 7 or later or a Surface Device and a USB-C flashdrive (16GB or 32 GB).

1. Visit the page to Download the recovery image for your Surface
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Account
3. From the list of Surface devices available, select the device that you need a recovery image for

Please note that while you will only be presented with devices that are currently registered on your account, you will also be presented with the option to get an image for a different type of device. If you try to use this option, you will be prompted to enter the serial number for your Surface device. 4. Download the recovery image using the button on the page 5. When the download bar pops up at the bottom of your screen, save the file in a location you will be able to find it.

 Format USB Drive:

• Note: Formatting a recovery drive will erase anything that is already stored on your USB drive. Make sure to transfer any important data from your USB drive to another storage device before using it to create a Surface

USB recovery drive.

1. Insert your USB drive into the USB port of your PC.
2. From the desktop, open File Explorer
3. Tap and hold or right-click on the USB drive and choose Format
4. Select FAT32 as the file system and enter a Volume label to name the USB drive, such as RECOVERY, and then tap or click Start
5. Tap or click OK to erase the contents of the USB drive
6. Tap or click OK when the format is complete

Create a recovery drive:

1. On your Surface or PC, open recovery image that you downloaded by double-clicking it or right click then select Extract and then Extract all.
2. Select the USB drive you formatted earlier for the location and click Extract.

Use a USB recovery drive to reset your Surface:

1. Shutdown the Surface
2. Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port
3. Press and hold the volume-down (-) rocker
4. Press and release the power button
5. When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down (-) rocker
6. Surface will start the recovery software on the USB recovery drive
7. When prompted, choose your language options and keyboard layout
8. Select Troubleshoot
9. Select Recover from a Drive. Choose Remove Everything and Fully Clean the Drive. Recovering this PC.
10. If prompted, select Repartition the drives
11. If prompted for BitLocker Key, tap Skip this Drive and continue with the reimaging process.

After successfully reimaging the Surface device and the issue persists, then this confirms that the device is really having a hardware problem and the best thing  to do is to get a replacement for the unit. So, we highly suggest to **contact support**for replacement options and they'll tell you how replacement is being processed.  

If this helps, please let our Community know by marking this post as an answer. Otherwise, don't hesitate to respond to this thread if you need further assistance.

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z