How to open BIOS in Surface

If you prepare the USB stick correctly, you should not need to change the boot

order in the UEFI/BIOS. You DO need to know which Surface. If the serial number

is entered to download a recovery image, the correct bits will be offered and

you will know which exact Surface.

Go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surfacerecoveryimage   (with a different Windows computer if yours is not working properly)  and download a recovery image for your Surface. You will need a 16GB USB stick

formatted FAT32 (use a Windows computer).  Best to purchase and use a new,

previously unused USB stick for this. Use FULL format and not quick format and

give the volume a name like surfboot. Unzip/extract the recovery zip to the root

of the formatted USB stick and then-

To reset your Surface from a USB recovery drive:

Step 1:    Make sure your Surface is turned off and plugged in (hold down the power

button for 30 seconds).

Step 2:     Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port on your Surface.

Step 3:    Press and hold the volume-down button while you press and release the

power button on your Surface.

Step 4:     When the Surface logo appears, release the volume button.

Steps 5 and up depend on which Surface model this is.

There are no BIOS booting options in the RT operating system.

You should find out which of the 19 different surface tablet devices you are dealing with.

This is the surface RT product discussion.

Thank you James

Unfortunately I can't open the Surface, because the customer forgot the Windows login password.

The computer is black, so it is Surface RT.

I really have tried to use the Volume Down button just like you said, but the computer opens Windows, I'l try anyway tomorrow and I'll tell here what happened.

This thread is going long.

Slide the panel from the right at the desktop and go to "Settings" and then "System" and click on "About".

It will display the setup of the machine.  If it says that the processor is NVIDIA Tegra 3, that is a Surface RT.  If it says NVIDIA Tegra 4, that is a Surface 2.

A Surface RT is black, the Surface 2 is silver.

To get to the BIOS, turn the machine OFF.  Wait a moment and then click and hold down the Volume Down button and press and hold the Power button and wait for the BIOS screen to appear and then release.

This will not do you any good to boot from a USB pen drive!  Microsoft locked the BIOS to "Windows Boot Loader" as the first boot option and cannot be changed or deleted.

Also, you cannot boot Linux onto the machine!!!!!!!  Linux never supported those two processors, anyway (only Android).

Hi Barb

I did just like those guidelines. Unfortunately the Surface seems not to react to the Volume Down button. I tested it when I entered letters to the passwors field and it worked fine.

Is there any other way to boot with a USB stick?