Surface Pro 8 refuses to boot or even power on with no internal drive and only external thunderbolt drive present

Question

Hello,

I have an issue with my Surface Pro 8 refusing to boot, power on or even charge (with the original charger that came with the Surface Pro 8) when there's no internal drive present and there being an external thunderbolt drive present.

It might sound weird to not have an internal drive present but this crucial in order to test if an OCuLink eGPU setup is possible for my Surface as the internal drive on the Surface Pro 8 is connected through the m.2 slot. This m.2 slot could be used to plug in a m.2 to OCuLink adapter which can be plugged into the OCuLink eGPu dock.

What I've done to try to get this to work :

• Assigned boot priority to highest for USB devices and lowest for internal drive through Surface UEFI
• Enabled boot from USB devices through Surface UEFI
• Enabled alternate boot sequence through Surface UEFI
• Tried to see if I can boot from the external thunderbolt drive (which has Windows 10 OS installed) while the internal drive is present in the m.2 slot of the Surface by restarting, going through advanced startup to no avail.

Is there any way to force my Surface Pro 8 to boot or even power on when there's no internal drive and only an external thunderbolt drive being present to boot through?

Answer 1

Hello,

Here are a few things you can try:

Check Thunderbolt Security Settings: Ensure that Thunderbolt support is enabled in the BIOS/UEFI settings. Some systems have security settings that restrict Thunderbolt device access for security reasons. Make sure these settings allow Thunderbolt devices.

Update Firmware and Drivers: Ensure that your Surface Pro 8 has the latest firmware and drivers installed. This includes updates for the Thunderbolt controller and USB drivers. You can usually find these updates on the Surface app or the Microsoft website.

Enable Thunderbolt Boot Support: Some systems require you to enable Thunderbolt boot support in the BIOS/UEFI settings. Look for options related to Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt Security and make sure Thunderbolt boot support is enabled.

Check Power Delivery: Ensure that the external Thunderbolt drive is receiving adequate power. Some Thunderbolt devices require more power than a standard USB port can provide. Try using a powered Thunderbolt dock or hub to ensure the drive is getting enough power.

Test with Different External Drives: If possible, test with a different external Thunderbolt drive to rule out any compatibility issues with the specific drive you are using.

Consult Surface Pro 8 Documentation: Refer to the Surface Pro 8 for Business Product FAQ and Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock Product FAQ for any specific instructions or troubleshooting steps related to booting from an external Thunderbolt drive.