Surface Pro 7: Update did not complete. Now have issues with Recovery.

Question

Hello!

I have already followed articles that I have seen in relation and I am still unable to proceed so I am throwing out all of the steps I have taken out there as a 'hail mary' in hopes that someone sees this and knows what else I can do.

My husband HARDLY used his Surface Pro 7, so I am taking over it. I was performing an update on Windows 11 but as it was booting to complete the install of it, I got the following error:

'Recovery

There are no more BitLocker recovery options on your PC

You'll need to use recovery tools. If you don't have any installation media (like a disc or USB device), contact your PC administrator or PC/Device manufacturer.

I made sure that it was plugged in and had power during the install to avoid it dying in the middle of it.

I have attempted to do the following steps:

• System Restore'No restore points have been created on your computer's system drive. To create a restore point open system protection'
• System Image Recovery'Windows cannot find a system image on this computer.
  Attach the backup hard disk or insert the final DVD from a backup set and click Retry. Alternatively, close this dialog for more options'
• Uninstall Updates
  • Uninstall latest quality update - 'You have pending update actions and we won't be able to uninstall the latest quality update of Windows. Try running Startup Repair instead.'
  • Uninstall latest feature update - 'We ran into a problem and won't be able to uninstall the latest feature update of Windows. Try resetting your PC instead (Troubleshoot > Reset this PC)
  • This does not appear as a selection. I am 100% alright with reformatting the device to factory settings since there is barely anything on it, but there isn't an option given to me in the recovery state to do it.
• Startup Repair'Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC
  Press 'Advanced options' to try other options to repair your PC or "Shut Down" to turn off your PC.
  Log file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt'
• Create Installation Media (as outlined in the answer given inhttps://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/there-are-no-more-bitlocker-recovery-options-on/d33c5ea0-64f9-4ba3-bb9c-e33581fae88a )
  • All partitions in  'Where do you want to install Windows?' have errors;
• Drive 0 Partition 1:'Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. Windows must be installed to a partition formatted as NTFS.

Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The partition is an EFI system partition (ESP).'

• Drive 0 Partition 2:'Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The partition is a Microsoft Reserved (MSR) partition.'
• Drive 0 Partition 3:'Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. BitLocker Drive Encryption is enabled on the selected partition. Suspend (also referred to as disable) BitLocker in the Control Panel, and then restart the installation.'
  • I cannot get past the boot so then I can access the Control Panel to turn this off.
  • Attempted Command Prompts while in 'Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt;
    ‘manage-bde -unlock C: -RecoveryPassword 123456-123456-123456-123456-123456-123456-123456-123456’ (with actual Bitlocker key) and it stated it was unlocked. Went back and attempted to install Windows again, but the partition still stated it was locked.
  • ‘Manage-bde -off C:’ just told me that it began decrypting
• Drive 0 Partition 4: 'Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The partition is a Microsoft Recovery partition.'

I did find articles that mentioned to use drivers to overcome the partition errors, however, I am not savvy enough to know which one to actually use.

***Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Recovery and backup***

Answer 1

Hi ThatJRK,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community and sorry to hear about the issue that you are having on your Surface Pro 7 where you are prompted with an error during an update and now unable to recover the Surface. We appreciate the time and effort spent also in troubleshooting the issue prior to posting.

Considering the steps that you have done already, I suggest that we run the Surface Data Eraser Tool on the device first to complete clean the drive including partitions then proceed with a clean installation of Windows through USB Recovery. To run the Surface Data Eraser Tool, see this page for the steps and guide: Microsoft Surface Data Eraser (Surface) - Surface | Microsoft Learn

After running the tool, proceed with the clean installation of Windows on the device through USB Recovery and using the Surface Recovery Image. This option will reimage the entire device and reload Windows including the drivers and firmware. It is the most complete form of Reset and it will wipe out everything on the device. You will need also a 16GB/32GB of flash drive that must be formatted into FAT32 prior to downloading the Recovery Image.

How to Download, Create and Use a USB recovery drive

To download the Recovery Image:

• You'll need another working device running on Windows.

1. Go 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 that 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

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Marrion

Answer 2

Hi ThatJRK,

We haven't heard from you, so we assume that your issue has already been addressed. We will not be monitoring this thread moving forward so, if you need further assistance, please create a new thread to discuss these concerns by clicking this link: Create a new question or start a discussion (microsoft.com)

Thank you for understanding. 

Kind regards,
Marrion