Surface Pro Windows 10 install loop

Question

I have a Surface Pro 1(128gb i5 4gb ram) that originally came with windows 8.  I've used this for 2 years and have upgraded through 8.1, 10, up to Windows 10 Creators.  The most recent pushed updates seem to cause the USB drive to read everything as "Device Descriptor Failed (code 43).  Using the device manager to uninstall or update the drivers did nothing to fix the issue. The port would provide power to charge devices, or spin up a USB external drive but never actual recognize a 'device' attached in the OS. I tried the system refresh and a reinstall of the OS (windows 10).  Now the system loops in the following manner.

• power on to surface logo

-"Hi there" initial customization screen

-"Get going fast" express setting screen

-"just a moment" and reboots.  

         All successive reboots or power-cycles all just repeat this loop.  When i attempt the Volume up plus power button to enable or disable the TPM or Secure boot, it has no effect and will not recognize the USB to boot from my usb drive image.  Are there any other options to reinstall the OS if USB isn't detected and i'm stuck in this loop?  I have check my warranty and as expected due to age/version it is not covered.

Answer 1

Hi,

One of the reasons why this issue occur is because the currently loaded USB driver has become unstable or corrupt. To resolve this, we suggest that you follow the step by step solutions provided below:

1. Uninstall and then reconnect the external hard drive
   1. Open Device Manager.
   2. Select  Disk Drives from the list of hardware
   3. Press and hold (or right-click) the USB external hard drive with the issue, and select Uninstall.
   4. After the hard drive is uninstalled, unplug the USB cable.
   5. Wait for 1 minute and then reconnect the USB cable. The driver should automatically load
   6. Check for the USB drive in Windows Explorer
2. Reinstall USB controllers.
   1. Open Device Manager.
   2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Press and hold (or right-click) a device and select Uninstall. Repeat for each device.
   3. Once complete, restart your computer. Your USB controllers will automatically install.
3. Run Windows USB Troubleshooter.

Please update us on the result.

Regards.

Answer 2

As stated in the original post, I've tried that already.  That method did not work or change the symptoms at all, but thank you for attempting to help.

Answer 3

If your issue remains the same, please follow and perform another troubleshooting steps provided below:

1. Open Device Manager
2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3. Once you're there, right click on USB Root Hub
4. Click Properties
5. Click on the Power Management tab
6. Uncheck the option that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"
7. Click OK
8. Restart your PC.
9. Plug back the USB in and see if it works.

Regards.

Answer 4

I tried this as well since it was in another forum post, but unfortunately that doesn't help either.

Answer 5

Since all the troubleshooting steps provided on this thread didn't resolve your problem, we suggest that you contact our assisted support team. Or if you're outside the U.S., you may keep in touch with our Global Customer Service.

Regards.