Recovery with recovery image experience and feedback to Microsoft

Question

Hello

I own a Surface Pro 6 and have had the following experiences while restoring with the Surface Recovery Image.

A little bit of information in advance:

I don't have any problems with the surface and didn't notice these things until I ran the recovery process on the surface itself as part of another support case. 

I followed the Steps from this Website and Video and have select the option: Clean the drive fully.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/creating-and-using-a-usb-recovery-drive-for-surface-677852e2-ed34-45cb-40ef-398fc7d62c07#bkmk_reset_surface

When I received the error message for the first time, I thought that my USB stick with the image was defective and I downloaded a new image on another computer and created a new recovery stick with another USB stick.

Then I started the steps over and the process failed again.

Since I didn't pay much attention to the matter at first, I started the process a third time and kept an eye on the Surface.

However, this time I have the option: Just remove my files.

The recovery process only went up to 96% this time and crashed again.

Then I looked at the setupact.log file in the $Systemreset\Logs folder and could see that the process failed due to a fatal error.

After that I downloaded a recovery image again and used a another stick.

Then I started the process again with: Clean the Drive fully.

The process fails after 99% again.

The renewed evaluation of the log files showed: Windows could not update the computer´s boot configuration.

Via the command prompt I could see that all partitions were created and that the Windows partition also contains all data.

Then I deleted the system reserved partition via Diskpart, created a new one and created the start configuration file via bcdboot command, rebooted Surface. 

The recovery process then continued and could be completed without any problems.

I researched why this error occurs and found out that the Surface has the option: Boot configuration lock in Uefi.

I check the option on my interface and it was enabled.

First I asked myself why the option was activated. Is it activated by default?

And then I asked myself why it wasn't mentioned on the Surface Support page?

I deactivated the option and started the recovery process: Clean the Drive fully again to test whether it ends without errors this time.

The result was that the trial failed again.

Then I checked the Setupact.log in the $Sysreset folder again.

Result:

FatalError [0x090001] PANTHR Exception (code 0xC0000005: ACCESS_VIOLATION) occurred at 0x00007FFB54BBED75 in X:\windows\system32\WIMGAPI.DLL (+000000000003ED75)

Then I went back to another of the existing sticks and started over.

Again with the same result.

After various tests on my part, I have found that the recovery process will only run successfully if I first clean the SSD with the Diskpart command: clean. Did not format the hard drive.

Something in the image seems to be wrong here, which causes the process to crash if the hard disk is not cleaned beforehand.

Upon request, I will provide Microsoft with the data from the $Sysreset\Log folder.

Friendly greetings

Sorry for any mistakes. English is not my native language.

Answer 1

You're welcome. I have not seen any reports of that boot lock setting being changed without human intervention. I did a search through the Surface forum since 2013 and there isn't anything.

The defaults for Surface UEFI are mentioned at How to use Surface UEFI (microsoft.com) along with comments about Enterprise IT modifying these defaults. As this is mainly a consumer forum, I would not expect much discussion here of UEFI changes. I also checked Reddit and a few other places without finding anyone reporting a spontaneous change. So unless you want to pursue with CSS (on the IT side as opposed to be consumer side) specifically for a case "UEFI setting changed spontaneously on its own preventing BMR recovery for SP6", I think we're at the end of what we can do here. I'm still looking to see if I can find someone to agree to add at least a footnote to the documentation..

Answer 2

I know you've been trying to resolve this for a while from our Twitter
exchanges. In addition to the question I asked you on Twitter, did you ever try
a brand new, previously unused 16GB USB stick (I know you tried 2 sticks that
worked on other pc's, but..)?  Also, did you ever try the Surface Data Eraser -
documentation at
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/microsoft-surface-data-eraser   the
download itself is at
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46703  - and if the SDE
completes successfully, does the USB recovery process work then (this has worked
for others that have gotten "stuck")?

I'd also like details on "I don't have any problems with the surface and didn't
notice these things until I ran the recovery process on the surface itself as
part of another support case. " - the details of the other support case may or
may not be relevant, but...

Answer 3

Thanks for your answer.

I have now restored one of my full backups, but to analyze the error, I will test the process again and use the Data Eraser Tool beforehand.

After that i will come back and give a feedback.

Please be patient

The other case of support was in another German community. Someone with a Surface Laptop there had problems taking the right steps with the help of the video to recover the laptop.

I did not explain in detail that this is not relevant to my problem.

Friendly greetings

Answer 4

After that i will come back and give a feedback.

Please be patient

Sure.

Answer 5

Hello

Did new tests today.

Test 1:

I created a stick with the Surface Data Eraser Tool and booted from it and had the hard drive erased.

Then I booted from the Surface Recovery Image Stick and again selected the option: Clean the Drive fully.

The process crashed again without an error message and I returned to the following selection screen:

Screenshot

I have the log files from the path again:

%systemdrive%$Sysreset\Logs backed up.

Test 2:

I will start the process at the beginning and then select the option: "Just remove my files" instead of "Clean the Drive fully".

Edit 1:

Test with selection: “Just remove my files” also failed.

I got back to the selection screen.

Screenshot

Backed up the log files again.

Test 3:

Start a another test with following Steps:

Clean the drive with Surface Data Eraser. 

Boot from Surface Recovery Image Stick and then select the Option “Troubleshoot” - “Command Prompt” and run Diskpart with the command clean:


After that i will start the “Just remove my files” recover process again. 

Edit 2:

Test sucessful:


Will start the next Test:

Test 4:

Clean the drive with Surface Data Eraser. 

Boot from Surface Recovery Image Stick and then select the Option “Troubleshoot” - “Command Prompt” and run Diskpart with the command clean

After that i will start the “Clean the Drive Fully” recover process.

Edit 3: 

Test failed.

Log files backed up. 

Test 5:

Will start a test again with the steps from Test 4.

The test has now been successfully completed.

At this point I will not do any more tests.

Friendly greetings