Trying to reset my Surface Laptop 5

Question

Inadvertently set up my Laptop as a work/school. Tried to reset using instructions I found here but things aren't matching up. 1. When creating the recovery file to the USB I'm not getting the FAT32 option. 2. Its creating a zip file. Help please.

Answer 1

To reset your Surface Laptop 5, you should ensure you are following the correct steps for creating a recovery USB. If you are not seeing the FAT32 option and the recovery file is being created as a zip file, it may indicate that the process is not being executed correctly. Here are some steps to troubleshoot:

1. Use the Surface IT Toolkit: Ensure you are using the Surface IT Toolkit to create the recovery USB. This toolkit is designed specifically for Surface devices and should guide you through the process.
2. Check USB Format: When creating the USB recovery drive, ensure that the USB drive is formatted correctly. It should be formatted as FAT32, which is necessary for booting. If the toolkit is not giving you this option, you may need to format the USB drive manually using Windows Disk Management before starting the recovery process.
3. Creating the Recovery USB: Follow the instructions in the Surface IT Toolkit to create the recovery USB. Make sure to select the correct device and recovery image version that corresponds to your Surface Laptop 5.
4. Avoid Zip Files: If the toolkit is creating a zip file instead of a recovery USB, ensure that you are selecting the correct options during the process. The recovery image should be directly written to the USB drive, not saved as a zip file.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consult the official Microsoft support documentation for further assistance.

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References:

• Recovery tool (IT Toolkit)
• Restore Surface device

Answer 2

Hi @Bill Tompkins,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Regarding your information, you are looking to perform a complete reset to remove the work/school configuration inadvertently set up on your Surface. It sounds like you are encountering hurdles with the USB drive formatting options and the recovery file handling. 

These are common configuration requirements for the Surface recovery process rather than errors, and they can be resolved with the following steps: 

1. USB Drive Formatting (Missing FAT32 Option) 

The Surface boot process requires the USB drive to be formatted as FAT32. However, Windows standard formatting tools do not offer the FAT32 option for drives larger than 32GB (defaulting to exFAT or NTFS instead). Therefore, if available, please use a USB drive that is 16GB or 32GB in size. The FAT32 option will then appear automatically. 

Note: If you only have a larger drive, you may need to use advanced formatting tools (like PowerShell) or a partition manager to force the FAT32 format but using a 32GB drive is the most reliable method. 

2. Handling the Recovery Image (Zip File) 

The recovery image is downloaded as a compressed (.zip) folder. The Surface cannot read this file if it is simply copied to the USB. 

• Right-click the downloaded .zip file and select Extract All. Save the extracted folder to your computer first. 
• Open the newly extracted folder. You should see files such as boot, efi, and setup.exe. 
• Copy all these contents and paste them directly onto the root of your formatted FAT32 USB drive. (just copy the contents inside). 

For your reference, here is the official Microsoft support article regarding this process: Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface 

Once the USB is prepared, please ensure the Surface is off, insert the USB, and hold the Volume Down button while pressing and releasing the Power button to initiate the boot from the drive. 

Kindly attempt the outlined procedure and inform me of the outcome. Should you require further guidance at any point, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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