Help with refurbished computer

Question

I recently purchased a refurbished Surface Pro, it appears the this Surface is still registered to a previous organization in Microsoft Entra ID / Windows Autopilot. I asked them remove the device from Entra ID, Intune, and Autopilot so it can be claimed by a new own.

they want me to return it. Is there another option to getting this computer off their entra ID / Window Autopilot then returning.

Basically, there is a system admin user name and password, and I can't load new programs on the computer.

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Answer 1

There’s no supported way for a new owner to remove a device from a previous organization’s Microsoft Entra ID / Intune / Windows Autopilot tenant without that organization (or Microsoft Support acting for that customer) doing it.

Key points from the documented behavior:

1. As long as the device remains registered in Windows Autopilot under the previous tenant, any wipe or reinstall that leaves a supported Windows version in place will continue to trigger the organization’s Autopilot experience on first boot.
   • The FAQ explicitly states that if a device is still registered for Windows Autopilot and running a supported Windows version, it will receive the Windows Autopilot experience again after a wipe and restart.
2. Proper removal requires deregistration from Windows Autopilot and cleanup of related objects in that organization’s environment:
   • The documented deregistration process is designed to ensure related records in Windows Autopilot, Intune, and Microsoft Entra ID are handled correctly.
   • Skipping steps or deleting records out of order can leave the device in an unrecoverable state, which then requires that organization to contact Microsoft support.
3. For Surface devices specifically, Microsoft provides Autopilot registration and deregistration only to the owning customer or its CSP via Microsoft Support:
   • “Surface Device Autopilot Deregistration” is a supported scenario, but it is initiated by the customer or CSP that owns the tenant where the device is registered.

Given this, the only supported options are:

1. The previous organization cooperates:
   • They follow the documented “deregister a device” steps in their tenant (Autopilot, Intune, and Entra ID) or submit a “Surface Device Autopilot Deregistration” request through Microsoft Support for their tenant.
   • After deregistration and object cleanup, the device can be re-registered in a new tenant.
2. Return the device to the seller:
   • If the organization refuses to deregister it, the device effectively remains managed by them. The seller should either get it properly removed from that tenant or provide a different device.

There is no supported technical workaround for a new owner to unbind the device from the previous organization’s Autopilot/Entra/Intune control without that organization (or its CSP/Microsoft Support acting on its behalf) performing the deregistration.

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References:

• Windows Autopilot and Surface devices
• Windows Autopilot registration overview
• Windows Autopilot FAQ
• Surface Registration Support for Windows Autopilot