Windows 10 Recovery

whippet

I a bit of a novice with Windows - been a mac user for last 15 years.

I bit the bullet and swapped my Mac for a Surface Pro 4 last week.

I'm currently wondering if it has been a massive mistake.

I've had issues since day one with Citrix, I downloaded the latest version of the receiver (not the mobile one) version 4.4. It wouldn't open any .ica files. I uninstalled the citrix receiver etc .. but still wouldn't work.

So advice was to reset the device. I followed the steps on the Surface support page and the reset stalled at 7% and eventually went in to failed boot loop. I've tried all the combinations of button pressing as per MS support but to no success.

So what I need to do I think is download the windows recovery file from MS .. however; I have nothing to download it to as I have a Mac which can only R/W up to 4GB on FAT32. So with a bricked Surface how do I do a recovery?

€1500 on a device which bricks itself on the first day .. i've never had to even reinstall an OS on any mac or do a restore ever!!

Anyone with any suggestions?

unkel

whippet wrote: »

So advice was to reset the device.

After having it for one day? Nothing was wrong except you couldn't get Citrix to work? So someone suggested a reset might help? :eek:

Do you know anyone around you with a Windows 10 PC? On any of them you can create a bootable USB stick using the Microsoft media creation tool. This will let you install Windows 10 from scratch on your Surface. You won't need a license key and it will activate after it has installed. All this is free from the Microsoft website.

Where are you? If you don't know anybody with Windows 10 (this will be weird as there are about 200-300 million W10 users worldwide, probably the guts of a million in Ireland ) and you're around Dublin, PM me and I'll do it for you (free of charge obviously)

whippet

i'm in the office now so used someone else machine to create the USB recovery file .. followed the MS support steps and still no joy.

The reason why I was advised to reset the device was that for some reason their seemed to be a second Citirx receiver somewhere that wasn't removed by the Citrix clean up tool or uninstall .. this was crashing the launch everytime. As I didn't have anything else on the machine a reset was probably the easiest way.

So .. this is being boxed up now and going back

unkel

Recovery media from another pc will not work, unless the pc is identical. You need a standard Windows 10 install media (as you can create from any windows 10 PC, google "media creation tool" fully legit & free from Microsoft)

whippet

unkel wrote: »

Recovery media from another pc will not work, unless the pc is identical. You need a standard Windows 10 install media (as you can create from any windows 10 PC, google "media creation tool" fully legit & free from Microsoft)

Ms support page allows you to download the recover media from any machine (as it is based upon following the steps for a device that won't boot - so couldn't possibly download from the bricked device) : it asks for your MS ID and serial number.

It's shagged .. Microsoft have said to return it, new MacBook Pro is the final solution for me

unkel

whippet wrote: »

It's shagged

I very much doubt it. But hey, I think you'd be happier off back in the Apple family

whippet

unkel wrote: »

I very much doubt it. But hey, I think you'd be happier off back in the Apple family

Could well be .. Microsoft support were stumped and gave up on it.

I'm not a technophobe or anything like it .. But in over a decade of using macs I've never had to reinstall an OS or any other type of messing.

It's a pity as the surface ticked all the boxes for me but unfortunatly Windows just isn't a nice OS

unkel

whippet wrote: »

unfortunatly Windows just isn't a nice OS

I beg to differ

Advising you to reset your brand new device because of an issue installing one piece of software is curious to put it mildly. I very much doubt it, but did Citrix support advise you to do this?

Now resetting is normally an automatic enough procedure (but more radical than people realise) and obviously it went horribly wrong. Still it should be very easy for a professional to get windows 10 back up and running on your surface, but someone in MS talking you through it over the phone is probably a bridge too far

Anyway, you're getting your money back and you're going back home to Apple so everybody is happy

whippet

Just thought i'd post an update.

I was persuaded to send back the surface and get a replacement and give it a shot as I really wanted something to replace the iPad and MacBook Air combo.

Waited a week and a half, got a replacement last week, and today the replacement is going back to be replaced in 6-8 working days.

This time the battery just decided not to charge and can't be recognised by the chargers etc ... spent time on the phone to Microsoft and the only resolution is to send it back. So second brick in less than 3 weeks.

Its a pity as I was starting to find my way around Windows 10 and getting used to it

whippet

Just thought i'd post an update.

I was persuaded to send back the surface and get a replacement and give it a shot as I really wanted something to replace the iPad and MacBook Air combo.

Waited a week and a half, got a replacement last week, and today the replacement is going back to be replaced in 6-8 working days.

This time the battery just decided not to charge and can't be recognised by the chargers etc ... spent time on the phone to Microsoft and the only resolution is to send it back. So second brick in less than 3 weeks.

Its a pity as I was starting to find my way around Windows 10 and getting used to it