On Saturday, Microsoft pulled the Windows RT 8.1 update because of serious problems it was causing for some Surface RT owners, including, it seems, bricking the device. If you’re one of the people affected, here’s how to bring your tablet back to life.
Richard Hay over at Windows Observer spotted the Surface RT Recovery Image on Microsoft’s site, which should provide you with a way to get your Surface back. Once you have the images downloaded, follow the instructions for creating a bootable drive that will let you bring your Surface back to life.
The Windows RT 8.1 update remains unavailable. Microsoft is saying that the issue that bricks Surface RTs is contained to Windows RT 8.1 (not Windows 8.1 for Intel-based devices), and even then, only affects a very small number of people.
A spokesperson for the company provided the following update to GeekWire this morning:
Based on our investigations of a situation customers have encountered updating to Windows RT 8.1, we can confirm that as of now this is a Windows update issue only affecting Surface RT customers. While only less than 1 out of every 1,000 ( or less than 0.1%) Surface RT customers who have installed Windows RT 8.1 have been impacted, improving their experience and ensuring their systems are fully operable as quickly as possible is our number one priority. We have made recovery media available for download here along with actionable guidance for affected customers. We continue to work towards making the Windows RT 8.1 update available in the Windows Store again and apologize for any inconvenience. Further updates will be provided as they become available.
