Black screen after first boot of updating a Surface RT device.

Anonymous
2018-01-10T13:52:18+00:00

Hi, 

I recently trying to update my Surface device. After the reboot, my device display the Surface logo then when into a black screen, and only the mouse is appearing on the screen and the screen stay in black for a long time, without any response. I try to reboot the device. But this problem persist. May you help me out? Also I tried hold power and volume bottom. It does not since to work.

Thanks.

Surface | Other

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Anonymous
2018-02-25T08:43:29+00:00

Dear all,

I have finally solved the problem. There are two ways of solving it. I will explain both of them carefully.

PROBLEM: After the update of the system, the screen is black, only the cursor can be seen, and also the wifi icon on the left part of the screen, appearing and disappearing.

SOLUTION 1:

This solution works, I have tried it.

You have to start the system from the scratch and install all of the updates proposed but one: KB3033055. But pay attention: this update is proposed two different times:

The first one, as a part of a very loooong list of updates; in this moment, it has to be accepted and installed, and no problem will happen.

Later, this update will be proposed in a short list of six optional updates. At this moment, you have to accept all the rest of the KBs, but not KB3033005. Since it is an option, you can simply skip it but not selecting it.

After installing all the updates but KB3033055, you have to restart the system and try to find more updates, which can be installed with no risk. I’m writing this comments on February 27th, and every update prior to today is OK but KB3033055.

Now my system is ready, steady, smooth and functioning. Everything runs perfectly.

After updating everything but KB3033055, the system has 42 GB free (my table is a Surface RT 64 GB). Probably there will be more or less 15GB in Surfaces RT 32 GB.

Even though somebody stated that the February update solves the compatibility problem with KB3033055, I have tried to install KB3033055 AFTER February update and the black screen comes back again. Since I don’t need it, I won’t try it (maybe later, or in another life…!!).

SOLUTION 2:

Maybe you don’t want to start the system from the scratch. Or maybe you did it and later, without paying attention, you did install KB3033055 and the black screen problem reappears.

This solution is inspired by the solution proposed by the user called timpeq in this thread: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfwinrt-surfupdate/surface-rt64-update-kb3033055/6f38b3b1-82ff-4ef0-bcfa-4416c8ccf79f

(Timpeq replied on February 13, 2018. I have not been able to follow his instructions (maybe you will), but some of them have been useful.)

You have to follow these steps:

  1. Turn off the Surface by pressing the on/off button for some fifteen or twenty seconds.
  2. Once you are sure that the Surface is off, press the side button (reduce volumen), and, without releasing it, press the on/off button for one or two seconds. When the Surface logo appears, you have to release the volume button immediately.
  3. The Surface will start in a safe mode, and the “Wait” message can be read after the Surface logo. If not, turn it off and start again the process.
  4. Then, you have to go to the Command Promt (by this way: Troubleshoot, then Advanced, then Command Promt).
  5. The system will ask for the Bit Locker code. That code is a long code (8 numbers of 6 positions each, separated by “-“. Like xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx, obviously each x is a number. If you don’t have the code, you can get it in this url: https://microsoft.com/recoverykey Please, note that you have to login with your Microsoft ID and password to get your Bit Locker code.
  6. Once you enter the Bit Locker code, you have to select your user (it will appear in your screen), and use your password.
  7. The Command Prompt will appear (you know, the classic black window with the prompt letter, which in my Surface is: X:>
  8. You have to write this command. Do it VERY CAREFULLY, taking into account that even blanks are important. Even though you see it here in two lines, everything must be written in only one line, without any space between "remove-" and "package": ".../remove-package /packagename...": X:>dism /image:c:\ /remove-package /packagename:Package_for_KB3033055~31bf3856ad364e35~arm~~6.3.1.19 I don’t know if this command Works for all kind of Surfaces RT, but it is valid for Surface RT 64 GB. Important: For typing ~ , you have to press AltGr + 4, and then spacebar. Important: There is a blank space (spacebar) among \ and / in: “image:c:\ /remove-package”.
  9. The Surface will uninstall KB3033055. Wait until the percentage of uninstalling is 100%. It will take some minutes. Be patient, it looks like nothing is happening when it arrives to 99,5%, but you have to wait. Don’t touch anything and don’t restart.
  10. After the uninstallation (when the porcentage gets to 100%), write “exit” and press enter: X:>exit                        [and press enter]
  11. After that, you can continue with the start process. Your Surface will come back to life again. Like magic!!

I have tried both solutions on my SURFACE RT, and both of them work.

Good luck.

Álex Cerrollo

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-10T16:39:58+00:00

    The problem is already resolved. All updates other than KB3033055 are installed and the tablet works properly. I corrected the problem without losing any data, which resetting would have done. Did you even read my reply? Why would I go through the pain of resetting a tablet when simply plugging in a display allows me to enter the operating system properly and remove the update which is causing the problem in the first place?

    Even if I gave a crap about the Windows 10 Start Menu (which I don't), I could still very easily uninstall the necessary updates and reinstall them in the correct order if I wanted to. I'm putting this information here for other people who have this problem and haven't tried plugging in an external display to see if it can help them fix their problem, since doing this is WAY easier than running through a whole reset process (plus, they'll lose any data if they do that).

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-03-10T05:23:04+00:00

    Where are you now in trying?

    This is the quickest way to refresh the device and get it back up and running.

    Windows RT 8.1 Update 3, KB3033055, has to be installed before the rollup updates listed below.  This applies to the Surface RT and the Surface 2. Future Security Rollup updates will probably have the same effect for users that have to reset or refresh their RT device.

    2018-01 (Jan) Security Monthly Quality Rollup KB4056895

    2018-02 (Feb) Security Monthly Quality Rollup KB4074594

    When the RT updates automatically the rollup updates will install. Update 3 is an optional update and this creates the problem if it is installed later.

    Get Update 3 installed as soon as possible. This is the update that gives the Windows 10 interface and does away with the metro start screen.  You do not have to wait for KB3033055 to show up as an optional update.  It is available as a Standalone Package, KB3097667, for download.

    All you need is a good 4GB USB memory stick. Backup anything you want to save from the RT to a PC, another memory stick or the micro SD card if you have one installed on the RT.

    Download the Windows RT recovery image

    https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage      SurfaceRT_BMR_10.8.17.0.zip  3.033GB. 

    Extract the zip and paste all of the folders and files in the SurfaceRT_BMR  folder to the USB stick.

    Restore or refresh your Surface RT with the recovery image, booting from the USB drive.

    Turn the RT off and boot from the USB drive, press and hold the volume-down button while you press and release the power button. When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down button. It will take a while to boot, maybe a minute or longer. Go to troubleshooting.

    You will have the selection, - ‘Just remove my files’ or ‘Fully clean the drive’. Select ‘Just remove my files’.

    One of the pages will ask for a drive encryption key. Go to the bottom of the page and select ‘Not this Drive”.  Partition selection, Select Yes, repartition the drives.

    In the setup, select your color, you can’t change this later, skip connecting to WiFi, you can add your account later, you do not have to enter a password when you set the user name.

    When the reset finishes, in settings go to ‘Power and Sleep’, ‘When plugged in’ set to ‘Never’. Setup anything else you need, like connecting a mouse.

    Turn on WiFi, Search for updates from the Control Panel, Windows Update you, will see a firmware update, install all Windows updates, restart

    Go back to Windows Update it will show updates are available. Do not install these updates. What you need is KB2919355 and it will not be there.  Stay on the page and select ‘Check for updates’, top left side.  When this finishes, click the line to see ‘important updates are available’ to check.  Install KB2919355 along with the other updates.  Restart. 

    Turn off  Wifi,  install KB3173424, restart

     Install KB3172614, restart

    Turn off Wi-Fi and install KB3097667. 

    After the restart, right-click on Taskbar > Properties, Start Menu.   Check the box, Use the Start Menu instead of the Start Screen for no more metro screen.

    If you have to stop before you get this last one installed turn off WiFi to prevent automatic updates from installing.

    Finish with other updates or let the RT do it automatically.

    KB3173424, KB3172614 and KB3097667 are standalone MSU update installer files that you download to install at the correct time.

    Download KB3173424 HERE.

    Download KB3172614 HERE.

    Download KB3097667 Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 Standalone Package

    Download these ahead of time and place them on a USB drive to install at the correct time. There is room on the boot USB drive you use.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-03-09T19:10:29+00:00

    I have had 2 Surface 2 RT devices that this has happened to in the last month or so. Both were caused by one or more optional updates being installed. The problem I most recently had was that the customer's device had Bitlocker enabled, and of course the customer had no idea and therefore did not have the Bitlocker recovery key. Without the recovery key, Bitlocker will not unlock the drive and therefore fixing the computer is impossible.

    On a hunch, I bought these to try to connect the Surface to an external display. The external display recognized that something was attached to the HDMI port but then soon went to sleep again. However, when I unplugged the cable from the Surface, the display resolution changed to 1024 x 768 and I was able to log in! It may be worth noting that the display that I plugged into has a native resolution of 1440 x 900. Once I logged in, I was able to reset the resolution to 1920 x 1080 without any issues. However, when I restarted, the problem occurred again, so the problem still needs to be fixed.

    If you have this issue, and don't have or know your Bitlocker recovery key, try plugging into an external display.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-03-08T17:46:45+00:00

    I tried a type keyboard and onscreen keyboard.

     the   ~  character always came out as a word accent character, at the top of the character space instead of in the middle of the character space.

    Tried copying from notepad and pasting at the command  prompt, couldn't get it to paste in, used ctrl + v

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