Repeated BSOD after firmware update - Surface pro 3, Windows 10

Anonymous

Hey everyone

There was a firmware update for the SP3 I just did and my device now seems completely bricked. When I boot it, I instantaneously get a BSOD with one of those two messages : kernel security check failure or driver unloaded without cancelling pending operations.

The BSOD tells me I have to use a win10 device to boot it from, but when I tell the BIOS to boot with my USB win10 key, it doesn't and keeps telling that the OS can't boot and to use a win10 disc (no CD reader on the SP3). Nothing I've tried works so far.

I've had my sp3 for just over a year and I really liked it before windows 10, and I really hope I can get it fixed.

Thanks for your help,

Émile

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Anonymous

MODERATOR EDIT (10/5/2015): Steps listed here previously are now updated to the following. If you receive a blue screen error after installing the 9/29/2015 Surface Firmware Update please start at step 1 to address.

Step 1 – System Restore Point

1. Boot Surface using USB recovery media. If you do not have recovery media you can download from here: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage. Once you have recovery media proceed to next steps. Note: The USB drive must be formatted to FAT32 (not NTFS) in order to work correctly.

2. 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.

3. When prompted select the language and keyboard layout you want.

4. Select Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, followed by selecting System Restore then select the target operating system.

5. In System Restore, click Next.

6. Click on a system restore point that was prior to applying the System Firmware update. Please use a restore point 9/28 or earlier.

7. Click Next.

8. Click Finish.

9. Click Yes when asked if you want to continue.

10. After moving to an earlier restore point you should boot into Windows.

If you were able to restore to an earlier restore point you should now be able to use your Surface again, no additional steps are needed. If you were not able restore to an earlier restore point or you did not have a restore point then continue to step 2 below.

Step 2 – Safe Mode

1. Boot Surface using USB recovery media by pressing and holding the volume-down button while you press and release the power button. When the Surface logo appears release the volume-down button.

2. When prompted select the language and keyboard layout you want.

3. Select Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, followed by selecting Command Prompt.

4. Type the following command in the command prompt and then press enter:

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes

5. Type the following command in the command prompt and then press enter.

exit

6. Press Turn off your PC.

7. Press the power button on Surface to turn it on.

8. Press F8 when the Windows Boot Manager screen comes up to go to Startup Settings.

9. Press “4” to enable Safe Mode.

10. Surface may do disk checking as well as perform a scan and repair. Surface will then restart. If Surface does not do this and instead boots into Safe Mode, go to step 13.

11. Press F8 when the Windows Boot Manager screen comes up to go to Startup Settings.

12. Press “4” to enable Safe Mode.

13. Surface will start in Safe Mode. Sign into Surface. Press the Windows Start Menu, press Power and select Restart.

14. Press Enter when the Windows Boot Manager screen comes up to boot into Windows 10.

15. Surface will start normally. Sign into Surface. Right-click the Windows Start Menu and click Command Prompt (Admin).

16. Click Yes to allow this app to make changes.

17. Type the following command in the command prompt and then press enter.

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no

18. Press the Windows Start Menu, press Power and select Restart.

If you are now able to boot into Windows you should now be able to use your Surface again, no additional steps are needed. If you were not able to boot into Windows then continue to step 3 below.

Step 3 – Reset Surface to factory settings

1. Follow the steps in the article below to boot Surface using USB recovery media and reset Surface back to factory settings: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/usbrecovery

Please let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Josh

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187 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-10-02T02:13:39+00:00

Dennis go to here https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/software-download/windows10 ) it will explain the boot but please understand that you will need a CD burner to do get the ISO.
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T02:10:44+00:00

As the Iso file can only be loaded from a disc please explain to me how i am to do this without a CD drive. I had already tried the Automatic Repair without success before I posted. I have down loaded the Boot onto USB. The Surface boots just tells me that me virtually what I already knew.

\EFI\microsoft\boot\BCD

Status 0x C000000f

DATA FOR PC IS MISSING OR CONTAINS ERRORS.
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T02:07:41+00:00

I "keep asking" about where you bought the computer because it might not have been the Microsoft Store.

I "keep asking" about preinstalled Norton or McAfee free-trialware because it's the most likely cause of your problem.

Then again, many other SP3 users encountered the same (or similar) problem(s) after installing the firmware update released on 29 September - the very same day your problems started! => https://goo.gl/93jm10
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T00:07:51+00:00

Barb,

I'm new here, am encountering the same BSOD problem, and greatly appreciate your efforts to help.

I followed your instructions for booting into Safe mode. Unfortunately, when I boot from media, the set of options presented does not match the ones in the article (on WinAero) that you cited. Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options gives a screen that lacks the option to alter startup behavior. The six possibilities offered are:

System Restore

System Image Recovery

Startup Repair

Command Prompt

UEFI Firmware Settings

Go back to the previous build

There isn't one called "Startup Settings"

UEFI Firmware Settings gives a screen with only a restart button, which then does the equivalent of boot with volume-up held down. This doesn't give me anything useful, as far as I can tell.

Startup Repair asks for the Bitlocker key, then (after asking which OS to boot -- Windows 10 is the only option) reboots in a way that displays "Diagnosing your PC", which fails after a short while and puts me back in the "Choose an Option" menu. No progress.

I've tried booting with F8 held down, but to no avail.

I tried using "System Restore" and it offered me a rollback to 9/26 (among others). That completed, though it reported an unspecified error (perhaps the same as others have reported), but a subsequent "normal" boot appeared to bring up the system successfully. I have Windows 10 Pro, and it allows updates to be deferred, so I quickly turned that on, and I also disabled driver updates as others have suggested.

So, while I'm back on the air, I still don't know how to get into Safe Mode when booting from the recovery media, since the options are different from those explained on WinAero. However, with luck I may not need that....

Roy
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