Jailbreak the Surface

CJW

New Member
Messages
16
A little over a month ago, my dad gave me his Surface which has Windows RT 8.1 on it.
Not long ago, I came across this article (geek.com) which explains (not in great detail) how to Jailbreak the Surface to allow users to run programs that do not come from the Windows Store.

Has anyone tried this, how good does it work & what programs can we actually put onto the Surface once it gets Jailbroken?
What I mean by "put onto the Surface" is this: can I take a small game I have on my 7 Pro desktop comfuser & bring it over to my Surface via the SD Memory card the Surface uses?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows RT 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface RT
Unfortunately, even after performing this "jailbreak", you still will not be able to run ANY programs (or games) that you bring over from your Win 7 desktop. The reason is that the RT uses an ARM processor while the Win 7 desktop uses an x86 processor. Software compiled to run on an x86 cpu cannot run on an ARM cpu and vice-versa.

I'm not even sure what good this procedure will do you, the only source of software compiled to run on the RT that I know of is the Windows Store. I believe only those who wish to write their own custom software to run on the RT would benefit from this.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
"Software compiled to run on an x86 cpu cannot run on an x86 cpu and vice-versa." Did you mean the ARM that the Surface RT uses?
I don't use the Surface too much, but the store seems to be lacking a bit. Just want to check-out what I can run once Jailbroken.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows RT 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface RT
"Software compiled to run on an x86 cpu cannot run on an x86 cpu and vice-versa." Did you mean the ARM that the Surface RT uses?
I don't use the Surface too much, but the store seems to be lacking a bit. Just want to check-out what I can run once Jailbroken.
Yup, meant to say ARM, fixed in my post above. As I said, I don't know of a source for ARM compiled software other than the Windows Store.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Just to let you know, there are quite a few over here. I haven't tried any yet, but from the posts I've read, many people have & most do work fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows RT 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface RT
Just to let you know, there are quite a few over here. I haven't tried any yet, but from the posts I've read, many people have & most do work fine.
Good find! If an app you want is on that list then it might be worthwhile for you to do the jailbreak. However, you still won't be able to copy any programs from your desktop to the Surface and run them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
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