Solved MS Surface Pro 2 - can't access Advanced Boot Options

afarris01

New Member
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4
Hello,

I recently picked up a new 64GB MS Surface Pro 2 tablet for work, but I've run into a problem with it...

I need to install some special hardware drivers for some of the devices I need to use the Surface for at work, but these drivers are for Windows Vista/7, not for Windows 8 so I can't install them the 'traditional' way, because they're not signed. I wanted to try installing them anyway just to see if it works, but when I try to start up in the special mode to disable driver enforcement, I can't interact with anything. I've tried following the instructions here:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4924-advanced-startup-settings-boot-windows-8-a.html

Options A and B, but neither has worked. For option A: when I get to step 4 the tablet doesn't recognize any keypresses at all. Obviously the touchscreen won't work in this mode since it wants you to press keys to proceed, but I have one of the Surface keyboard covers attached to the system, and no keypresses from it are recognized (though the keyboard lights up as though it's recognized). I also tried attaching a regular USB keyboard to the Surfaces' USB port, rebooting, and attempting to use it to interact with the menu but still no dice. The USB keyboard works everywhere but in that menu.

After all of the above I tried Option B, but at step 3, I get the same phenomenon as in step 4 above: neither keyboard works when I get to that menu. In the end the 30 second menu delay passes by, and the boot proceeds regardless of my wishes.

Is there something I'm missing here? Is there another way to accomplish my goal? Any help would be appreciated!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8.1
Just tried the app.

The boot now proceeds directly to the Advanced Options menu, and I still can't interact with it. Now I can't even get into Windows because since the keyboard doesn't register any keystrokes on that screen it just sits at that menu for about a minute then shuts off.

Is there any way I can fix this, or am I going to have to take this thing back to the store now?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8.1
I fixed it.

Here's what I had to do:

  1. Turn off the Surface.
  2. Hold the "volume up" button on the side, then press the power button and release both buttons together to access the UEFI settings menu.
  3. Disable "Secure Boot Control", then exit
  4. Magically, the keyboard started working on the advanced boot options menu, so I selected the 'Disable Driver Enforcement' option, and Win 8 booted as normal
  5. Logged in, installed my drivers, then fired up Boot UI Tuner, reset everything to defaults, then shut down.
  6. Repeat step 2 to get into the UEFI settings menu.
  7. Re-enable Secure Boot
  8. Select "Install Default Secure Boot Keys"
  9. Exit Setup

The first time I rebooted, I forgot to reset the boot options to default, so it went directly back to the advanced startup options menu again, and again the keyboard wouldn't respond. However, I found that accessing the UEFI menu and re-enabling "Secure Boot Control" gave me temporary responsiveness from the keyboard again, so I was once again able to get into Windows and reset the Boot UI to defaults.

Also, One of the times I rebooted, I went back into windows after turning "Secure Boot Control" back on, and the Windows desktop had a 'SecureBoot is not configured properly' error message in the bottom corner. This was where I discovered the need to re-install the default secure boot keys in step 8.

Other guidance gleaned from here: Things That Might Interest Nerds | Surface Pro: Known Issues, Bugs & Quick Fixes

Hopefully this horrid experience for me will help somebody else avoid similar things!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8.1
That's good news!

I also wanted to note, it turns out that actually disabling/re-enabling SecureBoot didn't actually appear to be necessary. Simply visiting the UEFI settings menu is enough to get the keyboard to respond.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8.1
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