Possible Windows RT 8(.1) install disk?

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Scoutsassin

Member
Mar 27, 2013
6
0
I'm relatively new on XDA and also to my new Surface RT, but I think I've found something useful.

I bought my Surface first gen two days ago from an employee from a local retailer, who has won the tablet because of his job. So when I bought it, it came with a preconfigured account MMS on it. I think this would be deployed as demo item, but it never was done so.

So, the point is, when I checked This Computer there was a DVD-RW drive connected, with something like a install disk/iso from Windows inserted. Ofcourse Surfaces don't have physical drives, so I quicly copied the complete contents to my pc.

So my question: is this really the Windows RT install disk? I have really no idea how I can check that.

Quick edit: tried opening the setup.exe, and it popped up as Windows Server 2012.. That doesn't make sense at all, why would you have Server 2012 on a brand new Surface RT?! The Autorun.inf also said AMD64.
 
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SixSixSevenSeven

Senior Member
Dec 26, 2012
1,617
318
I'm relatively new on XDA and also to my new Surface RT, but I think I've found something useful.

I bought my Surface first gen two days ago from an employee from a local retailer, who has won the tablet because of his job. So when I bought it, it came with a preconfigured account MMS on it. I think this would be deployed as demo item, but it never was done so.

So, the point is, when I checked This Computer there was a DVD-RW drive connected, with something like a install disk/iso from Windows inserted. Ofcourse Surfaces don't have physical drives, so I quicly copied the complete contents to my pc.

So my question: is this really the Windows RT install disk? I have really no idea how I can check that.

Quick edit: tried opening the setup.exe, and it popped up as Windows Server 2012.. That doesn't make sense at all, why would you have Server 2012 on a brand new Surface RT?! The Autorun.inf also said AMD64.

windows 8 & RT can mount iso images as virtual DVD drives. Seems for some reason the dude simply mounted the server 2012 image?
 

CrunchyDoodle

Senior Member
I had the original Surface RT (the one you have) and now the Surface 2 (its more advanced replacement). If it was a sealed unit, it should have just booted up and asked a few simple configuration questions and started working. You may have a special demo unit that the store would have on display.

By default there should be a factory image hidden on the SSD. Search for instructions on how to invoke a factory reset. With luck, that will work and you'll have a normal Surface RT.

Bye.
 
cymedic founder

I'm relatively new on XDA and also to my new Surface RT, but I think I've found something useful.

I bought my Surface first gen two days ago from an employee from a local retailer, who has won the tablet because of his job. So when I bought it, it came with a preconfigured account MMS on it. I think this would be deployed as demo item, but it never was done so.

So, the point is, when I checked This Computer there was a DVD-RW drive connected, with something like a install disk/iso from Windows inserted. Ofcourse Surfaces don't have physical drives, so I quicly copied the complete contents to my pc.

So my question: is this really the Windows RT install disk? I have really no idea how I can check that.

Quick edit: tried opening the setup.exe, and it popped up as Windows Server 2012.. That doesn't make sense at all, why would you have Server 2012 on a brand new Surface RT?! The Autorun.inf also said AMD64.

My guess is that the guy was trying to install Windows Server on the Surface RT. You ask why you would have it on there? The answer is that it isn't. It is impossible to put any version of Windows on an RT version of the Surface other than Windows RT and possibly Windows Phone.

The Surface RT line of tablets uses an ARM processor while the Pro line uses x86 processors. ARM processors are the kind you find in a phone or tablet and x86 is the kind in laptops and desktops.

The processors are formatted differently and can't run the same software.

When Windows RT first came out, there was a lot of confusion as to what it could do. Many people thought they were getting a Windows tablet and it could run all the same software as Windows 8. After all, it looks exactly the same.
 

Scoutsassin

Member
Mar 27, 2013
6
0
My guess is that the guy was trying to install Windows Server on the Surface RT. You ask why you would have it on there? The answer is that it isn't. It is impossible to put any version of Windows on an RT version of the Surface other than Windows RT and possibly Windows Phone.

The Surface RT line of tablets uses an ARM processor while the Pro line uses x86 processors. ARM processors are the kind you find in a phone or tablet and x86 is the kind in laptops and desktops.

The processors are formatted differently and can't run the same software.

When Windows RT first came out, there was a lot of confusion as to what it could do. Many people thought they were getting a Windows tablet and it could run all the same software as Windows 8. After all, it looks exactly the same.

It's pretty obvious to me Windows Server wouldn't work, and the guy selling it would know this too. The tablet wasn't completely sealed when I got it, but the seller told me it was a brand new unit, and he never booted it up himself either. Here's the thing, there already was a local user account on it, named MMS. The iso of the WS 2012 was already mounted in a virtual dvd drive. So my guess it's a demo model, but that would still not explain the iso.