My Surface RT has been getting very slow recently and will often hang on a lot of simple tasks like right clicking on a file or even opening file explorer. Sometimes it runs smoothly again though. In task manager, CPU and RAM usage are within normal levels, but for some reason the hard drive appears to almost always be running at a constant 100%. In task manager, I can't seem to find what application is causing it to max out, even at idle. Has anyone else been having this issue with their Surface RT?
Surface RT very slow and hangs a lot
- Thread starter Generalheed
- Start date
No issues here. I just finished recovering mine and taking it to update 3. Clean install
Update 3 takes the RT to a Win10 interface and can do away with the metro interface.
If you want I can post the steps. Only questions are:
Are you on 8.1 ?
Do you still have the recovery partition on drive C: ?
Does Windows Update work for you?
Update 3 takes the RT to a Win10 interface and can do away with the metro interface.
If you want I can post the steps. Only questions are:
Are you on 8.1 ?
Do you still have the recovery partition on drive C: ?
Does Windows Update work for you?
Last edited:
I'm on update 3 as well with the Windows 10 style start menu. Windows Update does work for me but it seems the Store updates don't work. I'm not sure about the recovery partition but most likely I do still have it. Should I just do a refresh or a full factory reset?
If you have about 25.9GB capacity on drive C: properties you still have the recovery partition and this will work for you. Windows update will work along with the store. If you have any questions, ask.
Download KB3173424 http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/crup/2016/06/windows8.1-kb3173424-arm_e11b6837c0586d2b8d887f3bc33b3372fe83c8c7.msu
Download KB3172614 http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2016/07/windows8.1-kb3172614-arm_3d918d6c809bf6f57c8fcefa5db5c739e1754426.msu
Download KB3097667 Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 Standalone Package https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49143
You can put these on the SD card. All personal data on C: drive will be lost. Backup or move to SD card anything you want to save.
Reset your RT from within Windows. Reset, not refresh. Connect the RT to charge.
https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/refresh-or-reset-surface-rt#within
One of the pages will ask for a drive encryption key. Go to the bottom of the page and select ‘Not this Drive”
When the reset finishes, turn off WiFi, in settings go to ‘Power and Sleep’, ‘When plugged in’ set to ‘Never’
All updating is done from the Control Panel, Windows Update. Never use the troubleshooter to fix Windows Updates
After each search for updates is complete click on the blue line that says ‘important updates are available’ to see. You can speed things up by hiding all Office updates. Right click an Office update and select ‘Hide’.
Install all other updates found.
When Windows updates are all done and Update 3 is installed go back and restore hidden updates and install the Office Updates.
After installing each package of updates and the Windows Update page shows ‘Restart Now’, turn off WiFi and restart. After it restarts let the RT process the updates. When the disk usage finally goes down to zero you can go to the next step. To check disk usage, right clock the taskbar and select ‘task manager’, then the ‘performance’ tab.
Start Update Instillation Here
Turn on WiFi, Search for updates from the Control Panel, you will see a firmware update, install all Windows updates, restart
Search again for updates from the control panel
Again you will see a package of updates, this update should include Windows RT 8.1 Update 1 KB2919355, install updates, restart
Go to Windows Update. Check “installed updates” to see if KB2919355 is installed. KB2919355 has to be installed to proceed
Turn off Wifi, install KB3173424, restart
Install KB3172614, restart
Turn on Wifi, search for updates, should find over 200 updates, install, 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.
Download KB3173424 http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/crup/2016/06/windows8.1-kb3173424-arm_e11b6837c0586d2b8d887f3bc33b3372fe83c8c7.msu
Download KB3172614 http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2016/07/windows8.1-kb3172614-arm_3d918d6c809bf6f57c8fcefa5db5c739e1754426.msu
Download KB3097667 Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 Standalone Package https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49143
You can put these on the SD card. All personal data on C: drive will be lost. Backup or move to SD card anything you want to save.
Reset your RT from within Windows. Reset, not refresh. Connect the RT to charge.
https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/refresh-or-reset-surface-rt#within
One of the pages will ask for a drive encryption key. Go to the bottom of the page and select ‘Not this Drive”
When the reset finishes, turn off WiFi, in settings go to ‘Power and Sleep’, ‘When plugged in’ set to ‘Never’
All updating is done from the Control Panel, Windows Update. Never use the troubleshooter to fix Windows Updates
After each search for updates is complete click on the blue line that says ‘important updates are available’ to see. You can speed things up by hiding all Office updates. Right click an Office update and select ‘Hide’.
Install all other updates found.
When Windows updates are all done and Update 3 is installed go back and restore hidden updates and install the Office Updates.
After installing each package of updates and the Windows Update page shows ‘Restart Now’, turn off WiFi and restart. After it restarts let the RT process the updates. When the disk usage finally goes down to zero you can go to the next step. To check disk usage, right clock the taskbar and select ‘task manager’, then the ‘performance’ tab.
Start Update Instillation Here
Turn on WiFi, Search for updates from the Control Panel, you will see a firmware update, install all Windows updates, restart
Search again for updates from the control panel
Again you will see a package of updates, this update should include Windows RT 8.1 Update 1 KB2919355, install updates, restart
Go to Windows Update. Check “installed updates” to see if KB2919355 is installed. KB2919355 has to be installed to proceed
Turn off Wifi, install KB3173424, restart
Install KB3172614, restart
Turn on Wifi, search for updates, should find over 200 updates, install, 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.
I reset my Surface RT and already it's a lot faster now. However, I've been having issues with the Windows Updates. I managed to get the firmware update installed as well a decent number of updates after that. But after that step, Windows Updates just hangs and searches for updates for ever. It hasn't been able to find any new updates yet.
Does KB2919355 ever get found and installed?? Is wifi turned on?
Following the recovery the firmware update should show up quickly and install. Then KB2919355 is found and installs.
On the Windows Update page, have you looked at 'view installed updates'? This is where you will see any updates that have failed.
Following the recovery the firmware update should show up quickly and install. Then KB2919355 is found and installs.
On the Windows Update page, have you looked at 'view installed updates'? This is where you will see any updates that have failed.
Nope that update isn't there. The closest update related to it is this one: Security Update for Windows RT 8.1 (KB2964757) without KB2919355
That particular update failed to install as well among many others and Windows Update still is stuck in an infinite loop of looking for updates. And yes, WiFi is still on and working just fine and I've tried rebooting several times too but still nothing.
That particular update failed to install as well among many others and Windows Update still is stuck in an infinite loop of looking for updates. And yes, WiFi is still on and working just fine and I've tried rebooting several times too but still nothing.
It won't complete if you are having failed updates. You will have to start over with the recovery.
The first two search for updates and installs are the most important. After the search for updates you should check, each time to see what 'important updates are available’ , click on this to see what you are looking for.
When the firmware update is found, install all updates, and when it is ready to restart turn off wifi and restart to install it. When it reboots wifi is still off, go back to windows update and look at 'view update history" to make sure nothing has failed.
Failed updates happen when things are not installed in the correct order.
When you search for updates the second time KB2919355 has to be found. click on 'important updates are available’ to see if it is there when the search finishes. If it is not there, Stay on the update page, don't install anything and search for updates again.
Remember to turn off wifi each time you restart to install the updates. When it restarts wifi is still off. Don't go on until the disk activity goes to zero. Then turn wifi back on and follow the steps above
The first two search for updates and installs are the most important. After the search for updates you should check, each time to see what 'important updates are available’ , click on this to see what you are looking for.
When the firmware update is found, install all updates, and when it is ready to restart turn off wifi and restart to install it. When it reboots wifi is still off, go back to windows update and look at 'view update history" to make sure nothing has failed.
Failed updates happen when things are not installed in the correct order.
When you search for updates the second time KB2919355 has to be found. click on 'important updates are available’ to see if it is there when the search finishes. If it is not there, Stay on the update page, don't install anything and search for updates again.
Remember to turn off wifi each time you restart to install the updates. When it restarts wifi is still off. Don't go on until the disk activity goes to zero. Then turn wifi back on and follow the steps above
OK - I forgot that when it finds the firmware update and finishes the download you can't turn Wifi off. You just get the blue bar that says it is going to restart.
When the RT restarts after the firmware, turn wifi off and wait till CPU and disk activity goes to zero.
When you go to windows update it will say you have updates to install. If KB2919355 is not there, stay on the page and search again.
When the RT restarts after the firmware, turn wifi off and wait till CPU and disk activity goes to zero.
When you go to windows update it will say you have updates to install. If KB2919355 is not there, stay on the page and search again.
Last edited:
Alright I'm in the process of doing that right now. But after the first update with the firmware, you're saying I should turn wifi OFF and then go to windows update while wifi is still off and do updates right?
Maybe a misunderstand.
After the firmware is installed and you reboot turn on wifi if it is not already on.
When you go to Windows update it will probably tell you there are already updates to install. Don't select install updates yet.
Look at what is there in ‘important updates are available’ , if KB2919355 is not there, stay on the page and search again for updates. It will show up to install.
After the firmware is installed and you reboot turn on wifi if it is not already on.
When you go to Windows update it will probably tell you there are already updates to install. Don't select install updates yet.
Look at what is there in ‘important updates are available’ , if KB2919355 is not there, stay on the page and search again for updates. It will show up to install.
Ok, I'm trying to search for the 2nd set of updates now, but when I checked the list of installed updates with the first set that included the firmware, there were multiple failed updates. The firmware update itself succeeded though. Hopefully the 2nd set of updates will be more successful. If I encounter the same problem again, is there anyway to manually update Windows RT?
There is not way to manually do all the needed updates.
Were the failed updates Windows or Office?
I know failed Windows updates will try to install again.
Failed defender updates can be installed from the defender app. This takes a while if they are failing.
See what you get with the second set.
The RT recover comes from a 3GB recovery partition on C: drive. This was installed when you first updated to 8.1. This could be corrupt and causing these problems. You can download from Microsoft, a file to put on a USB drive, boot from that instead of your recovery partition if these updates continue to fail.
Were the failed updates Windows or Office?
I know failed Windows updates will try to install again.
Failed defender updates can be installed from the defender app. This takes a while if they are failing.
See what you get with the second set.
The RT recover comes from a 3GB recovery partition on C: drive. This was installed when you first updated to 8.1. This could be corrupt and causing these problems. You can download from Microsoft, a file to put on a USB drive, boot from that instead of your recovery partition if these updates continue to fail.
I've tried a couple more times and its the same result every time. Multiple windows, office, and defender updates fail to install. After that when I attempt to search for updates again, windows update just hangs and keeps trying to search for updates forever. Where can I downloaded this recovery image from Microsoft to boot from?
I have used both ways to recover a surface, the downloaded image and from within windows. Just to let you know I am not just repeating what others have said.
The image is a zip file, about 3GB.
https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage
The page has a create guide and here is another
Way 1: Create a bootable USB drive with recovery image
https://www.cocosenor.com/articles/surface/create-a-usb-recovery-drive-for-surface.html
Basically you download the image to the PC and extract it. Format the USB drive(fat32). Copy the contents of the SurfaceRT_BMR_10.8.17.0 folder to the USB drive, not the folder itself, just the files and folders in it.
I know one of the guides says to copy the zip to the USB drive and extract it there but it will work either way, probably easier if you have a 8GB stick or larger. I just used a 4GB stick and it does not have room to extract it on the drive.
To boot from the USB drive, turn off the RT, hold the volume down and press the power button, release the volume down when the surface logo appears.
The rest is the same blue screen setup you have already seen.
The page on partitions is a no or yes. Yes will overwrite your existing recovery partition which is what you need to do.
Hope it goes better this time.
The image is a zip file, about 3GB.
https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage
The page has a create guide and here is another
Way 1: Create a bootable USB drive with recovery image
https://www.cocosenor.com/articles/surface/create-a-usb-recovery-drive-for-surface.html
Basically you download the image to the PC and extract it. Format the USB drive(fat32). Copy the contents of the SurfaceRT_BMR_10.8.17.0 folder to the USB drive, not the folder itself, just the files and folders in it.
I know one of the guides says to copy the zip to the USB drive and extract it there but it will work either way, probably easier if you have a 8GB stick or larger. I just used a 4GB stick and it does not have room to extract it on the drive.
To boot from the USB drive, turn off the RT, hold the volume down and press the power button, release the volume down when the surface logo appears.
The rest is the same blue screen setup you have already seen.
The page on partitions is a no or yes. Yes will overwrite your existing recovery partition which is what you need to do.
Hope it goes better this time.
Last edited:
I decided to wait a day and let the updates search again actually, and this time it finally worked and the correct updates were found and installed successfully. My Surface RT is now totally up to date again after the reset and is running very fast again, almost like the day I first bought it. Thanks for your help!
That's good news. Hope the failed updates were installed.
Thanks for sticking with it, normally doesn't take that long. I did clean up my guide for the next user based on your experience.
Thanks for sticking with it, normally doesn't take that long. I did clean up my guide for the next user based on your experience.
MPdeH
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