How to Recover Data from Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5
Your Microsoft Surface Pro can be used to serve diverse purposes. Without exception, all these purposes which are served by your PC involve data in one way or another either in the form of text, audio, photos, or videos. We can clearly understand the importance of data.
Losing data through accidental deletions, virus attacks, unintentional formatting can be a very hard experience to live and is detrimental because this data is important to us. However, due to the advancements in technology, it is able to recover lost data from your Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5 now.
Part 1. How to Recover Deleted Files from Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5
When your data loss from your Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5 is due to accidental deletion, the best way you can recover your data is by using file recovery software. iBeesoft Data Recovery is the tool you can fully depend on. It is a safe and professional data recovery software for Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 that can recover all your deleted files from your computer.
Your Safe & Effective Surface Data Recovery Software
- Recover files in 1000+ formats, covering all photos, videos, audio files, documents, etc.
- Retrieve files lost in 500+ scenarios, like deletion, system crash, virus attack, partition loss.
- Restore files from 2000+ devices, including Microsoft Surface internal hard drives as well as any storage devices connected with your Microsoft Surface Pro.
- Preview files before recovery, namely it will display all the recoverable files for you to recover.
The software trial version is totally free to download and use on Surface Pro. Download it now! Here are the steps for how to use iBeesoft Data Recovery to recover data from Microsoft Surface pro.
1. Download and installing it properly
* Tip, do not install it on the drive from which you want to recover data as this may reduce your chances of effectively recovering your deleted files
2. As soon as it launches, the different disks present in your Surface will be displayed alongside common file locations such as the desktop and recycle bin.
3. Place the mouse pointer on the drive you will wish to scan and the "Scan" button will become visible, then click it.
If you wish to scan a particular folder, click "Select folder", and locate the folder you want to scan before clicking on the scan.
4. Once you find the deleted files, you can preview certain file types while others will just give you the ability to recover them immediately. Select the files you want to get back and click on "Recover" in order to recover the deleted files.
You can decide to go through the files during the scan process or you could pause the scan process from the top of the Window before going through the files. The scan mode will automatically go to a deep scan while the scan process is ongoing. The duration of the scan depends on the disk capacity and the size of files present.
Part 2. How to Recover Data from Crashed Surface
When your Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5 Crashes, the data recovery process becomes different. You can fix the crashed system, then get the data. There are two ways you may recover your data from such scenarios.
Solution 1: Boot Surface
Before booting your surface, there are a few preparations to do. You should;
* Make a bootable USB: Making this will erase every data present on the USB drive. Make sure to back up your USB data before proceeding with making a bootable USB. You can make a bootable USB by;
1. Downloading Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from Microsoft,
2. Using the ‘create a recovery drive’ tool on Windows,
3. Running Windows to Go (This is available for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education edition)
* Turn off fast startup: Follow the procedure below to do this
1. Launch Control Panel.
2. Go to System and Security > Power Options > Choose what power buttons do.
3. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable, and uncheck Turn on fast startup option then click on Save changes
4. Disable Secure Boot: This is needed in the 3rd boot alternative we will cover here below.
Connect your mouse and keyboard before trying to boot as these may sometimes be the only recognized input devices.
To effectively boot Surface follow the methods below,
Way #1. Using Windows
This method boosts from USB directly without passing through UEFI. If your bootable USB has any OS different from Windows, this is not the best method. To boot surface using this method,
1. Plug the USB drive into the Surface.
2. Press Windows Key and click on settings.
3. Proceed to Update & Security > Recovery.
4. Under the Advance startup section in the right panel, click Restart now.
5. Click Use a device under Choose an option Window and choose your USB drive. The surface will boot from there.
Way #2. Using Volume-Down Button
This will still boot without passing through UEFI. It needs Fast Startup to be disabled in order to work. To boot your Surface,
1. Plug the USB drive to your Surface.
2. Turn off your Surface.
3. Press and hold the volume-down button while you press and release the power button.
4. Once you see the Surface logo appears, leave the volume-down button and the Surface Pro will automatically boot from USB.
If your surface doesn’t have a volume down button, substitute this with (F3 or F4 keys)
Way #3. Using Volume-Up Button
This is for people whose bootable USB drives use Linux and other systems. You will pass through UEFI. Please follow the steps below:
1. Plug the USB drive into your Surface and turn it off.
2. Press and hold volume-up while you press and release the power button.
3. Hold the volume-up key until the appearance and disappearance of the surface or Windows logo. You will then see the Surface UEFI.
4. Proceed to the Security page. Under Security boot, click Change configuration.
5. In the Change Secure Boot Configuration dialog box, change the option to None and click OK to apply that. This disables secure boot as this is needed for this particular method.
6. Go to the Boot Configuration tab
7. Switch on Enable alternate boot sequence and Enable Boot from USB devices.
8. Under Configure boot device order, pull the USB storage boot option to the top of the list. This makes the USB drive the first boot device.
9. Finally proceed to the Exit page and click on Restart now to restart your Surface from your USB.
The way of changing boot order may vary from one Surface model to another. This will help you to boot the surface so as to recover data from Microsoft surface.
Solution 2: Restore Surface with USB Recovery Image
Another way of recovering data from a Crashed Microsoft Surface Pro 3/4/5 is by using a USB Recovery Image. This method reimages the files present in the device as well as the hard drive partition. After reimaging, you could still restore your surface while trying the "Keep my files" option.
It is recommended to have a USB key of at least 16GB/32GB formatted to FAT32 before downloading the Recovery image. To restore Surface with USB Recovery Image,
Download the Image: This is possible only on Windows 7 or higher.
1. Go to the page https://www.surface.com/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Account using the email used to create the account.
3. Go through the list of Surface Pros and choose the device for which you need the recovery image. Only devices currently registered under your account will be displayed. You however have the option to get the recovery image of a device not registered under your account. You will need the device’s serial number to gain access to its recovery image.
4. Download the recovery image and save it where you want.
Prepare the USB: Make sure the USB is empty and formatted to the FAT32 system. If not, do format the USB drive by (Right-clicking on it and choosing format > Choosing FAT32 as file system > Giving it a label and clicking on OK.)
Create a Recovery drive
On the PC in which you download the image, locate the image you download, right-click on it, and select Extract. Complete the extraction process and choose the USB you prepared as a path for the extraction. This is how you prepare a USB recovery image.
To restore your Surface Pro using the USB recovery image,
1. Turn off the Surface Pro.
2. Plug the USB recovery drive into the Surface pro.
3. Press and hold volume-down.
4. Press the power button then release immediately. Once you see the Surface logo appear, release the volume-down.
5. The recovery software on the USB drive will be started by your Surface Pro.
6. You will be prompted to choose the language options and keyboard layout. Choose what you prefer.
7. Choose to Troubleshoot and select Recover from a Drive. You will be prompted to choose between keeping my Files or Removing everything.
8. It is recommended to Select Repartition the drives when prompted and skip this drive if prompted for the BitLocker key.
Following these steps, you can recover data from Surface laptop using a USB recovery image.
Part 3: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for Surface book Data Recovery
How do I recover deleted photos on my Surface Pro 3?
The best way to recover deleted photos from Laptop is by using iBeesoft Data Recovery to assist you in your data recovery process.
1. Download iBeesoft Data Recovery and install it on a drive different from the one from which you want to recover your data.
2. Select the drive/folder where the pictures are lost and click the "Scan" button
3. Finally, select the photos you may want to recover and click "Recover" to save on your Surface.
You can go through the files during the scan process and in case you find your photos before the scan is completed, you can stop the scan process. Some photos are available for preview before recovering while others must be recovered before they are viewed.
How do I backup my Surface Pro 3?
Backing up your data is an efficient way to prepare for any future data loss scenario. No matter the condition of the data loss, you will still be able to recover your data due to the presence of a backed-up copy of the data. Using the software is the best way to create effective backups and the best application you will see for this purpose is iBeesoft Data backup. iBeesoft Data Backup is a free, efficient, and reliable data backup tool you can use to back up your Surface Pro 3. You can use it to back up a file, folder, hard drive, partition, and even the system as a whole.
To back up your Surface Pro 3 after downloading and installing iBeesoft Data Backup, you have to follow 3 simple steps;
1. Launch the application and choose system backup in order to back up your Surface Pro 3.
2. Next, select the files/folders or your entire Surface Pro 3 system. At the bottom of the page also, you can edit the path for the backup. Set your backup time and click on start backup.
3. Once completed, edit the backup and in case you want to restore any data, it is totally possible.