Microsoft Surface & Microsoft Surface Pro laptops are incredibly powerful and infinitely flexible, combining a laptop's power with a tablet's versatility. They are sleek gadgets that help you bring your ideas to life with quad-core processors. Surface is available in various models like Surface Go, Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, Surface Book, Surface Studio, and Surface Laptop Studio.
When these Microsoft Surface devices are reallocated, repurposed, resold, or disposed of, it becomes crucial to wipe the surface devices to safeguard data confidentiality and meet regulatory compliance. You can use BitRaser Drive Eraser to wipe all Microsoft Surface devices, including Microsoft Surface Pro devices, beyond the scope of recovery.
We have divided the KB into 2 stages to make it simpler:
Key Requirements:
- Device to Wipe: Microsoft Surface Device
- RAM: 1 GB Minimum (4 GB Recommended)
- USB Device: 2 GB or more to create BitRaser bootable USB
Let us see the wiping process of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 in detail.
Stage 1: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO to Create a Bootable USB
- Step 1: Log in to your secure BitRaser Cloud account with the credentials received in the email post-purchase. Go to the 'Download BitRaser' section and download the ‘Cloud Variant: BitRaser Drive Eraser’ ISO file. (Refer to Image 1)
Image 1: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO
- Step 2: Burn the downloaded ISO file of the software on a USB drive using a free utility like Rufus to create a bootable drive. (Refer to Image 2)
Image 2: Create Bootable BitRaser Drive Eraser USB Using Rufus
Follow the on-screen instructions in the Rufus application to create a bootable BitRaser Drive Eraser USB drive, or refer to our Knowledge Base article titled, How to Create a Bootable USB with Rufus.
Stage 2: Erase Microsoft Surface Using BitRaser Drive Eraser
- Step 1: Connect the Bootable USB to erase the Microsoft Surface device. For this KB, we are wiping a ‘Microsoft Surface Pro 9’.
Press the ‘Volume-up' & ‘Power’ buttons on the Microsoft Surface laptop. Release the volume up button as you see the Surface logo and spinning dots beneath the logo.
Select the ‘Boot Configuration’ option from the menu. Drag the ‘USB Storage’ option to the top and click the checkbox to enable it. This step is crucial as we are booting the Microsoft Surface device using the BitRaser bootable USB we created. Now go to the ‘Advanced options’ below and “Enable Boot from USB devices.” (Refer to Image 3)
Image 3: Drag Boot from USB to top & Enable Boot from USB
Note: You must turn off the Secure Boot option on the Microsoft Surface Device to boot from an external USB.
Steps to Turn Off Secure Boot:
- Go to the ‘Security’ tab and select ‘Change Configuration’ under the ‘Secure Boot’ option.
- Select ‘None’ in the Secure Boot certification keyset, then click ‘OK’. (Refer to Image 4)
- Click ‘Exit’ on the left-hand panel and restart your device.
Image 4: Select None to Disable Secure Boot, and then Click OK
- Step 2: Once the Surface device boots with BitRaser Drive Eraser, you will see the BitRaser Boot Menu on your Microsoft Surface device screen. BitRaser is the default option; press enter to initialize the software. (Refer to Image 5)
Image 5: BitRaser Drive Eraser Boot Menu
Once the BitRaser Drive Eraser application boots, you will see the internal NVMe drive of the Microsoft Surface Pro machine we are wiping. (Refer to Image 6)
Image 6: BitRaser Main Interface with Microsoft Surface Drives
- Step 3: Connect the application to the Internet by clicking the ‘Settings’ icon at the top and selecting the ‘Network’ tab. Once connected to the Internet, go to the ‘BitRaser Server’ tab and log into your BitRaser Cloud console. This will fetch erasure licenses from the cloud console. (Refer to Images 7 & 8)
Image 7: Connect the BitRaser Application to the Internet
Image 8: Connect the Application to BitRaser Cloud & Download Erasure Licenses
- Step 4: Select the Erasure method, drive(s) to erase, verification type, and then click ‘Erase’. Click ‘Yes’ in the alert window. (Refer to Images 9 & 10)
It is recommended to choose the NIST Purge method if you are wiping an SSD or NVMe.
Image 9: Select Erasure Method, Verification, Drive to Wipe & Click Erase
Image 10: Click Yes in the Alert Window
The process of erasing the Microsoft Surface device has begun; you can see the progress on your screen and the BitRaser screensaver. (Refer to Image 11)
Image 11: Microsoft Surface Erasure Progress on BitRaser Screensaver
Once the process finishes, the erasure report will automatically be uploaded to your secure BitRaser cloud console account. These reports & certificates of erasure are accessible from any internet-enabled location 24/7. You can also store the reports & certificates on a local USB. (Refer to Report)
Using the same process, you can erase any Microsoft Surface device.
Report: Erasing Microsoft Surface Device BitRaser Drive Eraser Report
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