my roommate's new Microsoft Surface Hub is running a wacky version of Windows 10 that popped up a "You need to download something from the store to support this file!" message when I tried to run a win64 exe.
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Windows if you fuck me here after all I've been through, I swear to god...
okay so if you are unfortunate enough to get a Surface Hub 2S and want to make it run Useful Windows (linux would be nice but I haven't figured out how to boot it) instead of Broken Windows, you need to:
1. Get the Surface IT Tools
2. Go through the whole SEMM mode enrollment with the private key and such
3. Try to create a Surface 2S MTR 22H2 recovery disk. The download will fail
3a. MITM Surface IT Tools to get the URL of the 22gb file you need. -
okay so if you are unfortunate enough to get a Surface Hub 2S and want to make it run Useful Windows (linux would be nice but I haven't figured out how to boot it) instead of Broken Windows, you need to:
1. Get the Surface IT Tools
2. Go through the whole SEMM mode enrollment with the private key and such
3. Try to create a Surface 2S MTR 22H2 recovery disk. The download will fail
3a. MITM Surface IT Tools to get the URL of the 22gb file you need.3b. write an addon for mitmproxy to redirect Surface IT Tools to a local server you control
4. actually make the recovery disk
5. Recover the Surface Hub 2.
6. It boots into Skype setup
7. Exit and log into administrator, password is "sfb"
8. Delete the Skype account and uninstall Microsoft Teams Rooms
9. Run Win11 updates -
3b. write an addon for mitmproxy to redirect Surface IT Tools to a local server you control
4. actually make the recovery disk
5. Recover the Surface Hub 2.
6. It boots into Skype setup
7. Exit and log into administrator, password is "sfb"
8. Delete the Skype account and uninstall Microsoft Teams Rooms
9. Run Win11 updatesI think the fundamental problem with this device is that they ship it in a super-locked-down mode that can't do anything unless you install more software from the Microsoft Store... and as of last December it can't talk to the Microsoft Store anymore.
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I think the fundamental problem with this device is that they ship it in a super-locked-down mode that can't do anything unless you install more software from the Microsoft Store... and as of last December it can't talk to the Microsoft Store anymore.
so the easy migration tool they had available can't be installed and even if you could install it, it wouldn't work
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so the easy migration tool they had available can't be installed and even if you could install it, it wouldn't work
So instead you've got these instructions, which do not work:
Migrate Surface Hub 2S to Windows 11 via USB - Surface Hub
This guide provides IT admins with detailed instructions on how to software-migrate a Surface Hub 2S to the Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows (MTR-W) experience or Windows 11 using a USB drive.
(learn.microsoft.com)
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So instead you've got these instructions, which do not work:
Migrate Surface Hub 2S to Windows 11 via USB - Surface Hub
This guide provides IT admins with detailed instructions on how to software-migrate a Surface Hub 2S to the Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows (MTR-W) experience or Windows 11 using a USB drive.
(learn.microsoft.com)
because the way it suggests to make a recovery image doesn't create a recovery image this locked-down fucker will boot.
Only the Surface IT Tools recovery images will boot, and Surface IT Tools can't download files worth shit, so good fucking luck getting that 22gb image
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because the way it suggests to make a recovery image doesn't create a recovery image this locked-down fucker will boot.
Only the Surface IT Tools recovery images will boot, and Surface IT Tools can't download files worth shit, so good fucking luck getting that 22gb image
also the Surface IT Tool verifies _something_ (I wasn't able to confirm what) with the microsoft servers before it'll write you an image, even if you have the image already downloaded.
So I highly suspect this method will break in the future
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also the Surface IT Tool verifies _something_ (I wasn't able to confirm what) with the microsoft servers before it'll write you an image, even if you have the image already downloaded.
So I highly suspect this method will break in the future
I should just make an image of the final recovery drive it creates, and stick that on the internet archive. DD it to your own 32gb drive and bypass all the nonsense
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I should just make an image of the final recovery drive it creates, and stick that on the internet archive. DD it to your own 32gb drive and bypass all the nonsense
BTW this is one of my favorite kinds of projects.
You pick a shiny computer out of the garbage saying "why would anyone throw away this expensive fancy new computer?" and then slowly over the course of multiple days you Learn Why -
BTW this is one of my favorite kinds of projects.
You pick a shiny computer out of the garbage saying "why would anyone throw away this expensive fancy new computer?" and then slowly over the course of multiple days you Learn WhyI don't think I ever really explained why this is such a pain: The boot is locked down, and it's a real idiot-light kind of system. By default the UEFI does not allow changing the OS. It boots off the internal HD or not at all (although I think if you have an external drive the right signatures that's running the same OS, it doesn't consider it a problem and will boot it? No way to check that)
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I don't think I ever really explained why this is such a pain: The boot is locked down, and it's a real idiot-light kind of system. By default the UEFI does not allow changing the OS. It boots off the internal HD or not at all (although I think if you have an external drive the right signatures that's running the same OS, it doesn't consider it a problem and will boot it? No way to check that)
You can use the Surface IT Tool (on a different machine) to make a special USB key that will reconfigure the system, based on a private key you generate, and this enables "AllowOSMigration" in the EUFI config. Basically all other UEFI options are locked down even in the special SEMM mode tool.
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You can use the Surface IT Tool (on a different machine) to make a special USB key that will reconfigure the system, based on a private key you generate, and this enables "AllowOSMigration" in the EUFI config. Basically all other UEFI options are locked down even in the special SEMM mode tool.
And once you've got SEMM mode (I don't remember what it stands for, I'm too tired to look it up, and I'm pretty sure the last M is "mode" anyway so this is a case of RAS Syndrome) it supposedly will boot from USB devices
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And once you've got SEMM mode (I don't remember what it stands for, I'm too tired to look it up, and I'm pretty sure the last M is "mode" anyway so this is a case of RAS Syndrome) it supposedly will boot from USB devices
however I was only able to find two images that it would boot from, despite what the doc pages say.
Those two recovery images are the Win10 Teams Edition image and the Win 11 IoT Microsoft Teams For Rooms "Skype for Business" abomination. -
however I was only able to find two images that it would boot from, despite what the doc pages say.
Those two recovery images are the Win10 Teams Edition image and the Win 11 IoT Microsoft Teams For Rooms "Skype for Business" abomination.I tried a bunch of other images, linux installers and such, regular windows 10/11 installation media, nothing happens. It won't boot them, it doesn't say why, there is no way to override.
Secure Boot is an open in the UEFI but it's locked, and the SEMM tool cannot change it. -
I tried a bunch of other images, linux installers and such, regular windows 10/11 installation media, nothing happens. It won't boot them, it doesn't say why, there is no way to override.
Secure Boot is an open in the UEFI but it's locked, and the SEMM tool cannot change it.So I'm REALLY limited in what I can run on this thing.
To get a Linux to boot I think I'd need to do some UEFI hacking (like enrolling other certificates somehow) or maybe boot hacking (load grub/ubuntu install using a chainloaded NTLDR?) -
So I'm REALLY limited in what I can run on this thing.
To get a Linux to boot I think I'd need to do some UEFI hacking (like enrolling other certificates somehow) or maybe boot hacking (load grub/ubuntu install using a chainloaded NTLDR?)but for now we're probably leaving it on Windows 11 and declaring victory. It works enough for what we plan to do with it (Draw with the Surface Pen and make House Billboards/Grocery Lists) and it means we can declare victory here
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So I'm REALLY limited in what I can run on this thing.
To get a Linux to boot I think I'd need to do some UEFI hacking (like enrolling other certificates somehow) or maybe boot hacking (load grub/ubuntu install using a chainloaded NTLDR?)I know I'm way out of date on this - the last time I installed Linux on a Windows machine was probably 2001 or so - but there were Windows programs you could fire up to start the installation of some major distros from within Windows. I don't remember what they were called, but I think they were either official tools of those distros, or at least officially blessed.
IIRC, they fiddled the MBR and did other stuff. I'm wondering, does anything like this still exist, and does it maybe do things like installing keys in the UEFI partition or other magic to deal with secure boot?
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but for now we're probably leaving it on Windows 11 and declaring victory. It works enough for what we plan to do with it (Draw with the Surface Pen and make House Billboards/Grocery Lists) and it means we can declare victory here
Krita seems to support the pens well if you uninstall Microsoft Teams Rooms and then assign all the buttons to "Nothing".
Krita can then use the pen, with pressure sensitivity, the side button, and the eraser button. You do have to switch it to the other Touch API, though, in settings -
Krita seems to support the pens well if you uninstall Microsoft Teams Rooms and then assign all the buttons to "Nothing".
Krita can then use the pen, with pressure sensitivity, the side button, and the eraser button. You do have to switch it to the other Touch API, though, in settingsalso I accidentally Doomrolled my roommate: She was trying to use Krita and accidentally launched Doom II fullscreen
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also I accidentally Doomrolled my roommate: She was trying to use Krita and accidentally launched Doom II fullscreen
because I had configured the eraser-button to launch Doom if you tapped it, then got distracted away before I could test or reset that
