Surface Pro 8 will not start up. I see the desktop for a second and then the screen goes black or into repair blue screen

If you have created a Restore Point earlier:

Go to Troubleshoot → Advanced options → System Restore

Pick a restore point before the issue started

Access Recovery Command Prompt:

Click Advanced Options

Go to Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /scanos

bootrec /rebuildbcd

If fixboot says “Access denied”, run

bootsect /nt60 sys

Then try bootrec /fixboot again.

Use the built-in recovery tools on the Surface to repair Windows, then reset if needed.

1. When the Surface shows the Automatic Repair or blue recovery screen, select Advanced options.
2. On Choose an option, select Troubleshoot.
3. Try Startup Repair first:
   • Select Advanced options > Startup Repair.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions and let Windows attempt to fix startup problems.
   • If Windows starts afterward, sign in and install all Surface and Windows updates to help prevent future issues.

If Startup Repair does not resolve the problem and the device keeps going back to Automatic Repair or the black screen, use the deeper recovery options from the same menu:

4. From Troubleshoot > Advanced options, select System Restore:
   • Choose a restore point from a date when the Surface was working correctly.
   • Complete the restore wizard and restart.
   • If Windows starts, install the latest Surface and Windows updates.
5. If System Restore is not available or does not help, perform a reset:
   • From Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
   • Choose Keep my files first (this reinstalls Windows and removes apps and settings but keeps personal files), or Remove everything if a full wipe is acceptable.
   • Follow the prompts to complete the reset.
   • After Windows starts, install all Surface and Windows updates.
6. If the Surface cannot reach the recovery menu reliably or still fails to start after reset, use a USB recovery drive:
   • Shut down the Surface.
   • Insert a prepared USB recovery drive into the USB port.
   • Press and hold the volume-down button, then press and release the power button.
   • When the Surface logo appears, release volume-down.
   • Use the on-screen options to repair or reset Windows from the USB recovery image.
7. If none of these steps allow Windows to start and the device continues to show Automatic Repair or black screen behavior, the Surface likely needs service. Use the official service options to send it to Microsoft, find in-person support, or consider self-repair if technically experienced.

References:

• Surface turns on and starts Automatic Repair
• Surface won’t turn on or start
• Surface turns on but is stuck on a logo screen
• Surface turns on but is stuck on a drive icon