How to image MS Surface running Windows RT?

[sidetrack11]

I have a MS Surface running Windows RT, and a large amount of important files were accidentially deleted, so I want to scan the hard drive to find them, something that shouldn't be that hard right?. Well after hours of looking into what should be a simple process, I am starting to comprehend the enormity of just what a debacle Windows RT is. I can't install any regular programs, I can't boot into any live linux OS, so I can't for the life of me work out how to image the drive. I've tried using DISM in CMD, but I need something that will take a full disk or partition image, not just the used sectors. Does anyone have any ideas? I've read something about how Microsoft leaked information on how to disable fastboot, so maybe Linux could be booted from USB, but I can't work out how to do that. Thanks!

(Note: no new data has been written to the drive since the deleting event)

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

It would help if you gave the exact model of surface you have to find its specs

The RT models have a Nvidia tegra cpu so you will need a linux disk or usb supporting that cpu or be prepared to remove the storage device


I expect it has some sort of ssd or m2 storage device

If really important data is on the disk consider going to a recovery professional

The correct linux distribution with testdisk + photorecovery suit would probably work
I dont know if the normal way of shift restart will get to the option to boot from a recovery disk or uefi setup like in windows 8 or 10 on Intel cpu

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[sidetrack11]

If I could boot to Linux then it'd be a breeze from there.

It has a NVidia Tegra 3 Quad Core 1.3Ghz

32 bit OS, ARM based processor. Windows RT 8.1

Thanks

 

[sidetrack11]

Thanks Amy but that's not really going to help me recover the data.

To anyone else reading this, I spent many hours scouring the internet and forums for potential solutions, and I'm convinced its just not possible. Windows RT is too restrictive, no 3rd party programs can be installed, there's no way to jailbreak RT 8.1, can't disable fastboot, can't boot a live OS, no built in Windows utilities will take a sector by sector image of the drive, there's no way to eveb view the hex of the drive.

The single only possible solution I could come up with is to open the Surface, rip out the motherboard, and send it to a company with the capability to desolder the emmc 32gb storage memory from the motherboard, access it, image it and run a data recovery program on the image.

Damn you Microsoft