Windows 10 - surface pro 4 - boot, format, install?

[behedwin]

My surface pro 10 from MS needs to be "reinstalled/reset/formated"



However i dont have a large enough USB drive to download MS recovery stuff (needs to be 16gb).



But i do have a USB drive with Windows 10 on.



Can i just boot from that windows 10 usb drive

Format C:

Install windows 10



Like i do on my normal workstation computer?



Or is the surface pro 4 special and must be reset/formated with the recovery image from MS?







Why do i need to reset/format my surface?

Well it wont start.

Windows just loads and loads and loads. A whole night of laoding and nothing.

Restarted (yes shut down with 30 sec press on power button) several times. Still get stuck on the loading screen.

Can not figure out how to get it back up and running without formating and do a clean install of everything.

I have ordered a larger usb drive for the future... but i would really need this comptuer ASAP

so if i can use my w10 usb drive and just normaly boot, format, install... that would be great. But i want to make sure first.

 

[Colif]

I wonder what is on that MS recovery tool thats not on the installer, probably drivers and extras you don't really need.

You don't need to format C, its part of a clean install process anyway
is there anything on laptop you want to keep? you can use this to save it: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

what I would do is exactly what you said,
change boot order so USB is first, hdd second
boot from installer
follow this guide: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-windows-10-clean-install.html
when you reach screen asking for licence, click "I don't have a key" and win 10 will install and activate itself once complete.