14 DAY TRIAL // After Windows 10X ended up running on a MacBook, here’s the operating system flashed on Microsoft’s smallest and most affordable Surface model.
The Surface Go, which in essence is a super-portable Surface model that’s just the perfect choice for basic activities, runs Windows 10 Home in S Mode, meaning that it’s restricted to apps published in the Microsoft Store – upgrading to full Windows with Win32 support, however, is possible free of charge.
But as it turns out, full Windows 10 could become the second option for Surface Go owners if a method to flash Windows 10X on the device becomes more straightforward.
Hello, Windows 10X!
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith managed to install the new operating system on the Surface Go, explaining on Twitter that while this isn’t something that anyone can do, it’s certainly possible with the right method.
“Flashing Windows 10X on the Surface Go is not for faint of heart; you'll need to inject video, WiFi and touch drivers into the OS image, for a start, and it requires an EFI shell if you want to get out of it and back to regular Windows 10,” he said. “Somehow, Windows 10's storage pools were just fine with me flashing a 128GB image onto a 121GB drive. I just had to rebuild the GPT with the size I had, rather than the size in the guide. Nothing has exploded yet!”
Asked by former Windows boss Steven Sinofky if the flashing required any modifications to the wiki instructions, the dev said almost all were skipped.
“I skipped almost all of them, and just flashed the drive as-is. I didn't make a bootable USB key, I didn't inject any drivers, and I didn't bother with setting up an EFI shell. The only change was with the partition table values — and it auto-chose the right size anyway,” he says.
Windows 10X is Microsoft’s operating system aimed at dual-screen and foldable devices, but these projects show that it can very well run on laptops and 2-in-1s with more traditional form factors as well. Windows 10X will also power Microsoft’s very own Surface Neo.