Install Raspberry Pi OS on the Microsoft Surface RT Tablet @i12bretro

Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

#SurfaceRT #RaspberryPiOS #Debian

*** Updated 06/29/2023

Full steps can be found at i12bretro.github.io/tutorials/0825.html

Disclaimer
This process will overwrite the current Windows 8 RT operating system on the Surface RT tablet. I have tested these steps on my own device (as shown in this video), but I am not responsible if you damage or brick your device. Verify this process will work on your device before starting and make sure to backup any data you do not want to lose before proceeding.

Things You Will Need
   - A USB flash drive, at least 8 GB amzn.to/3wkR5ju | amzn.to/3qkrJ1p | amzn.to/3Nhu9b9
   - A USB hub
   - A USB keyboard

Disabling Secure Boot
NOTE: If you run into issues or errors disabling secure boot, see the troubleshooting steps jwa4.gitbook.io/windows/tools/surface-rt-and-surface-2-jailbreak-usb#troubleshooting

   01. Insert the USB flash drive into a PC
   02. Download the Surface RT jailbreak files jwa4.gitbook.io/windows/tools/surface-rt-and-surface-2-jailbreak-usb#download
   03. Format the USB flash drive to FAT32
         ⚠ NOTE: This will delete all files on the drive. Make sure to backup any important files before continuing
      a. Right Click Start ≫ File Explorer
      b. Right Click the USB flash drive ≫ Format...
      c. Select FAT32 from the File System dropdown
      d. Name the drive EFI
      e. Make sure Quick Format is checked
      f. Click Start
   10. Extract the downloaded Surface RT jailbreak .zip file to the root of the USB flash drive
   11. Safely remove the USB flash drive
   12. Power off the Surface RT tablet if it is not already
   13. Using the USB hub, connect the USB keyboard and the prepared USB flash drive to the Surface RT tablet
   14. Hold Vol- and press the power button, releasing the Vol- when Surface logo appears
   15. Select Install Golden Keys ≫ Press Enter
   16. Select Accept and Install ≫ Press Enter
   17. After the Golden Keys install completes, the tablet will reboot
   18. Power off the Surface RT tablet
   19. Hold Vol- and press the power button, releasing the Vol- when Surface logo appears
   20. Select Install Yahallo ≫ Press Enter
   21. After the Yahallo install completes, the tablet will reboot
   22. Power off the Surface RT tablet

Preparing Raspberry Pi OS
   01. Insert the USB flash drive into a PC
   02. Download Raspberry Pi OS downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspios_armhf/images
   03. Download Balena Etcher balena.io/etcher
   04. Download the latest Surface RT zImage, device tree (.dtb) and kernel modules https://files.open-rt.party/Linux-Kernel-Download/surface-rt/
   05. Download the EFI boot files openrt.gitbook.io/open-surfacert/surface-rt/linux/booting/uefi-boot#premade-zip
   06. Extract the downloaded EFI .zip archive
   07. Run Balena Etcher
   08. Write the Raspberry Pi OS image to USB flash drive
   09. Once the write completes, open the readable partition on the USB flash drive
   10. From the previous downloads, copy the EFI folder, startup.nsh, zImage and the device tree (.dtb) file to the readable partition on the USB flash drive
   11. Open startup.nsh in a text editor
   12. Replace the contents of the file with the following
         fs0:
         zImage dtb=tegra30-microsoft-surface-rt-efi.dtb root=/dev/sda2 rootwait console=tty0 cpuidle.off=1
         # shutdown if something went wrong
         reset -s
   13. Save the changes to startup.nsh and close the editor
   14. Safely remove the USB flash drive
   15. Power off the Surface RT tablet if it is not already
   16. Using the USB hub, connect the USB keyboard and the prepared USB flash drive to the Surface RT tablet
   17. Hold Vol- and press the power button, releasing the Vol- when Surface logo appears
   18. Raspberry Pi OS should boot from the USB flash drive
   19. In Raspberry Pi OS, launch the file manager
   20. Navigate to /boot ≫ Copy the sRT-modules- .tar.xz file to the current user's home directory
   21. Extract the sRT-modules- .tar.xz inside the user's home directory
   22. Copy the contents of the extracted folder to the corresponding location in the root Linux directory
   23. Reboot the Surface RT tablet
   24. At this point, you can continue running Raspberry Pi OS from the flash drive, or install it to the internal eMMC storage, replacing the stock Windows 8 RT operating system

Installing Raspberry Pi OS to eMMC Internal Storage
🚨 WARNING: Continuing beyond this point will format the storage on the Surface RT tablet and all files and the Windows 8 RT operating system will be lost

   01. While running Raspberry Pi OS from the USB flash drive, click the Applications menu ≫ Accessories ≫ SD Card Copier

....Full steps can be found on GitHub [link at the top]

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