Get Windows 10 provisioned for your Surface Pro 3 devices with these tools

If your company has fielded Surface pro 3 devices and you are ready to make the move to Windows 10 on them then Microsoft has the provisioning tools and Windows 10 specific drivers for you to get started.

In a blog post over at the Surface for IT Pros blog, the Surface IT Pro team has shared instructions to cover two possible installation scenarios and have included links to a provisioning package for Surface Pro 3 and Windows 10 firmware and driver packs for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3.

Other provisioning packages will be released for other Surface devices in the coming weeks.

Here are the two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Using the standard image for Surface devices

Choose this option if you want the simplest, fastest way for end users to move to Windows 10. If your end users use a standard image that came with their Surface devices, Windows can do the update, configuration, and restore work for you!

Using Windows Update

A notification on the taskbar will alert users when their upgrade to Windows 10 is ready to be installed. They can choose to upgrade now, or postpone until later.

Creating your own installation media

If you prefer to use your own update process instead of Windows Update, you can download the Surface firmware and drivers files and the Windows 10 image.

1. Install Windows 10 drivers for Surface devices by downloading and running the Surface driver .zip or .msi file for the end user’s specific device. (On the Download Center page, click More under Details to see a complete list of available packages).

2. Upgrade to Windows 10.

a. Download Windows 10 and create your own installation media for the standard Windows 10 image.

b. Instruct users to select the Dynamic Update option during the setup process to automatically download and install latest updates.

Scenario 2: Using a custom image for Surface devices

Choose this option for greater flexibility in providing end users with a custom Windows 10 installation. You will need to create a custom image that combines Windows 10 and the latest Surface device-specific drivers. You can use either your existing deployment infrastructure or new tools such as Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD) for offline Windows image customization to speed up the imaging process. You can build a customized provisioning package, or for Surface Pro 3 you can use the sample package that we provide. For more information on creating a custom image, visit the Windows Techcenter.

Follow these steps to install and configure your custom image:

1. Download Windows 10 specific Surface firmware and drivers pack for Surface 3, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro 1 devices from the Download Center.

a. Or for Surface Pro 3 devices you can download the sample provisioning package for Surface Pro 3, which incorporates the appropriate drivers.

2. Get Windows 10 for your business

3. Create a custom deployment image incorporating Windows 10 and the Surface firmware and driver pack for your specific Surface device (or use the sample provisioning package for Surface Pro 3.)

4. Follow the Windows 10 deployment guidance provided on the deployment page of the Windows Techcenter.

Windows 10 ISO's are also available on the Microsoft's Developer Network.

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