Booting from a USB device doesn’t refresh or reset your Surface. Instead, it lets you start your Surface using Windows or another operating system that’s on your USB device. For info about how to create a bootable USB drive for your Surface, see Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface.

You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows. To create installation media, go to the software download website, where you'll find step-by-step instructions.

Fix your audio drivers. Hardware problems can be caused by outdated or malfunctioning drivers. Make sure your audio driver is up to date and update it if needed. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling the audio driver (it will reinstall automatically).

Get started with Copilot. To get started, open the Copilot app from the Start menu or use the Copilot icon if present on your Windows taskbar. If your device keyboard includes a dedicated Copilot key, you can also use it to launch Copilot.

We understand that sometimes purchases of digital game products don’t go as planned. When that happens, we’ll help you request a refund. Refunds are typically issued for requests meeting the following criteria: Requests are made within 14 days of the purchase date.

Getting ready for the Windows 11 upgrade. How to check if your device meets Windows 11 system requirements after changing device hardware. Learn how to use the PC Health Check app to help you improve your device performance.

If you can’t set the power mode in Power & battery settings, open Control Panel, select System and Security > Power Options, then choose a Balanced power plan. Learn how to change the power mode on your Windows PC to preserve your battery, limit notifications, and background activity.

Add an app to run automatically at startup in Windows 10. Select the Start button and scroll to find the app you want to run at startup. Right-click the app, select More, and then select Open file location. This opens the location where the shortcut to the app is saved.

For Windows 8.1, see Create a USB recovery drive. To download Windows 11 installation media, see Recovery options in Windows. Create a recovery drive so you can reinstall Windows 10 or Windows 11 in case you experience a major issue such as hardware failure.

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, then select Device Manager from the menu.