Microsoft Surface Troubleshooting & Restart Tips - My Tips & Tricks | Mal Ferguson
Microsoft Surface.

“Misc Problems and Fixes”

Surface Go 64GB Running Out of Space

You only actually had 57GB to start with.
Running Windows 11 Pro version 2025H2 completely killed my Go. Updates failed, crashed frequently, no space. Tried all the normal methods,
'Disk Cleanup', deleted things not needed, went through DeBloat with 'O&O AppBuster', helped for a day or so, then back to 54MB free and all the problems.
Then found these three amazing utilities.

1 'WinDirStat': to find the bloat location.
2 'PatchCleaner': (filters OFF) to clear Installer folder.
3 'DISM cleanup for WinSxS': Remove old junk.

'WinDirStat' located the bloat as all in the 'Installer' folder
'PatchCleaner' moved the no-longer required orphan files to my 'D' drive.
'DISM' then once there was some room removed another 2.5GB.

How to Do This Yourself

Step 1: Download and Run WinDirStat
1 Download WinDirStat from: https://windirstat.net/
 Or install via Windows command line: winget install WinDirStat.WinDirStat
2 Run WinDirStat and select C: drive
3 Wait for scan to complete (5-10 minutes)
4 Look for largest folders - Installer is usually the culprit (mine was 8.4GB)

Step 2: Download and Run PatchCleaner
1 Download PatchCleaner from: https://www.homedev.com.au/Free/PatchCleaner
2 Install and run as Administrator
3 IMPORTANT: Turn OFF safety filters (Settings → Disable filters)
4 Click "Scan" - wait for results (5-10 minutes)
5 Click "Move" - choose your D: drive or external drive as backup location
6 Wait for move to complete - I freed 7.7GB
7 Keep backup for 1 week - if no problems, delete backup folder

Step 3: Run DISM Cleanup (WinSxS)
1 Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2 Run this command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase
3 Wait 10-30 minutes - don't interrupt or shut down
4 Restart computer when complete
5 Check free space - I gained another 2.5GB from this step

Results:
Starting space: 400MB free (critical)
After PatchCleaner: 3.92GB free
After DISM cleanup: 4.58GB free

From unusable to functional in one morning!

Restart.

If you need to do a hard restart.
Press the 'Power' button and let it shutdown completely.
Wait another minute, for good luck.
Press and hold the 'Power' button for about 20 seconds. The Windows logo needs to show, go black and show again before release of the button.
This procedure may solve some problems that a soft shutdown doesn't.

UEFI page.

Turn off your Surface and wait 10 seconds.
Press and hold the Volume Up button—and at the same time, press and release the Power button.
You'll see the logo screen on your screen. Continue to hold the Volume Up button.
Release the button when the UEFI screen appears.
Once on this page, determine if the Caps and Fn function keys light up, and determine if you can use the arrow keys to select
If you notice that your keyboard is not responding, then I'm afraid you still have a problem.

Soft Reset.

A soft reset is the simplest way to restart your Surface device: it clears the device's memory and refreshes the operating system, but it doesn't delete your personal files or data. If your Surface device is frozen or unresponsive, forcing a shutdown and restart may be all that's required.
To perform a soft reset on your Surface device, follow these steps:
Press and hold the power button on your device for 30 seconds.
Release the power button, then wait for 10 seconds.
Press the power button again to turn on your Surface device.
Instructions will vary based on the Surface model you own; older models may require you to hold down a volume button with the power button.
Find your Surface device and get model-specific resetting instructions.

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