Microsoft yanks Surface RT 8.1 update from store after glitches

Microsoft Inc on Friday yanked the Windows RT 8.1 update from its Windows Store after some Surface RT tablet owners reported their tablets had been crippled.

In a message posted to a support forum where a customer had asked why the Windows RT 8.1 had vanished from the app store, a company representative said, "Microsoft is investigating a situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT devices to Windows RT 8.1. As a result, we have temporarily removed the Windows RT 8.1 update from the Windows Store."

The representative said that engineers were working on the problem, but did not provide a timeline for when the update would be reinstated or spell out the underlying issue.

According to online reports, some users had wrapped up the Windows RT update only to see the notorious "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) display and an error message stating, "Your PC needs to be repaired. The Boot Configuration Data file is missing some required information."

By corrupting the boot configuration data, the update effectively "bricked" the device, rendering it inoperable. Some users posted recovery instructions but they were long, involved and unlikely to be used by many.

The snafu was an embarrassment for Microsoft, as its Surface RT tablet, which debuted a year ago, has been the only Windows RT-powered device that has sold in any meaningful quantity.

While other reported problems with the Windows 8.1 update seemed to be rooted in device driver incompatibilities - understandable considering the breadth of the Windows ecosystem, which relies on a bewildering array of hardware components and peripherals, each with its own vendor-built driver - the fact that the Windows RT 8.1 update bricked the Surface RT, which has a single set of specific components and drivers, magnified the mistake.

As it stands now, Microsoft is the only vendor that has stuck with Windows RT; other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners have dumped the operating system from their lineups. Dell, the last besides Microsoft to support the tablet-specific OS, pulled its final Windows RT tablet from sale in late September.

Some Surface RT owners were angry at Microsoft as much for not telling them that it had yanked the update as for issuing one with flaws.

"It sure would have been nice if the store would have told me this instead of me spending hours trying to 'troubleshoot my problem,' " wrote jmwallace77 on the support forum. "I have even spent hours to get to this buried message explaining (that) Windows RT 8.1 is being delayed."

Others were plain mad. "Just tell me how to return my Surface RT for full refund," said ArtFolden on the same thread. "I am fed up with it. It is still on warranty, and half the time it will not start up, and now it will not upgrade to 8.1, so I just want to return it."