How to Extract Microsoft Surface Drivers from the official MSI File

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Whether you’re managing a fleet of Surface devices or just need to install fresh drivers on your Surface Go, extracting the necessary drivers from an MSI file is a crucial skill.

This blog post will guide you through the process of extracting drivers for a Surface Go device, and provide helpful tips on using these drivers with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

We’ll also cover some common questions in our FAQ section and provide a glossary of terms to ensure you have a clear understanding of the process.

Step-by-Step: Extracting Surface Go Drivers

When you download driver packs from Microsoft for Surface devices, they often come in an MSI package. To use these drivers with deployment tools like SCCM, you’ll need to extract the files from the MSI package first. Here’s how you can do it:

Download the Driver Package: Ensure you have the correct MSI file for your Surface Go. This file should be in a path similar to:

C:\DRIVERS\Microsoft\Surface Go\SurfaceGo_Win10_16299_1803010_WiFi_1.msi

Open Command Prompt: Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Run the Extraction Command: Use the following command to extract the drivers from the MSI file:

msiexec.exe /a "C:\DRIVERS\Microsoft\Surface Go\SurfaceGo_Win10_16299_1803010_WiFi_1.msi" targetdir="C:\DRIVERS\Microsoft\Surface Go\Extracted" /qn

• MSI Path: This is the location of the MSI file you want to extract.
• Target Directory: This is where you want to save the extracted drivers. In this example, the drivers will be extracted to C:\DRIVERS\Microsoft\Surface Go\Extracted.
• /qn: This option runs the extraction silently, with no user interface.

Verify Extraction: After the command completes, navigate to the target directory to verify that the drivers have been extracted correctly. You should see several folders corresponding to different drivers.

Integrating with SCCM

If you’re using SCCM to deploy these drivers across multiple Surface Go devices, you’ll need to ensure the correct drivers are applied to the right hardware. To do this efficiently, use WMI queries in your task sequence.

For Microsoft Surface Pro:

SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Model LIKE "%Surface Pro%"

For Microsoft Surface Laptop:

SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Model LIKE "%Surface Laptop%"

For Microsoft Surface Go:

SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Model LIKE "%Surface Go%"

These WMI queries allow SCCM to detect the correct Surface model and apply the appropriate drivers during deployment.

FAQ

Glossary

• MSI (Microsoft Installer): A file format used by Windows for the installation, storage, and removal of programs.
• SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager): A software management suite from Microsoft that allows users to manage large groups of Windows-based computers.
• WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation): A set of specifications from Microsoft for consolidating the management of devices and applications in a network.
• Command Prompt: A command-line interpreter application available in most Windows operating systems.

By following these steps, you can efficiently extract and deploy Surface Go drivers, ensuring your devices have the latest updates and are ready for use. If you have any additional questions or run into issues, refer to the FAQ section or consult the glossary for more information.