If it has ethernet you can likely do a network boot.
this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2025
69 points (97.3% liked)
Linux
58191 readers
1012 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
Ethernet on Surface requires a USB adapter
Is the HDD removable? I've swapped hard drives between thinkpads before and linux didn't seem to care that it's suddenly on a different machine. So maybe you can install something on the HDD on a different machine (that has a usb) and then swap the HDD back into the Surface. Maybe there will still be things to smooth out later, but it's something to try.
Unfortunately no, it's an SSD (post updated) and it's soldered in place. Plus this thing is the least accessible non-phone/tablet device I've ever seen. I'd need to use a heat gun and a few prying tools to take it apart. That's why the USB controller remains unfixed, I'm more likely to cause more damage to it.
I think we can safely rule out anything on the hardware side since accessing any internal component of the Surface Go is tantamount to destroying it.
Assuming Microsoft's UEFI implementation is somewhat standard, Grub2Win should set you on the right path. Have you inspected the underlying grub.cfg? Make sure the entry for the ISO doesn't make any attempt to boot from network.
Yeah, this thing is super inaccessible. Damn you, Gates!
You nailed it: I inspected the grub.cfg on the install media, which gave me the required parameters to get my hacked together install partition working. After that, it was really easy!
Nice! Glad to hear it worked out for you
Install Ventoy on internal hdd.
https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_non_destructive.html
I have a folder called ISO on my hdd. I just drop an iso there and reboot into ventoy.
I also added ventoy to my grub, but it was pretty hacky, something like adding the uuids of ventoy and my data partition.
You can even boot some isos directly from grub without ventoy.
That's brilliant! I got it to work, but the lack of functioning USB port means my future recovery options are limited. I'm installing this with a barebones linux install ISO, just in case things get weird. Thank you!
Does the Surface Go have a SSD in it? And/or can you install a SSD into it? The specs do imply that it supports SSD so you should at least have a port in there for that. If so, as long as you have a spare machine you can install the Surface's SSD into another system, then install Linux Mint normally there, then re-install the SSD back into the Surface Go.
I've never done that but it's been mentioned a few times in the Linux Mint forums so apparently that is a roundabout way of installing on a machine without working USB ports. e.g.
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=388243
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=361542
Not sure how well Mint works specifically on Surface Go but it's worth a try, most likely you'd use the same steps to install other distros on there.
EDIT: Without a spare system you might be able to download then write the Mint ISO onto a second partition inside Windows and boot from the Mint installer partition afterwards. Not sure how well that would work but someone else in the forums mentioned it https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=369154
Depending on the specific model it is either an SSD or eMMC storage but you won't be able to get to it without major disassembly of the device which includes removing the glued-on screen.
This surface is an absolute bitch to repair
Yikes! Yeah if the SSD storage isn't easily accessible then it's not worth the disassembly headache.
If that is the case then OP's only option is to try writing the bootable ISO onto a second partition on the current drive while in Windows and boot off that partition.. assuming getting the USB port repaired is a no-go.
This
You can use an external ssd adapter too, or clone an existing install with Clonezilla (but should be resizable)
If its really important hardware, consider repairing the usb controller.
Ive personally had a surface and i think mint and ubunto did absolutely not work to install. (7Pro)
But arch worked (some kind nerds in the area helped me install it) and at least to me it was surprisingly easy
But you probably should use a backup in case you manage to break arch
This repo is your friend: https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface
Random idea that might work: Try to install ReFind from windows, it should work and allow you to boot from random thing more easily. Then try using it to boot from the SD card. Don't forget to turn off secure boot. If that doesn't work, the right idea is indeed to "burn" the media on a partition, however you will also encounter some amount of headache with this option: an installer is not a single partition, but multiple ones. You could try only having the "main" partition on disk, and use refind to boot it too.
TL;DR: ReFind could help you. Turn off secure boot.
Can it run any kind of virtualization? Pass that 16gb partition as a raw disk, run your OS installer, then boot the partition directly instead of as a VM.
Doesn't it have an eMMC drive. A card like that might be slow as hell, but it would load up a live iso eventually.
There are Linux tricks for these models of Surface devices. Go for that.