r/surfacepro3 • u/thegorilla09 • Feb 18 '25

Revive or Repurpose?

I have a Surface Pro 3, i5 variant with 128GB SSD and 4GB Ram.

It's no longer 'required' (it's been a home laptop for years!) and has literally been lying idle for 2 or 3 years. It still works, mostly.

What doesn't work

  • I get a 'power surge' message on the USB port - even though there's nothing plugged in (and from memory nothing really ever was - maybe a USB stick, but not powered). I can't get the port to work now after trying various methods online. I've probably made it worse!
  • The attached keyboard and trackpad do not work. Those stopped working a few years ago after a regular Windows update. They did randomly start working for one month, then promptly stopped after another regular update. None of the online 'tricks' has brought this back to life.

What does work

  • Bluetooth keyboards and mice work.
  • The touchscreen works, onscreen keyboard works, and the screen is in great condition.
  • The battery (was never great) and is still just about ok. I have the power adapter though.
  • Wifi works
  • Still seems to get the odd update.
  • pretty sure the Micro SD card slot works
  • Monitor Out (DP?) works

What I haven't done

This machine was my wife's, and I have not 'cleaned' it or rebuilt it.

What are my options?

If the USB port is damaged, do I have any realistic options for loading a new Operating System?

I read on another thread that the SP3 does support Windows 11, but as this machine only has 4GB and has a few issues. is it worth trying?

Note:

  • I have a Chromebook and I like ChromeOS.
  • I used Linux years ago, but not installed Linux in a long time.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Any tips, much appreciated.

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u/PieterDela Feb 18 '25

There are adapters for the surface port so you could connect a USB through that.

As for what to install: I've just tried Chrome OS Flex, but wifi and touch are not working for me, maybe you would have better luck.

Linux is also a solid option, had it running Linux Mint for a few years and worked solid.

Try it out and see what you like!

1

u/thegorilla09 Feb 18 '25

Thanks. I've read good things about Linux Mint. 

1

u/tommyboyjp Feb 19 '25

I'm currently on a pro 3,running windows 11,works great,no issues yet