Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 each have different storage capacities. Surface 2 can be purchased as a 32GB or 64GB model. Surface Pro 2 can be purchased in sizes ranging from 64GB to 512GB. Of course, you pay for more storage you desire. One of the many things users need to know about Surface computers is that the advertised size is not the free space you find when you first boot your system. In the case of the 32GB Surface 2 you’ll find around 18GB of free storage.
Microsoft lists a handy chart of what’s available here. Microsoft’s included Windows 8.1 operating system and applications take up most of the rest. However, some of the Flash storage is also taken up by a recovery partition. This is available in case you run into a problem and will allow you to restore your Surface from scratch. But you can create external recovery media and store it safely and delete the recovery partition if you really need the extra disk space locally.
Note that you have two other storage options on your Surface RT. You can add an SD card to store media and other content. You can also take advantage of Microsoft’s Cloud system Skydrive. Skydrive is nicely integrated with the operating system and is a great place to store your documents, data and pictures, which frees up local storage for apps that need to be installed locally.
If you’re a gamer and have chosen a Surface with a smaller storage capacity, you’ll find that newly released games like Asphalt 8 will quickly consume the remaining storage space on your 32GB Surface 2.
So here are the instructions on how to create a Recovery Drive on your Surface device and how to delete the Recovery partition. Remember, the Recovery partition has a reason. If things go wrong with your surface, you may have to wipe the slate and start over. If you decide to delete the Recovery partition to get back the local storage, be sure to save the Recovery USB you created in a safe place.
First, you will need a USB flash drive. The recovery partition for Surface 2 takes up about 3.2GB. About 7GB for the Surface Pro 2. (Also, if you delete the Recovery partition when you’re done, that’s the space you’ll reclaim for each one.) Know that everything else stored on the drive will be deleted as part of the process. It’s also a good idea not to put anything else on the USB stick after you’re done.
Before you begin Microsoft recommends changing your settings so that your surface stays awake during the process. It normally takes about 15 minutes. As a general rule, set your sleep settings to 20 minutes. It’s also recommended to have your Surface device plugged in. To change these settings, bring up the Charms Menu by swiping from the right. Type sleep. then choose
Since your Surface is plugged in, set the time from the drop-down menu
After you plug in your USB stick, there are multiple ways to get to the built-in recovery tool. The easiest is to access, select and type by swiping from the right.
You will see all available recovery options in the search results. You will see a popup asking if you want to allow the following program to make changes. Tap Yes.
Select and then select . The next screen you will see will tell you how much space you need on the USB stick. In the case of the Surface 2 it is 4 GB. In the case of the Surface Pro 2, I believe it’s 8GB, but I don’t have one of those devices to confirm this. If you don’t have enough, you’ll need a larger USB stick. You can cancel from here or continue by writing if there is enough space on the USB stick.
On the next screen Process is closed and running.
Once complete, you will have the option. To do this, select . When the uninstall is complete, select .
Again, keep your USB stick in a safe place after removing it. Especially if you deleted the Recovery Partition from your Surface.