So, here is my problem.  I am attempting to restore a system image created from a Surface Pro 2 (Windows 8.1) onto a Surface Pro (Windows 8).  The image was created using the Windows 7 File Recovery Tool in the Surface Pro 2 control panel.  The image is stored on an external Seagate Hard Drive attached to the Surface Pro 2 via USB 3.0 cable.  To restore the image on to the Surface Pro (Original Not Pro 2), we are booting the Surface Pro with Advanced Startup Options and attempting to restore the image from the USB drive.  This prompts us to enter to enter a system repair disk.  The problem is that the Surface Pro does not have a CD-ROM and there is only one USB drive.

1.        Is it possible to restore a system image created from a Surface Pro 2 running Windows 8.1 onto a Surface Pro running Windows 8?
2.        Do we need to switch the boot order on the Surface Pro so that USB boots prior to the HD?
3.        Based on what we are attempting to do, can someone please list the steps required to correctly perform this task?

Source of System Image:

Surface Pro2 (Windows 8.1)

System Image created on a Seagate USB External Hard Drive

Destination of System Image:

Surface Pro (Windows 8)

I feel like this can't be as complicated as I'm making it,  what am I missing?

restoring an image to different hardware is never recommended; it might yield an unbootable system, but with enough fiddling you should be able to get it right. check this related thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/86bb5b75-0e0b-4034-beaa-586a0ea185a8/windows-8-bare-metal-restore-to-dissimilar-hardware-client-software?forum=W8ITProPreRel

and

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-8-tip-use-windows-7-system-image-backup

Consider doing a clean install and restoring just files and settings instead of an image.

having only one usb port should not be a limitation as you can always use a simple (powered) usb hub to extend the amount of available ports.

You might want to repost your inquiry in the dedicated Microsoft Surface Pro Forum.

Restoring an image to a Surface Pro

I figured out the following after spending literally hours on the phone with Surface support. Other than the easiest way to boot from a USB drive (see instructions below), they were useless. They followed their script which was apparently created by someone who has never actually performed the operation. Sorry for the rant, but you would think that MS would at least test what they tell people to do and if they have a way to create an image you might believe that they would know a way to restore the image.

The problem begins when you follow Microsofts instructions to create an image backup of your Surface. The instructions first tell you that you can use a Fat32 drive, that isnt true but when you get an error and you look up the error you find out that you have to place the image on an NTFS formatted drive. Its OK to put the image on an NTFS drive but unfortunately that is not enough to be able to restore it. You are creating an image that, by itself, is totally useless.

If youre already to the restore phase ignore MS instructions to create a RECOVERY drive, that doesnt work either. When you try to restore the image you will get a message that you need to boot from a repair or installation disk this is correct but I could find no way to create such a disk using my Surface or my laptop.

The good news is that if you have a big enough USB drive you can create multiple volumes on the USB drive and everything you need to do recognizes the multiple volumes. Use Windows 8* Disk Manager to create the multiple volumes on a single USB drive (you may need to delete the existing volume first, make sure it isnt the volume with your image backup on it). I used 2 USB drives and a cheapo USB hub; fortunately that works as well. If you are still trying to create an image backup and you have a big enough USB drive, create 2 volumes then make one volume the Windows installation disk image and the other an NTFS volume where you create your image backup; then youll be ready for the restore when the time comes.

You need either 2 USB drives and a hub (unpowered worked for me) or one USB drive with a volume big enough to hold a 16GB volume (might be 8GB) and one volume big enough for your image backup (my image was 64GB+). I already had an image backup so I just got a new USB drive and put the installation disk on the new USB drive.

What you need:

• A 64 bit Windows installation disk image on a USB drive or volume (a volume is a part of a drive). I used Windows 8 because I suspected my original Surface had Windows 8 instead of Windows 8.1 on the replacement device. It may not matter but the safest thing to do is to have an installation disk with the Windows version you are restoring. My Surface has the Intel processor so be aware if you have a different processor that you might need a different installation image. You create the Windows installation image here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media over the Internet. It takes some time. When formatting the volume on which the image will be created use exFAT.
• A USB drive or volume with your image. It will have a directory named WindowsImageBackup clever, eh?
• If you have 2 drives you will need an unpowered USB hub (one male, multiple female USB plugs).

The Surface support team was able to tell me how to boot from a USB drive. Fortunately if you have two volumes on one USB drive or two USB drives plugged into a USB hub the boot finds the volume/drive with the boot sectors and boots.

• The easiest way to boot from a USB if your Surface will boot; even if you have to restore it to factory settings: On the login screen hit the little icon in the lower left that looks like a clock with the hands at 3:00 oclock. Select the On screen keyboard. Click the shift key on the on screen keyboard, it should stay highlighted. Select the power button (mine was lower right) and hit Restart. The device should boot from your installation disk.

You can also hold the down volume and hit power on, releasing the power button but holding the down volume button until you see Surface on the screen.

• Answer the questions about language, keyboard, etc. and hit Next.
• In the lower left you will see Repair your computer select that, NOT the 'Install now' in the middle.
• You will see a Choose an option screen. If youve been trying to restore your device with other techniques, this will be painfully familiar.
• Select Troubleshoot, Advanced options, System Image Recovery; again, this could be painfully familiar but have faith.
• You should be provided with one or more images that can be restored from the volume/disk where your image directory exists. Pick the one you want and it should start the restore. If youve been trying to restore an image as long as I had it will be very rewarding to see the Restoring image and progress bar. It goes through several steps.

My restore ended with an error but I have not found any issues with the device. It booted from my previously elusive image and all was right in my Surface world.

You actually can NOT use the W7 method to prepare the USB drive (not sure why that was marked as Answer).

This is because of the UEFI BIOS. You need to use Rufus, FAT32, and GPT (not MBR). https://rufus.akeo.ie/

Below are settings for the older Rufus version I have.

The newer 2.x versions have a checkbox for standard Windows installation which you should check (vs Windows to Go). I don't think the cluster size will make a difference. The key is GPT vs MBR (and FAT32) and NOT to use the Windows 7 tools MS provides.