Microsoft working on a fix for Windows RT 8.1 update issues

Microsoft's Windows RT 8.1 update rendering some Microsoft Surface RT tablets inoperable after significant issues. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Microsoft is working on a fix for a "issue" that bricked Microsoft Surface RT tablets after updating to the new Windows RT 8.1 operating system.

Microsoft was embarrassingly forced to "temporarily" remove the operating system update for its Surface RT tablets from the Windows Store after some of the updated devices could not be restarted.

One user has posted a suggested fix for the problem, which involves creating a bootable USB drive from another Windows computer, and then repairing the boot drive on the tablet.

The update is limited to a small number of Windows RT tablets – using ARM chips – and not full Windows 8 PCs with Intel chips, including the Surface Pro.

"Microsoft is investigating a situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT devices to Windows RT 8.1. As a result, we have temporarily removed the Windows RT 8.1 update from the Windows Store," a Microsoft Surface support engineer explained on a Microsoft community forum.

"We are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience. We will provide updates as they become available," he said.

 Tablets damaged by the update can be recovered

The number of Microsoft Surface RT machines affected by the update issues is unknown. Microsoft was estimated to have shipped 260,000 Windows RT tablets in July when it reported a significant $900m writedown on its quarterly results due to unsold inventory and price cuts on the tablets.

Released on Thursday 17 October at the same time as a Windows 8.1 update for Microsoft's full Windows 8 PC operating system, the Windows RT 8.1 update is designed only for a limited number of Windows RT machines, which include the Microsoft Surface RT tablet, as well as the Dell XPS 10 and Samsung ATIV Tab.

The update issues are therefore all the more embarrassing for Microsoft as the Windows RT 8.1 operating system is designed to run on a restricted range of devices, unlike its full Windows 8.1 operating system for desktop, laptop and tablet PCs.

Unlike Windows RT 8.1, minimal issues have been reported concerning the full Windows 8.1 update.