Microsoft releases recovery tool for bricked Surface RT tablets

Surface RT users whose devices were "bricked" or rendered unbootable after this weekend's Windows 8.1 update now have an official recovery image tool from Microsoft to use to restore their tablets.

The tool is available for download from Microsoft and weighs in at 3.7 gigabytes. It has to be copied over to a USB drive with more than 4 gigabytes of space, and will restore Surface RT devices to their original condition.

Microsoft had to quickly pull the Windows RT 8.1 update this weekend, after users reported that it rendered their devices unbootable.

The company today issued a media statement saying very few users had been affected by the problematic update — "less than 1 out of every 1000 ( or less than 0.1%)".

However, Microsoft did not say when the WIndows RT 8.1 update would become available again.

"We continue to work towards making the Windows RT 8.1 update available in the Windows Store again and apologise for any inconvenience. Further updates will be provided as they become available," Microsoft said.