"Could not find the recovery environment": How to reset after directly upgrading via Windows Media Creation Tool without external boot media?

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I understand the inconvenience you are facing currently. Let me help you in resolving the issue.

I suggest you to refer the link below and follow the suggestions given by Barb Bowman and check if that resolves the issue.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro3-surfusingwin10/cant-reset-surface-pro-3-after-windows-10/2b46106e-ae6c-4c1c-acf5-7d67243bbe41

Hope the information helps. Please let us know if the issue persist and we will be happy to assist you further.

The first step is "Double click the recovery image that you downloaded to open and unzip (extract) the files," but I do not think I was given any file from the Windows Creation Tool, but rather the Windows 10 Pro upgrade-installation occurred directly and immediately.

To put it in other words, it was similar to a download situation where one clicks 'Run' rather than 'Save as', such that no file is stored in a specified location: As I recall, I selected something like 'upgrade this PC' rather than 'upgrade another PC'.

Either way, I returned the Surface 3 Pro to the Japanese seller, who I understand is replacing it with another computer.

We appreciate your time and effort for getting back to us and I apologize for the delay in responding.

Is your issue resolved?

Let us know so that we can assist you further.

The issue was "resolved" by returning the computer, getting my money back, and not using the Surface Pro 3. Technically this is a failure, not a proper resolution: Either Microsoft failed to design a working product, or the Japanese company working with this Japanese university failed to sell us a working product. (The replacement displayed a glitchy lock screen -- flickering red-green horizontal lines -- so I also returned it, rather than risk a display hardware failure. Both models we tried came with 8.1 Pro installed, requiring a 10 Pro upgrade, rather than coming with 10 Pro installed from the beginning. I wonder if the 8.1 Pro Surface Pro 3's are incompatible with Windows 10 Pro.)

I am not certain whether I should wait and try the Surface Pro 4. I hope the Japanese version will have Cortana, and that I will be able to set it to American English mode, but with Japanese location support (i.e. talk in English about Japanese locations including correct Japanese pronunciation for the business names, etc, so it would sound something like: "Cortana, where is the closest ヤマダ電機?").