Windows image creation tool

New 24 Dec 2021 #1 Media Creation Tool versus Disk Image It seems that there are two different ways to install Windows 11, say: download the Windows 11 image or use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB image. I'd like to understand the difference between these two methods and the reasons for choosing one over the other. I assume that the same considerations apply to Windows 10. New 24 Dec 2021 #2 pwabrahams said: It seems that there are two different ways to install Windows 11, say: download the Windows 11 image or use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB image. I'd like to understand the difference between these two methods and the reasons for choosing one over the other. I assume that the same considerations apply to Windows 10. I agree with everything dalchina has written.Drawing a distinction between pwabrahams said: It seems that there are two different ways to install Windows 11, say: download the Windows 11 image or use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB image. is a false distinction.- Downloading the "ISO" file [the image file you referred to] allows you to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11. You can also use the installation USB to upgrade.- To install Windows 11, you would need to use the ISO file to create an installation USB first or to use the MCT to create an installation USB for you.You would consider exactly the same issues & do exactly the same things if you were considering whether to install or upgrade to a new Windows 10 Version.For both Windows 10 & 11, the upgrade procedure is called a "Repair install" or an "In-Place Upgrade". Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - TenForumsTutorialsUpgrade to Windows 11 - ElevenForumTutorialsRepair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade - ElevenForumTutorialsFor both Windows 10 & 11, the install procedure is called a "Clean install".Clean Install - TenForumsTutorialsClean Install Windows 11 - ElevenForumTutorialsIn essence, the difference between a Repair install / In-place upgrade and a Clean install is that - For a Repair install / In-place upgrade, you boot into Windows in the normal way and then run the setup.exe that is within the ISO file / InstallUSB. This procedure should keep all your user accounts, installed applications & user files.- For a Clean install, you boot from the InstallUSB and it runs its setup.exe file. This procedure will remove all previous user accounts, installed applications & user files.Merry Christmas,Denisdalchina - And a Merry Christmas to you too. New 24 Dec 2021 #4 The Media Creation Tool creates either an ISO file or a USB flash drive that contains an install.esd file, which is a compressed version of install.wim. This is so that it will be less than 4 GB and a FAT32 flash drive can be created with it which is more universally compatible with UEFI computers than NTFS.The direct download link below the Media Creation Tool will download an ISO file with

Ready to install or reinstall Windows 8.1 but you don’t have a installation disc? In the past, it’s quite difficult to grab a copy of Windows setup ISO image, even if you have a genuine product key at hand. And now, thanks to a new online tool from Microsoft – Windows Installation Media Creating Tool, which lets you to download Windows 8.1 ISO image and create a installation media right away.To download and create a bootable CD or USB flash drive with the Windows 8.1 installation files, please follow the steps below:Head over to Microsoft’s installation tool webpage, and then click the Create media button to download Windows Installation Media Creation Tool (about 1.26 Mb).Once the file finishes downloading, double-click it to launch the Windows Installation Media Creation Tool. Connect your USB flash drive (at least 4 GB of space should be available) or insert a blank DVD.This program allows you to select your desired language, Windows 8.1 edition and system architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). As far as editions are concerned, you can get Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Pro, the N versions of both operating systems, or a single language Windows 8.1 version.After clicking the Next button, you’ll be presented with two options to save the installation file: create a Windows 8.1 installation USB drive or save the setup ISO image for later user. If you don’t have a USB drive at hand, you should select the 2nd option to save the installation ISO image on your PC which can

Upgrade to Windows 10 version 20H2 using the Update Assistant tool, use these steps:Open this Microsoft support website.Click the Update now button to save the tool on your device.Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)Double-click the Windows10Upgrade file to launch the assistant.Click the Update Now button.Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)Click the Next button.Click the Restart Now button.After you complete the steps, the Update Assistant tool will download the update files, and it'll install the October 2020 Update, preserving your files, apps, and settings. Using this method could take a long time depending on your internet connection and hardware configuration.You should only use the Update Assistant if the device is running version 1909 or an older version. If you have the May 2020 Update, the tool will perform a full reinstallation of Windows 10, which will take more time, and the chances of coming across issues will increase.Alternatively, you can use the Media Creation Tool to do a clean installation or in-place upgrade of the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.Warning: The upgrade setup uses a non-destructive process, but it's still recommended to create a temporary full backup of your PC before proceeding, in case you need to rollback.To upgrade Windows 10 with the Media Creation Tool, use these steps:Open Microsoft support website.Click the Download tool now button to save the installer on your device.Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)Double-click the MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe file to begin the in-place upgrade process.Click the Accept button to agree to the terms.Select the Upgrade this PC now option.Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)Click the Accept button again to agree to the notice and license terms.Confirm the Keep personal files and apps option is selected.Quick tip: If the option isn't selected, click the Change what to keep link to choose

Security related. In order to successfully perform a Windows 11 upgrade an unsupported Windows 10 installation, Microsoft has provided a registry hack that will allow the Windows 11 upgrade to proceed even if the hardware is not supported.You need to use Regedit and add the following registry key before performing the Windows 11 installation. Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupMoSetup Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1If you choose to install Windows 11 on a device that does not meet these requirements, you should refer to Installing Windows 11 on devices that don’t meet minimum system requirements to ensure you understand the risks of running in this environment. It’s worth noting that if you do this and experience problems, you still have 10 days to roll back to your previous windows 10 installation.Creating Windows 11 installation mediaTo get the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool or the Windows 11 ISO go the Windows 11 Software Download page that was previously shown in Figure 6. To use the Windows 11 ISO file, you essentially just download the ISO file and then mount it or burn it to bootable media and then run the setup.exe file. The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool can be used to create an ISO file or a bootable USB drive.The USB option is a slightly handier, so let’s take a closer look at creating and using a USB drive to install Windows 11. If you refer back to Figure 6, you can see the Download Now button under the Create Windows 11 Media section. Clicking the button will download the MediaCreationToolW11.exe program. After the download is complete you can immediately run the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool and it will initially display the Applicable notices and license terms dialog that you can see in Figure 11.Windows 11 Media Creation Tool – Accept license (Image Credit: Petri/Michael Otey)Clicking Accept displays the Select language and edition dialog that you can see in Figure 12.Windows 11 Media Creation Tool – Select language and edition (Image Credit: Petri/Michael Otey)Like you might guess, this dialog allows you to choose your installation language and the edition of Windows 11. However, the only edition option that you can choose is Windows 11. You can also check Use the recommended options for this PC. For previous releases, this dialog controlled whether you got the 32-bit or 64-bit editions. However, in this release it doesn’t appear to actually do anything. Clicking Next displays the Choose which media to use dialog that you can see in Figure 13.Choose Media (Image Credit: Petri/Michael Otey)The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool can generate either a bootable USB drive or an ISO file. This ISO file is exactly the same as the one you can download from the link on the Download Windows 11 page that was shown in Figure 6. Using the USB drive option tends to be a bit more portable and convenient but the best option depends on your own installation plans. In Figure 13 you can see the USB flash drive option