Windows 10: How to make 4 in 1 installation USB?

I may be missing the step, but does something need to be done with the Home .iso files, too? I created my flash drive with the two Pro .iso files, and am only getting the options for x64 Pro and x86 Pro.

 

I do love this thread.

This thread and the Showkey thread are my two favorites on this forum. By a long long way. *Smile

 

You need 3 ISOs. You start with the standard dual 32/64 bit ISO for either home or pro that you get from the standard Windows Media Creation Tool. Once you have a working bootable USB made from that then you delete everything inside the x64 and x86 folders. Now you need two more ISOs - you get those from MS Tech Bench:
Tech Bench

You will not create USBs directly from these ISOs - you need to mount them and then copy the files over.

One ISO from Tech Bench is for x64 (64bit), it has both Pro and Home versions. All of the content from that ISO goes into the x64 folder on the USB drive.

The other ISO also from Tech Bench is for x86 (32bit), it also has both Pro and Home versions. All of the content from that ISO goes into the x86 folder on the USB drive.

Three ISOs - one dual architecture 32/64bit for either Home or Pro, one 32bit ISO with both Home and Pro, one 64bit ISO with both Home and Pro.

There seems to be something special about the install.wim files in these ISOs because I made a build 10532 ISO from the ESD file, extracted the Pro image from install.wim and added it to the install.wim for Pro under x64 on my USB, but that one build will not install - I think before disk selection to install to it throws an error that it needs a driver. This has been the problem with every method I have tried, except for the method above. And I simply will not trust any "All in One" that anybody makes other than myself.

 

I went through the steps completely here as well as downloaded the TechBench documentation to look over as well. That was interesting to look over as well as seeing the cleanup tool and all that packaged together while there. The two folders on the flash drive were cleaned out once the first ISO was written and the drive made bootable by UltraISO. I already had both combo images for Pro and Home stashed away while keeping each separate iso as well stored for any additional dvd burns or usb keys made up.

The 32/64 option is seen right away at the start and then the wait for the Install Now screen after the TechBench files had been extracted to each of the two folders on the drive. But still something didn't make it apparently and by default I assume if the installation had been let to go I would have seen Pro since that was the combo image I used here. But all it takes is one little file not to make it and that will gum things up! I ran into that enough when simply burning ISOs for different things to optical media and something would be missing.

 

If you are running it from within a Windows installation, it won't give you the option of Pro or Home to install - it will just default to the version already installed. If you boot from the USB, then it will give you the option of installing Home or Pro after the 32 or 64 bit choice.

 

If you start any of them while in Windows all you end up with automatically will be the upgrade only. You have to boot live in order to get the Custom Install option with any media. But the option for which edition should be seen before choosing between upgrade or Custom install.

How does yours go as far as when that option appears? I suspect you would see that either before or after the choice of 32 or 64 or right before the Install Now and license agreement screens and then go onto choosing which type of install from there.

What I will be trying now is a second extraction to overwrite the first leaving the first iso write to flash drive intact in case as I suspect it was a file or two that simply didn't make it. I'm already half way through with the 64bit and the 32bit is playing catch up at the moment. I'll update the results once I boot live with the rewrite.

 

Quick question on d/l the win 10 pro iso from the Tech link site. Has Microsoft updated these ISO's to include the latest updates?? I would think they should, but thinking that they are the same ISO's I downloaded 5 weeks ago. Meaning if you use these to re-install your windows installation, next you would have to download a ton of updates that have been released over the last 5 weeks. ??
Just wondering....

 

No they haven't updated the ISOs. I don't think they will until a new build is released as the retail build.

 

I'm still a bit confused. So am I to create the USB flash drive directory structure from the ESD .iso of both platforms (x86 and x64)?

Then, assuming that first question is true, I clear the files inside the x86 and x64 directories on the flash drive, and populate with the files extracted from the two TechBench .isos, copying the files into the respective folder?

 

That's correct! But it still hasn't worked here with the overwrite when testing the idea of something not extracted fully into the empty x86 and x64 folders that you clear out first. The Step One part is to see the dual 32/64 iso download with the MC tool written to the 8gb or 16gb if not having an 8gb flash drive onhand and then clearing out those two folders.

Once you have completed Step Two you then extract all the files from the 64bit TB 64bit ISO into the x64 folder now seen on the flash drive. You can do this with the x86 iso first while the x64 will be found above the x86 in the view of the two folders. The process takes several minutes to complete.

This time around things moved a bit faster considering the 16gb flash drive here is a USB 3.0 plugged into a 2.0 hub rather then reaching in behind the case pushed back inside the cabinet area of a computer desk until I can get a 3.0 hub. The board is now 5yrs. old only seeing a pair of those in blue while the 6 2.0 ports are standard black.

The s32/64 selection immediately saw the loading files progrees a lot faster cutting the time in half to reach the Install Now screen and then onto the license agreement and choice of upgrade or custom but no sign of choosing which edition while booted live from the flash drive. I followed and doubled chech each step of the way and still a No Go!

 

I don't know what to tell you Night Hawk. I just booted from my USB flash drive. I get a text boot mgr screen asking whether to start 64bit or 32bit. I selected 64bit. Then I get a purple Windows Setup screen asking for Language, Time, Keyboard layout. Next. Then the screen for Install Now/Repair. Install now. Then the black and white screen asking for a product key. Skip. Then I get a black and white option screen for Pro or Home. I selected home. Then I get the license screen. Accept and next. Then I get the choice for upgrade or custom install. Click custom and I get my partition list. That's as far as I went.

When I cancelled there it took me back to the Install Now/Repair choice so I clicked Repair and I got the troubleshooting boot menu. Selected start another operating system and I got my computer's graphical boot menu.

 

So you are seeing something a little different from what I am seeing here then! Right after I select the kernal you see the black screen with white loading files line as that progresses across the screen. Then a lighter blue screen follows not the default dark blue until the Install Now screen appears. From there the product key followed by the license agreement onto the two options screen for Upgrade or Custom install without anything indicating which edition.

I suspect it is only detecting Pro is already on and refuses to start copying files to another drive then the two existing OS drives! That's a switch! I can nuke 10 or 7 but wouldn't expect the external HD in a usb enclosure but two other internal drives? It has be not allowing a second 10! That would make sense while the install would be canceled out anyways. But not one peak at the two editions.. *Sad

The two folders on the original 32/64 folders on the flash drive itself when using the Pro combo's ISO write to disk by UltraISO not the MC tool is another item of concern from having used a 3rd party program while that hasn't prevented any other live sticks from being made up. But due to how this is a bit different I may have to simply nuke the first attempt and run with the MC tool to see the combo go direct to flash drive and then make the substitutions.

 

I would guess that the problem is in the BCD store on the USB. Ultra ISO probably wrote something different in the BCD store than that created by media creation tool.

This the BCD on my USB flash drive:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {default}
displayorder {default}
{aef8bdba-447f-11e5-9bc9-889ffaad073e}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {default}
device ramdisk=[boot]\x64\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description Windows 10 Setup (64-bit)
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\x64\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
systemroot \windows
bootmenupolicy Legacy
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes
ems No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {aef8bdba-447f-11e5-9bc9-889ffaad073e}
device ramdisk=[boot]\x86\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe
description Windows 10 Setup (32-bit)
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\x86\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f}
systemroot \windows
bootmenupolicy Legacy
detecthal Yes
winpe Yes
ems No

 

An excellent technique, now I carry one USB thumb drive instead of two!
Thanks, Commander!

 

Once the "creating Windows 10 Media portion is over and the two ISOs are opened for the extractions I can cross check the files you have listed for verification. I wouldn't be surprised at something being slightly different with UltraISO having been used since it was different from the older USB Creation tool MS had out for 7 years back as well.

I used that to burn any optical media not only for Windows but the other OSs as well. For video projects that may be another problem regarding 3rd party wares there too! I might not be able to get the other dvd/vcd software on 10 and see that activated since the software company isn't as friendly in that area about multiple reinstalls.

Still at 37% and this is the part that chews the time up since the downloads even for the combo is under 10 minutes.

I have to add this in here! Upon looking at the two ISOs downloaded from TechBench they reminded of the dropdown options list for edition when using the MC tool. You will notice that only the Home edition sees the "Single Language" version not seen with the Pro! The count is 5 not 6 for seeing a single language option for the Pro edition making me wonder if that is where the problem is? You won't ever see a dual edition menu if you only get Home Single! Yet that was seen with both the 32bit and 64bit downloads from TechBench.