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

And now, just this morning, I added a Macrium Reflect Rescue ISO file (just copied the ISO file over - not extracted) to the root of the USB flash drive, and the MiniTool Partition Wizard ISO file (again, just copied the ISO file over - not extracted) to the root of the USB flash drive, and used EasyBCD 2.2 to add boot options for the ISO files using the Run from disk option. EasyBCD 2.2 defragged the drive (or at least the ISO files), and I have verified that everything still boots and runs!

So, now I have a 32/64bit Windows 10 Home/Pro install USB with Macrium Reflect and Partition Wizard! I have previously tried running the Windows 10 installation ISOs the same way, but as usual they would throw an error after the Install Now button (I think) about needing a disk driver of some sort. That's the same error I get whenever I try anything different with the Windows 10 installation ISOs.

 

Well with the remaining space on the 16gb flash drive I manage to fill it in with some goods here as well. If the drive is a Western Digital or a Seagate on the system 10 will be going onto each company provides their own form of Acronis True Image free of charge to their customers. With Seagate that would fall under "SeaTools" while WD simply calls their's WD Acronis.

The notation on that is WD only provides a form good on WD drives only while SeaTools are good on all brands. Personally however for my own gear I simply toss on the full retail version of Acronis TI Home 2010 that still runs well on 10! Must be the "10" seen in both?! *Biggrin

Meanwhile almost 95% for the 64bit extraction headed after for the 32bit ISO and then can compare notes. Have some other file transfers in progress for a bit since the new 2tb backup drive was added in. 4tb internal and the Green Power 1tb back in the external usb enclosure since that borrowed for a bit. Well got to expect 5yrs. of use on one storage drive wearing out to be expected! The other went into the mini tower for 7 and a backup partition on the back end since the case only allows two HDs!

UPDATE: And now to get things cleared up! It must be from keeping all kinds of hours lately or somethings! In any event I know where the problem was and not with UltraISO still to test however but with the Single Language ISO I mentioned earlier only being seen in the Home edition! At TechBench it wasn't the third option however following Home N but at the bottom. The Pro is being downloaded to get that straightened out and I will be trying it with UltraISO on another flash drive since the 16gb USB 3.0 only creeps along on a 2.0 hub!

Once the Pro was redownloaded the results were seen immediately! Note this was a fast snap when going to confirm the Single Language option seen at TechBench is Home edition only!





2ND Update on USB 2.0 flash drive previously prepared for Pro combo ISO using UltraISO. Program not at fault as suspected! The 16gb 2.0 drive was used on July 29th for the combo option once saved to drive. The subsequent deletion Note of both the 32bit and 64bit folders to be replaced by copy and paste from the 4 in 1 flash drive already made into a temp folder went well.









I suspected it would from having seen this previous with 7 iso extractions as well as combining the updates with SP1. That Single Language option has to be avoided since I was able to confirm that as the Home edition only.

Disregard the attached image if still seen.

 

Stupid question time!

How do you get bcdedit to show you BCD info for the flash drive rather then my boot drive?

I tried changing to J: first then running bcdedit but that made no difference.

 

bcdedit /store F:\boot\bcd /enum

F: being the drive letter to the USB.

 

You have to enter the correct combination while at the command prompt. And I already knew UltraISO wasn't at fault since you pointed to the MC tool option for the Both necessary which was actually the first ISO written to a bootable 16gb flash drive.

The problem being missed however was how the TechBench site omits the "Home SingleLanguage" for "Windows 10 SingleLanguage" when realizing I had the wrong downloads! The USB 2.0 flash drive was already there for swapping out the 32/64 folders while I still wanted to see a 3.0 stick made up for this. Anyways here's a view of what the BCD store looks like on the 2.0 flash drive made up by UltraISO.





The 32/64 option would automatically be seen due to that having been the dual flavored download for the Pro edition simply made up separate from the MC tool's option. I couldn't see where the method of write would effect what was in the two folders and had to look at the two ISO files instead and if you hear anyone else saying they couldn't make one up that would be the place to start.

The tip for duplication if you want to save time is not wait the lengthy period it takes for the MC tool to write and verify things but to use a 3rd part program and simply copy and paste the two already seen 32bit/64bit onto the flash drive once the originals are gone. It only took just under 5 minutes for UltraISO utility to write the combo to a flash drive rather then the 1/2hr. wait on the MC tool! *Rolleyes

It's roughly the same time however for the copy and paste of both folders over to the ready to go flash drive as it does to extract files from one of the downloads. That works here! *Biggrin

Had to get the full view of the BCD store editied in.

 

Thank you.

 

This was a great posting here since I had asked about the possibility of any unlocked ISO as had been seen with 7 years back. Despite the apparent lack of correct naming at TechBench for the Home only SingleLanguage download it was still a great find! The BCD comparison between the UltraISO stick and the MC Tool's BCD are a match as expected since the program is a good one to begin with when looking for a 3rd party option that covers not only Windows ISOs but any for either burn to disk or write to flash drives made bootable.

The DiskPart tool can also tend to that by seeing a flash drive made active. But can still be a little cumbersome and unnecessary when these two methods already take care of it. Now for seeing the occasion to use either the USB 3.0 or 2.0 sticks made up! *Wink Already have all four on dvd as well as on individual flash drives. The laptop upgraded can't boot from flash drives lacking any F12 boot device menu option courtesy of HP for that one! *really

 

Since you two seem to know exactly what you are doing in far greater depth than I do, is it possible to see a step by step post with the new resolution incorporated?

 

The step by step procedure is still in post #5. The only thing different Night Hawk did was in step one he saved the 32/64bit Home or Pro ISO and used UltraISO to create the initial USB stick whereas I just let Media Creation Tool do it.

 

Again, maybe I'm missing something, but is UltraISO the difference that solved the issue? Sorry to be asking so many questions, but as I'm reading through, I'm not following what actually solved the issue, or even what the issue was to begin with.

 

The issue was that Night Hawk somehow ended up dowloading the Single Language Edition of Windows 10 in step #2 - download from Tech Bench. The Single Language Edition only contains the Home version of Windows 10 and that is why he could never get the option to install Pro. What was resolved, though, was that it does not matter if the initial USB stick is created by Media Creation Tool or by UltraISO in step 1 - either one will work. Since you are in the good ole' US of A, when you download the two ISOs from Tech Bench in step #2 you will want to select the top choice in the drop down that is just "Windows 10".

 

Ah ha....now I see. Looks like I have a project for tomorrow. Thanks for the explanation!

 

I used Rufus to create mine, looks and works the same.

 

That wasn't any problem as you can see from the results once it was learned that one of those TechBench downloads isn't a Pro/Home but Home edition only ISO to begin with. The UltraISO was used originally for the 32/64 Pro only downloaded by way of the MC tool and put on a 16gb flash drive. I simply nuked the two 32bit/64bit folders and copied the substitutes onto the already ready to go 10 combo key. Now instead of two flavors of the Pro you see both flavors for both editions.

Someone else as I recall also had a similar problem of not seeing the 4 in 1 being able to get more then the 32/64 option likely from getting caught on the SingleLanguage edition trap there. It was when using the MC Tool for the second USB 3.0 stick I saw what was going on about the TB site not indicating it was the single Home edition. There everything shows "Windows 10" while with the MC Tool you see "Home, Home N, Home SingleLanguage" and 32, 64, or Both as the means to separate each.

I think this issue will be a good warning for anyone else going there and immediately jumping on the SingleLanguage option and finding their's wouldn't work either. When first looking at what to use to make bootable flash drive keys for 7 UltraISO came into view and has done well since for the 8 CP and early 10 TP builds at seeing usb keys made up. That had already been used on the 2.0 16gb flash drive and only needed to the see the copy and paste of the two folders once the originals were tossed to get that one going.
So you can make up the stick on the drive first and then once the flash drive is made bootable copy and paste the consolidation folder contents onto the drive itself and have a working 4 in 1 stick ready to go.. Using the MC Tool option to make up the flash drive takes about 20 or minutes while UltraISO only takes a couple being the difference seen there when it took a half an hour to download and write the 3.0 stick and only 10min. complete to download the "Windows.iso" file. That's a time saving option there.





Another option with that program is being able to compress any ISO disk image down further in size as well as seeing one made up from a folder full of extracted files since the 4 in 1 or simply the 32bit/64bit combo for either edition goes over 4gb the usual size of the flash drive to use for any single version's iso regardless of flavor. Size on drive about 5.56gb total once written either by MC Tool or UltraISO prior to seeing the disk image compressed even further but the 3 digit extension gets changed from iso to isz being the drawback.

If you ended up downloading the same thing by mistake you will! *Roflmao2 All it takes is something small to goof things up royally!

Now as far as a guide I already grabbed several screens that can easily be used to make a guide up. Once you have the first combo on the flash drive you have the choice of simply clearing out or nuking the two forlders depending on whether or not you are extracting direct from a TB download or already have the files unpacked into a preparation folder and simply copy and paste the 32/64bit folders onto the drive once the first are removed.





By already having the contents prepared and ready to go I can replace all of the files on the already 32/64 Home or Pro stick with the 4 in 1 contents stored locally on the drive for addition sticks while not necessary in case you have a friend who needs one.





You can even rename the flash drive to something like "W10 4-IN-1" rather then leaving it as "ESD-USB" to be able to distinguish between the 4 in 1 and any other 10 combo stick you made up as well as a Recovery Drive that also requires a flash drive over 4gb in size like a 8gb model.





I'll have to look around some more since beside the usb tool that came out for 7 there are some others available to see iso images burned to disk or written to flash drive which is the only option for this type of project. The 16gb being slightly oversized allows for the av program and a few other tools packed into separate folders so as not to interfere with the 10 installer itself but simply to have on the drive while still having it plugged in.

So you do have some options while still having the need to follow the steps noting the substitute UltraISO 3rd party program option can step in to substitute for the Create media option for time saving mainly as well as if you had already previously downloaded the 10 combo iso for Home or Pro and simply need to see it go onto the drive first.

 

I'm happy to report it works exactly as described. I was given a choice of platform right away, then after skipping the key, I could choose Home or Pro.

Thanks for all the work you guys put in to this, and for help those like me out!