Windows 10: Saving bandwidth when installing W10 in multiple computers

Hi,
I run a small computer repair shop and I have been testing W10 IP for some weeks now in anticipation of a slew of customers wanting my help to install W10 / upgrade to W10 on their computers.

I know about creating an ISO image from an ESD file in order to have myself a copy of W10 32 bit and W10 64bit. I already have a VM of each ready to upgrade to RTM on release and ready to copy and create the two ISO images I will need.

Would this be the normal way to do deployments / upgrades or is there a better way by simply copying the "$windows.~bt" folder from one machine to another? Apart from the x32 x64 aspect of the upgrade files in the said folder, are there any other tings in that folder that relate its contets to a specific machine (e.g. upgrade scripts and log files, drivers, AMD/Intel designation, etc.). What, if any are the benefits / drawbacks of each method (if the copy method indeed works).

Also, If I let the machines use the "download" option instead, is there a way to force the machines to only use the local network to obtain the files via the P2P feature in order to try and save my bandwidth. If so I could fire up the appropriate VM and somehw point the machine to its copy of the files. Perhaps a registry file to limit it and then another file to revert to standard as part of my build effort.

The key thing is to minimise bandwidth and speed up the download phase on my meagre connection but at the same time to leave the finished computer in a "normal" state for the end user upon return so the updates work corretly for them in their own envronment (and their own broadband connections).

Thanks for any tips

Cheers,
Paul.

:)

 

How long does it take to upgrade to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update version 1709?

Saves on bandwidth.

You can upgrade multiple computers

More reliable and gets to the point.

Faster

 

If I have multiple computers, do I have to download Windows 10 on each computer?

Original Title: Windows 10 bandwidth

I have multiple machines that are eligible for the W10 upgrade, but I only have 4GB per month on my Internet plan.

I have access to unlimited bandwidth through work, so ideally I would like to download the upgrade once and then take it home to upgrade the other machines. Is this possible?

I don't want to drag desktops backwards and forwards to upgrade...

 

I'm no expert by any stretch, but the first thing you should know is that in order to get the free upgrade, the computer has to first upgrade from a qualifying OS; genuine Windows 7 or 8 with required service packs and updates installed. I don't see any way around Microsoft's requirements.

Once that is done, then Windows 10 can be clean installed to that machine as many times as you want.

 

Thanks Wynona,

I did know that and this was more aimed at those W7 SP1 and W8.1 machines I get in to upgrade that have alreaady been qualified but the update files have not been downloaded yet. I don't want to download the update each time for each machine but also don't necasserily want to install it from an ISO image unless that is the best way to go.

thanks
Paul

 

It is via download by MS - we are all hoping to create an ISO
The ISO method being the preferred way to upgrade to 10

 

Yes, they have been qualified and yes, you will still need to upgrade each machine separately. It's a Microsoft requirement. *Sad

Unless there's a Partner solution and you're a Partner.

 

Thanks Kyhi,

If I upgrade with an ISO rather than with the download will the "Refresh" and "Reset" options still work the same. Do I need any extra files to be copied over to the target machine at all so that the end user can "self serve" reapiring their own machine etc. I remember back to he old days where you had to copy the old i386 folder over to the C: drive so that a repair or SFC or DISM did not keep asking for the original CD/DVD. I will not be supplying them with a DVD.

Cheers,
Paul

 

As far as I know, if you do a clean install and do not let your Windows 7 or 8 upgrade first, you don't get the free upgrade because Windows 10 can't see the old Windows OS; thus, thinks this is a brand new installation.

 

On an OEM built PC there is usually a recovery image partition that contains the custom install.wim - which is used in the recovery process..

upgrading the PC with windows 10 - registers the windows 10 recovery tools (winre) which so far have been on the same partition as the windows 10 OS..

there are several choices as far as what you are asking
one is to capture a new custom install.wim and place it inside the recovery image partition and then register that with the 10 OS
or create a customrefresh image using recimg.exe

there are many ways to do Push Button Reset - just gotta wait to see just how the upgrade will work first..

is it a matter of just overwriting or replacing certain files - exactly how and where - is the unknown

 

To be absolutely clear.

• I'm looking to upgrade these computers not fresh install (unless thay ask for that).
• I'm not interested in the licensing aspects here - just the technical "How to" aspect. All licences will be either Genuine "free" upgrades or I will procure and sell them a genuine W10 license.
• If I use the ISO I will be double clicking setup.exe from within Windows 7 or 8 and so it will be an in-place upgrade.

Hope that clarifies things and sorry if it was not clear. I guess I may be asking questions that cannot be answered until the RTM.

You raise a good point about the OEM install.wim partition though. I was expecting that to remain as-is and if the user was so inclined to try to use that option they would simply go back to Windows 7 or 8 - not a good situation I guess but I will remember to add notes to their invoice to warn them of this and instruct them how to do recovery using their own W10 DVD or the Shift/Restert method.

I was more alluding to the built-in Windows 10 option to refresh (Shift>Restart initiated). Would this exist and would it be usable? I expect the answer is "yes".

I don't think it will be practical for me to rebuild the OEM recovery partition for each customer, there are so many methods employed by the OEM's for each laptop it seems that this would add hours to the customers upgrade bill.

They will be given instructions on how to burn their own recovery DVD and if they do it - great. If they don't then more they will have to return it to me (for the appropriate fee) to redo the upgrade should it prove necessary going forward.

Does that make sense?

Cheers,
Paul

 

Same as the download will be an in-place upgrade

It appears that once the system (PC) has been flagged as a windows 10 activation - then a clean install can be performed

 

Nice. Just an FYI. I was on build 130. I upgraded one VM to the latest build. I then booted up a laptop with 130 and made sure it was all set to get updates from WU plus machines on local Internet. I carefully monitored machine with wireshark and I'm sorry to say that the second Computer got its update files for the latest build from Microsoft servers and never touched the local machine at all. The p2p feature did not work for me. Both machines were on the same subnet and both were ping-able from each other. Bit disappointing :-(