Windows 10: Win 10 ISO MCT vs ISO-DL page

So there are 2 ways to download ISOs for Windows 10:
Windows 10 <--- Downloads a tool you can use to generate your own ISO.

and

Windows 10 ISO <--- Downloads the ISO straight from MS (same as MSDN)

If you try and access the second page from a Windows PC (with IE, FF and Chrome), you'll get redirected to the first. Use a browser-agent spoofer (e.g. chrome extension) to change it to safari to avoid getting redirected.

Anyway, using the MCT (media-creation-tool), you have the option of making an ISO that contains EITHER Home or Pro with BOTH x32 AND x64.
Downloading from MS you can download one 32-bit ISO that contains BOTH Home and Pro, and one 64-bit ISO that also contains BOTH Home and Pro.
So opposites...

So if you have both ISOs from either source, you have every possible installation source (not sure how to word it), e.g.
Home 32
Home 64
Pro 32
Pro 64

Except there's a big difference in the file sizes.
If you download the ISOs from MS-page, they're both ~3GB, =6GB total
If you generate both ISOs from the tool, they're both ~6GB, =12GB total.




Long post, but can someone explain the difference between the file sizes?

:)

 

windows 10 (1511) ISO.

I have downloaded win 10 (1511) iso before Microsoft pulled this update from MCT. My question is , can I use old win 7 , win 8 or win 8.1 keys with this iso in future to install and activate OS on my system.

 

Win10 Media Creation Tool - Do you need new version(s) to get the latest ISOs?

Here's the semi-final report, which still leaves things a bit up in the air:

Media Creation Tool Download Date Size Size of "Both" MD5 Hash
================ ============ ==== ISO Created on 2/19/2016 ========
=====================
64-bit 10/2/2015 19,272 Kb 6,067,904 Kb
32-bit 11/13/2015 18,014 Kb 5,750,400 Kb 15FC09A63E10FAAA16165CB2543B522E
Unspecified 2/19/2016 18,015 Kb 5,750,400 Kb 330B4922AF12E3D0283F6651CAD11EA5

The above makes me think that the new default MCT itself is a 32-bit program. It can download an ISO that will work strictly on a 32-bit or 64-bit system or that will function on both. While there have been slight changes to the tool since November, it
appears that the November 32-bit tool and the only MCT that I could download today create the same ISO.

I don't think that the hash results are significant because they actually assemble the ISO rather than downloading a straight ISO file.

I suspect that as time marches on that the ISOs constructed on any given date by the latest MCT and future ones may very well be the same, but only time will tell.

You've now got as much data as I do. I would still download the latest version of the MCT ISO creation program before creating a fresh ISO for Windows 10 each time I wanted to create one (provided it's not different 32 vs. 64 vs.
both ISOs on the same day). Since the program itself is small and takes virtually no time to download when compared to the material used to generate the ISO that simply makes sense.

 

two different Arch in the larger ISO's
just a few different files between home and pro - same arch ISO's

 

The ISO I made from the 64bit tool is 3.12GB.

 

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! *Smile

 

I'm not sure how it works for Windows 10. But for Windows 8.1, the Core ISO also contains all the files needed to upgrade to Pro via add features. The Core ISO can end up being bigger because it has the mechanism built in for Add features. All the Pro features are there, they are just disabled. This lets you upgrade to Pro by just entering a Product Code. No install media is needed. If you install Pro everything is unlocked by default and no need for the extra Add features stuff. Not for Windows 10 anyway, Pro is as high as you can go. In 8.1 you can add media center but that downloads to install. That's why Home and Pro ISO's are so close in size. Comparing the MCT Home OR Pro ISO's to the MSDN Home AND Pro ISO's isn't a fair comparison. Especially if its 32 bit and 64 bit. There is no comparison.