Windows 10: WinToGo Free Version for W10 Pro

I am trying to create a copy of W10 on a USB so that I can recover a bunch of files from a machine that experienced a Boot SSD failure. I'm trying to use the latest version of WinToGo Free and I'm using a HP64GB USB 3.0 stick. The ISO file I'm trying to use is the one from Tech Bench (Win10_1511_English_x64.ISO). All seems to be OK until I get to the select System Partitions and Boot Partitions. Then it's over! See attached screen shot. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious but sure could use a little help.

:)

 

Windows 10 or Windows 10 Pro for Surface Pro 3 ?

Hi, I have 2 Surface Pro 3 and wonder if my Windows 10 free upgrade will be the W10 Pro version or W10 Home version.

Thanks for your answer.

 

Go back to free w10 version from w10 pro

Hello

Im going to explain my problem since de begining:

I had problems with my w10 version that I get from the update from w8.1, so I decided to restore my w10. During the process it show me an error so I freaked out and decided to reinstall w10. So I get the tool to do so from another pc, and it show me 2 options:
install w10 home or install w10 pro. First I install w10 home, since I thought my w10 version was the most basic, but it says that I need to purchase a license. So I decided to try the other version. Now I have the same problem, and no money to purchase a
license. My question is: Given that I don't have my product key from w8.1 and I don't know my previous key product for w10 (The version that was free), is there any way to go back to the free version of w10? and if not, What is going to happen to my pc if
I don't activate my w10 pro version?

thank you for all the help you can get me

 

What is the formatting of the 64GB Thumb drive? What format is required for the WinToGo? Windows has some issues with FAT32 formatting over 32GB. Can you increase the size of that Virtual hard disk from 14GB to something more like 24GB or even 32GB?

 

Hi there

I've tried various methods of getting Windows to Go to work for W10 PRO -- the AOMEI partition manager even has an integrated "Windows to go" creator but at the stage "browse to Windows installation location" -- i.e my W10 ISO it gets about half way extracting the WIM and then fails with a message like not a Valid Windows installation media --which is obviously 100% B/S since that's the iso I used for a CLEAN W10 install.

The W10 Enterprise version seems also to be hobbled to only run on "Certified devices" -- there's also nowhere on the Ms sites that I can find where I can get the "Imaging" program - on W8 I used GIMAGEX and you could download the ADK -- can't locate the W10 version of these (assuming there is one).

For those who are interested Windows 8.1 could easily create a Windows to Go on any USB device certified or not

How to Create a Windows To Go USB Drive Without the Enterprise Edition

Anybody managed to get ANY version of W10 as a bootable Windows to Go product on a non certified device (Enterprise vesrion or not). Note - I want a stand alone bootable version - not one using VHD files since those require an initial partial boot up of the HDD to mount the virtual disk(s).

The Windows to go should boot even if there's no HDD at all in the computer !!!!.

If you need to recover data either create a Win 8.1 windows to go as above - or if you know Linux get a live CD and use that -- Linux can read and write NTFS files these days.

I'd still be interested though if anybody has got W10 to go working on an ordinary (not certified) external USB device.

Cheers
jimbo

 

First, I have tried USB 3.0's that are 32, 64 and 128GB. All were formatted as NTFS. AOMEI acted like it worked. The USB's created had all the right stuff on them but they would not boot?! Or at least I let the little W10 circle go for 5 or 10 minutes and nothing seemed to be happening. WinToGo Free was a no go per the above screen shot.

Now, I tried the gimagex and have run into more issues. I have 6 W10 v1511 machines of various vintages but no systems still running W8 or W8.1. gimagex appears like it needs some files from the Microsoft ADK download per the gimagex Help File. Is that correct? Can I install the ADK download for W8.1 on a machine running W10? Will that fix the issue shown in the attached Screen Shot? I think I may just go buy a cheap laptop and skip the WinToGo exercise! Just joking, I think.

 

Hi there
Currently I'm not on Windows so I can't get the Windows ADK -- there is a W10 version but it downloads an .exe file - no off line installer --on a Linux system a .exe file is about as useful as a Chocolate Teapot.

I wish Ms would realize that people often use other systems to download stuff --sometimes also its the only choice if your Windows OS is broken !!!

I'm not sure though whether the W8 GIMAGEX version works with the W10 ADK - something I need to try out once I get a Windows system upp and running again.

You can sysprep to a WINPE type of system but that's not the same as a full blown Windows to go.

Windows to go 8.1 works perfectly though is you can put up with the W8.1 interface.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I notice you have the Virtual hard disk size set to 14GB. Would that be large enough to hold a complete Windows x64 installation? What about increasing the size of the Virtual hard disk?

 

This is almost certainly the problem.

Actually on any flash drive, you might as well use all the flash drive capacity as it can only be installed as legacy bios, as you can only have one partition on the drive anyway (unless a wintogo flash drive as they can have a uefi install).



Even if it did install in 14GB, there would be liitle space for it to function.

 

Well, I just did it on a flash drive and it worked fine. I didn't get past the first reboot, though because, of course, it is slow. I did make the vhd drive 25GB in size. I have now made a WinToGo USB hard drive. That allows you to have a system partition and a boot partition. I'm past the first reboot after installing hardware drivers. Won't boot in UEFI mode, only legacy mode. This is not on a VHD drive. I suspect I'll be able to fix it so it boots in UEFI mode. Then the next project will be to see if I can make it dual boot between 32-bit and 64-bit

 

Not In Legacy Mode....

Or use an External HDD as your portable device it will support booting both UEFI or Legacy Mode(s)
You will just have to create a small 100MB Fat32 partition for the Boot Files - the rest of the external HDD will be NTFS then create your Partitions or VHD's...

Or just Legacy Boot Option, to boot different VHD's... The Limit to the amount and size of VHD's is only limited to the size of the HDD

Booting VHD's in Legacy Mode does not have the partition limit... As all the VHD's are on the same partition...

When creating the Boot Files - you have to create them FIRST by writing the files from a Windows 8.1/10 OS..

Then you can boot a windows 7 VHD as it is the Boot Files that support booting VHD's and Windows 7 Boot Files do not support VHD booting...

As, you may not be able to Tell, I have done extensive testing with VHD booting, both internal and external drives and boot files written either internal (host) or external and Both...

The only issue I have come across is booting an internal Windows 7 x86 VHD from an Internal UEFI Host... The Boot files have to be external..

Here is a very good program for doing it > WinNTSetup v3.8.9 / 3.9 Beta 2

 

Wintousb using UEFI boot manager, Windows To Go Creator, All-in-One Microsoft Windows Setup software - The EasyUEFI Development Team works fine in EUFI installs but menus can be confusing.

Should be faster in EUFI as well as usb3 does not always work in legacy bios mode (I could never get it to work on a usb legacy bios flash drive but it worked in uefi hard drive).

I do not know of anway of making it dual 32/64 boot from external drive though (beyond my paygrade ).

 

I'm back! I guess I was successful at creating a WTG W8.1 USB bootable after increasing the Virtual Disk from 14GB to 30GB. However, it is sooooo slow that I would say it is not a viable alternative - at least for me. I finally gave up and used WinToGo free version to send the output to an old 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 SSD connected to a USB external device. That worked and it was very fast. The only issue - I could not boot the SSD via the USB external device?! But when I connected the SSD to a SATA port it booted and ran like any other OS on an SSD. That will get my original job done. I'm curious, has anybody actually created a usable WTG on a USB stick? What kind of USB device did you use? I was using HP 702 USB 3.0 drives (32,64 and 128GB) and they are relative fast when connected to a USB 3.0 port but apparently not fast enough to make a usable WTG device.

 

Problem with legacy bios usb flash drives is they do not always use usb3. Not sure if this is bios related.

Even then, you still need a good flash drive (at least 30-40/MB/s). The san cruzer extreme which is as fast as a hdd for writing and a lower end sdd for reading easily beats this (max usb2 is 60 MB/sss but rarely achieved). The SCE is not bad buy a bit sluggish.

However a uefi based ssd will be much faster as it can uses usb3.

 

then your performance will be greatly affected by the quality of your USB flash stick. i strongly recommend the SanDisk CZ88!

before, i thought the speed depended on the computer, not the USB stick. i was wrong.