Windows 10: WinToGo Free Version for W10 Pro

The official Windows To Go can only be done from Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education. And it will only create an Enterprise Windows To Go. If you try to use any other ISO it will reject it. The certified drive issue is to do with the thumb drive showing up as removable or fixed. Certified drives show up as fixed disks. Windows has issues with removable drives with more than one partition on them. Fixed disks don't have those restrictions. It's very restrictive in what you can use. My USB 3.0 Kingston Hyper X is rejected, but my slow as molasses 5400 RPM spinner laptop drive in a USB2 enclosure is accepted. *Confused

 

Old thread but I've tried many of the things above on a non-compatible WTG drive but never had much luck till I used Rufus. Once it worked with W10 Pro 64-bit v1607 but was slow from my legacy BIOS USB 2.0 port. I got a SanDisk SDCZ880-128G-G46 Extreme PRO 128GB USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive and runs at a decent speed.

The one issue it has is that it crashes if pulled unlike the supposedly compatible drives!

 

Are you removing the drive while the computer is running?

 

Things have changed as version 1703 now reads multiple partitions on a standard recoverable flash drive.

It is easy to create a "windows to go drive" even in UEFI mode now. Forget Rufus - a better tool is wintousb (UEFI boot manager, Windows To Go Creator, Free Data Recovery, All-in-One Microsoft Windows Setup software).

Down load tool, run it, select mbr for legacy bios, or gpt for uefi for eufi,
and click selection legacy rather than vhdx or vhd (for uefi as well) and it will create a bootable usb flash drive.

Of course, these are not true "windows to go" installs on certified drives, so removing usb whilst still running WILL crash things and could corrupt usb flash drive.

 

With changes in 1703, you can now create a bootable usb3 with a 32 bit install and 64 bit install.

You basically create one usb3 drive first with a 32 bit install using winto usb (uefi or mbr - click legacy rather than vhd even if a uefi install).

Boot from it and shrink OS partition to be slightly less than half of usb3 capacity. Then backup that partition using Macrium Reflect to another drive.

Now install a 64 bit usb version using wintousb wiping old install. Shrink OS drive to slightly less than half. Also recommend you delete recovery partition.

Then install Macrium Reflect Free and create a boot entry.

Now restore the 32bit version backup to unallocated space with Macrium.

Now reboot and select Macrium, and click "fix windows boot problems" and it will list both. Select next, finish and reboot.

You now have a flash drive with a 32bit install and 64bit install, selectable at boot time. Finally run macrium again to restore boot entry from 32bit install (as that will run on either 32bit or 64 bit).

 

Yes, you are supposed to be able to do that and within so many seconds without any problems.

 

WinToUSB isn't a better tool it's one of the options that didn't work for me. Staying clear of v1703 right now as it has compatibility issues with Paragon HDM15S the backup program that I've used for years.

 

The latest version 3.5 is very good and handles multiple partitions on a standard usb drive with 1703.

Re. Paragon, there are many equally good or possibly better tools for backing up and handling partitions. In any case, can't you do it from a bootable flash drive anyway? My experience with Paragon (I have a licence for one of their backup tools) has never been a happy one.

 

It was early March when I doing this, don't know what version I was using and everything that didn't work was deleted. Just posting what worked for me and what didn't.

The Paragon issues weren't mine but another user, yes, from a bootable flash drive did work for them and was a test that I suggested. Like antivirus, everyone has their favorites.

 

I am guessing you probably used an older version of winusb - version 3.5 was released on 6th March.

 

That probably correct as I ordered that SSD USB drive on 7th of March so that was after all the failures and finally a success with Rufus. Rufus works great unless your talking about Linux on a stick where it lacks the creation of the persistent option.

 

Link to said info please? I don't think that's right. You should shutdown before pulling the drive.

 

That was a YouTube video showing its use back when released on W8.1. Do a search, I'm sure you'll find it. That was to show one that everything was running off the USB drive. A screen comes up informing you that you have X amount of time to plug the drive back in.

 

I still wouldn't do it. If you pull it while Windows is writing to the drive it will be corrupted.

 

You are right.

TRUE Windows To Go as created by Microsoft using certified Windows Drives are desgined not to corrupt USB drive if prematurely removed - of course the live session will crash if there is no drive inserted. I am unaware it will carry on for 15 minutes - possibly assuming you do not try to access stuff on drive in that time.

HOWEVER, what is created by RUFUS or WINTOUSB is NOT a Windows To Go installation although everybody calls it that for simplicity. What it is, is simply Windows bootable from a USB drive and does not have the Windows To Go protection if drive is removed. This is no different from removing any flash drive if you do not properly eject it - you risk corruption. Here the system will crash the moment you remove the drive.