Can't create Windows 10 Installation Media. Any ideas?

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  1. Posts : 30
    Windows 10
       #1

    Can't create Windows 10 Installation Media. Any ideas?


    I'm in the process of building a new computer for my wife. I've purchased a new Windows 10 Home license and planned to use Microsoft's installation media creation tool to create an install flash drive. It seems like a no-brainer but the tool won't recognize any of my flash drives and I have no idea why.

    I had a spare 4GB drive that was supposedly big enough but it wouldn't show up on the drive list in the tool. The only thing that showed up was my external hard drive. I've tried three different 16GB drives thinking maybe there wasn't quite enough free space on the 4GB, but they don't show up either. The only drive that shows as available is my external backup drive.

    I'm not certain if it makes a difference but I thought I'd mention that all of the drives I've tried, the only ones that I have access to, are SanDisk brand.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 13,896
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #2

    Will File Explorer see any of the USB drives? Could be your ports have a problem. And you may need to assure you are plugging them into a USB 2.0 port, not USB 3.0. An issue exists in that the BIOS supports onboard USB 2.0 [Legacy] but needs the OS installed to get support for USB 3.0, can prevent booting to the USB drive. Also, the drive needs to be formatted as FAT32, usually the way they come.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 30
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for your reply. The computer I'm using to try and create the media doesn't have any USB 3.0 ports, so I know that's not the issue. Also, the drives I'm using are brand new and are all still formatted as FAT32. Yes, File Explorer sees the drives and I can moves files to and from them.

    They just don't show up as USB drives from within the tool. From everywhere else they're perfectly fine.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 30
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #4

    I don't know what this is is/was, but it must be related to something on my desktop. I tried it from my wife's older (2009) Dell laptop and it picks the flash drive up without a hitch. It is installing to the flash drive as I type. I still don't know why it wouldn't work from my computer, but as long as I get it created, I guess I really don't care.

    Thanks anyway for your reply.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #5

    Some USB flash drives show up as fixed disk, instead or removable media. It's a bit set in the firmware or the USB drive. Sandisk I believe may be one of them? This can cause issues with some utilities, they exclude them from the list of suitable drives. Also as you found out, 4 gig drives aren't big enough, you need at least 8 gig.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 30
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #6

    alphanumeric said:
    Some USB flash drives show up as fixed disk, instead or removable media. It's a bit set in the firmware or the USB drive. Sandisk I believe may be one of them? This can cause issues with some utilities, they exclude them from the list of suitable drives. Also as you found out, 4 gig drives aren't big enough, you need at least 8 gig.
    I saw some other people saying similar things, but it worked fine on my SanDisk drive, once I moved to my wife's laptop, just not from my desktop.

    I saw others saying that they needed more space too, but I created a Windows 10 64-bit installation with all the options I had available to me, and it would've fit onto a freshly formatted 4GB flash drive in the typically available free space. These days, with the low price of flash media, who doesn't have several flash drives larger than 8GB lying though? Heck, I just purchased a SanDisk 3-pack of 16GB drives for $20 and some change.

    Thanks again for the replies.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #7

    The OS in use might factor into too. You wife's laptop may not have detected them as fixed disks. Anyway, you got there eventually and that's what counts. I use diskpart to create my bootable install media. It gets around all those little niggles.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 4,224
    Windows 10
       #8

    Hey, Alphanumeric!
    Could you provide a quick list of steps to use diskpart for creating and building bootable media, or use Screen Recorder to capture your actions while creating such a device? I'd find it immensely interesting and helpful. Have encountered problems with both MCT and Rufus and would like to learn "another way!"
    Thanks in advance,
    --Ed--
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #9

    EdTittel said:
    Hey, Alphanumeric!
    Could you provide a quick list of steps to use diskpart for creating and building bootable media
    Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive

    Pay particular attention to the important note after step 9. Personally, I just always use FAT32 because FAT32 is compatible with both legacy BIOS and UEFI. For step 12 you mount your ISO file and copy all the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 15,024
    Windows 10 IoT
       #10

    NavyLCDR said:
    Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive

    Pay particular attention to the important note after step 9. Personally, I just always use FAT32 because FAT32 is compatible with both legacy BIOS and UEFI. For step 12 you mount your ISO file and copy all the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive.
    Thanks, and to using Fat 32. For the same reason. One thumb drive/procedure good for both Legacy and UEFI.
      My Computer


 

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