Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!

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  1. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #11

    Windows 10 Creators Update - Clean Install without Windows Store (UWP) Apps


    This is a VERY interesting tutorial, thank you!

    I would like to ask, though:

    - Is it absolutely sure that Windows 10 (Pro) Creators Update is functioning properly without Store and the Store Purchase App?

    Because in the past it was [strongly] recommended to not touch (uninstall) the Store App... And I have personal experience from this, because one time I have uninstalled it and I had to clean-install Windows 10 Pro, afterwards. No problem, just asking.

    Anyway, I will leave the Store installed because I will need it to install Calculator and Weather, afterwards, the two Apps I am using. I consider it best to clean-install with everything but Store uninstalled, and get the two Apps I use, afterwards.

    Isn't this better than uninstalling them one-by-one after installation? Is it the same? And what about the Store Purchase App?

    Thank you!
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #12

    Joanne said:
    - Is it absolutely sure that Windows 10 (Pro) Creators Update is functioning properly without Store and the Store Purchase App?

    Because in the past it was [strongly] recommended to not touch (uninstall) the Store App... And I have personal experience from this, because one time I have uninstalled it and I had to clean-install Windows 10 Pro, afterwards. No problem, just asking.
    It is completely safe. The difference this method in post #2 makes is that Store and other UWP apps will be removed before any user accounts / profiles have been created. Windows 10 does not need other UWP apps than Settings and Edge, it will be fully functional whatever you choose.

    Anyway, in your case it's clever to use the "leave Store" option; it's not safer option but when the option to reinstall removed or install new apps remains, it's not so irreversible.

    Just choose your preferred option when setting up / installing Windows:

    Kari said:
    PowerShell command used in video to completely remove all UWP apps including Store during installation:

    Get-AppxProvisionedPackage –Online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

    Alternative for those wanting to keep Store, to be able to reinstall and use UWP apps later on:

    Get-AppxProvisionedPackage –Online | where-object {$_.packagename –notlike “*Store*”} | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #13

    @Kari, okay thank you, I will use the "leave Store" option, when I will clean install [*] the Creators Update as my primary operating system.

    One last inquiry: in my region, Cortana is not yet available. When should I press Shift-F10 to bring up CMD and then notepad?

    [*]: I will wait a day or two to see IF it will arrive through Windows update, and if not, I will then clean install using either the ESD-ISO I got from the Media Creation Tool or the other ISO which contains the install.wim file. I have both but... DISM is not functioning on any of them... I am getting the "sources not found" error on both... Is DISM working for you (on the Creators update?)

    Thank you.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #14

    Joanne said:
    One last inquiry: in my region, Cortana is not yet available. When should I press Shift-F10 to bring up CMD and then notepad?
    That would be here when Windows Welcome Mode (OOBE) stops fist time to wait user input:

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-image.png

    Thanks for pointing out an apparent mistake in my previous instructions, I didn't even think about those users not getting the Cortana assisted Windows Welcome.


    Joanne said:
    I will wait a day or two to see IF it will arrive through Windows update, and if not, I will then clean install using either the ESD-ISO I got from the Media Creation Tool or the other ISO which contains the install.wim file. I have both but... DISM is not functioning on any of them... I am getting the "sources not found" error on both... Is DISM working for you (on the Creators update?)
    A Windows ISO can be based and is using either a normal install.wim file in Sources folder which contains the Windows image being installed, or an install.esd file which is the same as install.wim but compressed and encrypted to save space. When installing from ESD based media, this ESD file will then first be decrypted and uncompressed to install Windows.

    An ISO with ESD file cannot be used with DISM as source.

    Unfortunately ISO images created with Media Creation Tool use install.esd instead of install.wim. A workaround is to join Windows Insider Program, not to start using Insider builds but to get option to download an install.wim based ISO.

    Go to Home page - Windows Insider Program, click Get Started and sign up for Insider Program:

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-image.png

    When signed up, go to Download Windows 10 Insider Preview Advanced and download Windows Insider Preview - Build 15063 ISO, it is the version 1703 ISO containing both Home and Pro editions with normal install.wim file:

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-image.png

    No worries, signing up for Insider Program does not in any way force you to use Insider builds. You would only use the Insider ISO as source with DISM but do your installs from ESD based Media Creation Tool ISO.

    Kari
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #15

    Thank you for your detailed + informative replies, @Kari :)

    I am already an Insider for quite some time now. I download the official Insider-ISO as soon as Microsoft officially releases it.

    However, this time I got the ISO using this tool. This is the ISO I got:

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-11.png


    As shown in this post of mine, DISM is not functioning with that ISO either...

    - Do you think that downloading the latest available Insider-ISO directly from Microsoft will make DISM work?

    Thank you!

    PS_1: @Brink, in his DISM tutorial claims that DISM is functioning with the ESD-ISO. You say that it does not, and my experience confirms you.

    PS_2: On that DISM tutorial I've linked you, a forum user claims that DISM error is nothing and suggests a so called "DISM off-line repair method". I do not understand this method and I doubt its usefulness. I am not asking from you, of course, to explain it to me, I am just stating my opinion.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #16

    Well, I got the official Insider ISO but DISM is still not functioning...

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-1.png

    Anyway, I give up.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 1,983
    Windows 10 x86 14383 Insider Pro and Core 10240
       #17

    Something I'd like to see here - for curiosity's sake - is - what is the location of the diskimage that appears here in "\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\SafeOS\SafeOS.Mount" during setup/upgrade:

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-image.png

    Obviously the disk drive letter "L:" in this case is arbitrary.

    I asked here, and was rewarded with a good solution when I wanted to find the location of a mounted ISO or VHD file:

    How do I find the path to the ISO file of a mounted virtual DVD. - Page 2 - Solved - Windows 10 Forums

    - where the solution was:

    Code:
    Get-Diskimage -devicepath \\.\L:
    
    where L: is the drive letter of the mounted image
    
    
    So how can we find the SafeOS image location?
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #18

    Hello again...

    I have just finished the clean installation of Windows 10 Pro, Creators Update, using the official ESD-ISO from the Media Creation Tool (together with Rufus).

    I rushed in here to report that after using @Kari 's video tutorial (post #2), to clean install my OS with only the Store + Store Purchase App left, and every other Application removed, I have encountered the following:

    - I was not able to unpin the Store and Edge from my Start Menu. The "Unpin from start" option was not available! Only "Unpin from Taskbar" was available, for those 2 programs. (Everything else was already uninstalled, of course).

    After Googling for a little while, without any success, and after SCF /SCANNOW did not find any integrity violations, I have decided to:
    a) delete the "EmptyStart.xml" file from my System32 folder
    b) restore the Group Policy @Kari suggests to its default "Not configured" state.

    After rebooting, a bunch of empty tiles appeared in my Start Menu but now the option "Unpin from Start" was available again! So, I unpinned everything from my Start Menu manually, and now I have left it like this.

    Please, advise IF I should restore "EmptyStart.xml" from my recycle bin back to System32, and IF I should re-enable that Group Policy setting.

    I have just clean-installed with just the system's drivers. No software yet, neither my regular (usual) modifications, until I will (hopefully) get a reply (soon).

    Thank you.
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 591
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit; Windows 10 TP; KDE Neon
       #19

    Joanne said:
    Please, advise IF I should restore "EmptyStart.xml" from my recycle bin back to System32, and IF I should re-enable that Group Policy setting.
    I'm returning a day later, after having finalized my installation, to report that everything is working perfectly and that I have not faced any issues after deleting that "EmptyStart.xml" file from my System32 folder and after restoring that Group Policy setting at its default "Not configured" state.

    Thank you again for this handy tip.

    Tips and tricks - You saw it first on TenForums!-ok.png
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #20

    Re. Rules of Tips - point for general discussion,

    I wonder if the Rules here are limiting good suggestions.

    I see value in having a sticky post where good tips can be posted as they would in many case be the precursor to tutorials etc. I just think limiting it to ones never seen elsewhere, whilst maybe very satisfying, rather hamstrings peoples ability to provide valuable contributions.

    I think we should relax the Rules to "Tips not seen on Tenforums" - opinions anybody?
      My Computer


 

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