Is it possible to create Windows ISO from $WINDOWS.~BT / $Windows.~ws

jhon21 · 15 Aug 2015

Hi,

I was trying to upgrade to windows 10 from my Window 7 PC. I downloaded it using Media creation tool. However, unfortunately, the upgrading process failed and I end up with Windows 10 couldn't install. I tried to run the setup again using the $Windows.~WS folder saved in C:/. But again the installation failed during safe-boot phase.

Now I am thinking of going for clean install. before downloading the ISO from the scratch. I would like to know if there is any way i can $WINDOWS.~BT and $Windows.~WS convert these files into ISO or make a Windows ISO file out of them. They are total 6GB in size.

Any Idea to create ISO out of them?

Night Hawk · 15 Aug 2015

Hello jhon21 Welcome to the Ten Forums!

Been having problems too I see! I ran into failed upgrade attempts at first until I looked over the clean install guide before even a look at the upgrade guide to then realize that I had to unplug the two storage drives I had in the desktop here. Since then one was retired while the other matching drive was replaced by a larger drive with the first now external.

Upon the discovery however of where the Boot files and $Windows~BT and ~WS folders ended up I then read the guide and unplugged those two non OS drives and suddenly with the USB Installation Key made up since the online upgrade attempt had already failed plus wanting to see a full clean later 10 went on without a fuss! But as these guides will help you aas well the first upgrade needed a serious repair! Let's look over the guides that will help you along!

The setup files by the way you can run right from the C drive itself are found in the WS folder under "C:\Sources\Windows\setup.exe" which will or should see the initial upgrade start without fuss as long as you do not have any additional hard drives or external drives plugged in. First take a good look at the guides however.

How to Download a Windows 10 ISO File

How to Upgrade to Windows 10

and once the upgrade has gone and been activated...
How to Clean Install Windows 10

bobkn · 15 Aug 2015

jhon21 said:

Hi,

I was trying to upgrade to windows 10 from my Window 7 PC. I downloaded it using Media creation tool. However, unfortunately, the upgrading process failed and I end up with Windows 10 couldn't install. I tried to run the setup again using the $Windows.~WS folder saved in C:/. But again the installation failed during safe-boot phase.

Now I am thinking of going for clean install. before downloading the ISO from the scratch. I would like to know if there is any way i can $WINDOWS.~BT and $Windows.~WS convert these files into ISO or make a Windows ISO file out of them. They are total 6GB in size.

Any Idea to create ISO out of them?

To answer your specific question, if a .esd file remain in $WINDOWS.~BT, you can create an .iso:

Instructions Create a bootable ISO file using ESD Image for - Microsoft Community

There's a modified version of ESD Decrypter around that is named something like esd_to_iso, but I haven't used it.

I haven't bothered with it since the .iso became available for download, but I used it with the preview builds.

Night Hawk · 15 Aug 2015

i have all the files for the combination 32bit/64bit ISO sitting in the WS\Sources\Windows folder there to wrap up and turn into a bootable iso disk image while not even needed for an upgrade install with the destination being on the same drive. You simply run the setup.exe to see the upgrade go right on.

For the clean install on the other hand once the upgrade has taken place you simply use the MC tool and opt to create media once the edition and three choices of 32bit, 64bit, or combination 32/64bit have been decided on. I grabbed all three for both Home and Pro to solve the need to go back and forth here since I have a few other laptops and a 7 Home Premium case to look at.

An excellent little program great for both burning iso to blank dvds made bootable as well as to flash drives in UltraISO you can use once you opt to save 10 as an iso file. It doesn't take long for even the combination iso to download at this time now that the heaviest volume on the MS servers has lightened up considerably! http://www.ezbsystems.com/ultraiso/

I just a little while ago ran the MC tool three consecutive times in a row to get all three for the Home edition not only for other machines but for a few VM projects and each download was finished in a matter of minutes. The previous downloads for some reason of the Home not Pro edition were all stuck on the first non English language and had to be replaced. Had to be the volume of traffic the day those were downloaded to explain why they were incomplete.