Query for others who use Rufus to create a bootable Win10 flash drive

NavyLCDR · 02 Jan 2018

I don't think that quote was from me in the tutorial. What you quoted was if you create your own customized ISO file. You can disregard the line about preparing your custom image and saving it to the USB flash drive. Here are the simple steps to create a standard Windows 10 USB flash drive:

1. Use the Media Creation Tool to download and save the ISO file to your hard drive.
2. Insert the USB flash drive.
3. Open a Command Prompt and enter: diskpart (if it isn't an administrator command prompt, it will ask for administrator permission).
4. list disk
5. select disk # <- replace # with the actual disk number of the USB flash drive
6. clean <- this will erase the disk selected above, make sure it is the USB flash drive!
7. create part pri
8. format fs=fat32 quick
9. active
10. exit <enter> exit <enter> - and if the first command prompt was not an administrator command prompt, exit that one too.
11. Mount the ISO file saved by the Media Creation Tool. If you are using Windows 8 or 10, you only have to right click on it and click on mount. If you are using Windows 7, then you must use a program like WinCDEmu to mount the ISO file:
WinCDEmu - the easiest way to mount an ISO. And more...
12. Copy all the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive.

That's as simple as it gets. Between steps 7 and 8 you can enter: "select part 1" without quotes - but it should not be necessary.
Between steps 8 and 9 you can enter: "assign" without quotes - but it should not be necessary.

Ztruker · 02 Jan 2018

Ceating one now from the FCU 64 bit ISO.

Once done it will boot EFI or MBR, very nice.

Added the steps to my database of tips.

sportsfan148 · 03 Jan 2018

NavyLCDR said:

I don't think that quote was from me in the tutorial. What you quoted was if you create your own customized ISO file. You can disregard the line about preparing your custom image and saving it to the USB flash drive. Here are the simple steps to create a standard Windows 10 USB flash drive:

1. Use the Media Creation Tool to download and save the ISO file to your hard drive.
2. Insert the USB flash drive.
3. Open a Command Prompt and enter: diskpart (if it isn't an administrator command prompt, it will ask for administrator permission).
4. list disk
5. select disk # <- replace # with the actual disk number of the USB flash drive
6. clean <- this will erase the disk selected above, make sure it is the USB flash drive!
7. create part pri
8. format fs=fat32 quick
9. active
10. exit <enter> exit <enter> - and if the first command prompt was not an administrator command prompt, exit that one too.
11. Mount the ISO file saved by the Media Creation Tool. If you are using Windows 8 or 10, you only have to right click on it and click on mount. If you are using Windows 7, then you must use a program like WinCDEmu to mount the ISO file:
WinCDEmu - the easiest way to mount an ISO. And more...
12. Copy all the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive.

That's as simple as it gets. Between steps 7 and 8 you can enter: "select part 1" without quotes - but it should not be necessary.
Between steps 8 and 9 you can enter: "assign" without quotes - but it should not be necessary.

Hi Navy LCDR. That's brilliant..everything there in one easy to follow guide. It would be great in the Tutorials section of TenForums. I'm sure a lot of other people would benefit from using that too. Thanks. Ive made a copy of that and saved it so that I can use it whenever I need it. There should be no need now to have to rely on the Media Creation Tool or Rufus in the future.

I just wanted to double-check one thing with you if you don't mind me asking. Its about the order the Diskpart Commands are typed in ...You show "Between steps 8 and 9 you can enter: "assign" without quotes - but it should not be necessary". Is that a TYPO mistake...should it be between steps 9 and 10 (after Active)? I ask because in all cases where Ive seen examples of people who use Diskpart the Assign command (if they've used it) is always the very last one listed before the Exit command. Also, do you think in order to play it safe its better to use the Assign command to dynamically assign a drive letter just in case Windows doesn't recognise the drive or in your experience is it an unnecessary command because Windows will always dynamically assign the drive letter anyway? The reason I'm asking is just in case I'm unlucky and Windows doesn't recognise the drive. Because I'm a novice with Diskpart I wouldn't know what command to type in Diskpart to sort it out. I don't know whether the command would be list disk then select disk, list partition then select partition or list volume then select volume...before using the Assign command. I'm guessing it would be list partition and select the correct partition if I'm understanding the way it works correctly..but I'm not 100% sure...maybe it would be list volume and select volume. I'm not sure really what the difference is between a partition and a volume.

Can you just clarify for me the Mount procedure in Windows 10.
Right click on the ISO file and click on Mount. Is it just a simple matter of highlighting all the files in the open window. Then use Copy and Paste to copy the files over to the USB flash drive?
When you Right Click on the ISO and click on Mount..Does that show all the files of the ISO there on screen? i.e you don't have to have view hidden items (files) open or anything like that? I want to be sure that I copy everything to the USB drive without missing anything.

Chappie · 03 Jan 2018

sportsfan148 said:

My laptop is UEFI. I want to be sure that Windows setup is done in GPT i.e my PC c: drive (system) is GPT.

To create bootable UEFI USB flash drive for installing Windows 10 with UEFI

1. Format a USB flash drive to FAT32 file system (see screenshot below).
2. Copy all the files and folders from the mounted Windows 10 ISO file to the USB flash drive.

Query for others who use Rufus to create a bootable Win10 flash drive-format-usb-flash-drive-fat32-file-system.png

sportsfan148 said:

When you Right Click on the ISO and click on Mount. Does that show all the files of the ISO there on screen?

Yes.

Chappie · 03 Jan 2018

(new member - can't edit my post)

Chappie said:

1. Format a USB flash drive to FAT32 file system.
2. Copy all the files and folders from the mounted Windows 10 ISO file to the USB flash drive.

Now you should be able to boot from your Windows 10 USB flash drive in UEFI mode, but NOT in Legacy BIOS mode.

sportsfan148 · 03 Jan 2018

Chappie said:

(new member - can't edit my post)

Now you should be able to boot from your Windows 10 USB flash drive in UEFI mode, but NOT in Legacy BIOS mode.

Hi Chappie. I thought if you did it that way (formatted the USB flash drive in Windows Explorer) that the bootable USB flash drive that you have created using Diskpart (see Navy LCDR's instructions above) would no longer be bootable. I would always follow NavyLCDR's instructions and prepare and format the USB flash drive using Diskpart to ensure that there would be no problems

Chappie · 03 Jan 2018

sportsfan148 said:

I would always follow NavyLCDR's instructions and prepare and format the USB flash drive using Diskpart to ensure that there would be no problems.

It's okay, but then you should be able to boot from your USB flash drive in UEFI mode or in Legacy BIOS mode.

If you follow my instructions, then you should be able to boot from your USB flash drive in UEFI mode, but not in Legacy BIOS mode. So you cannot select the wrong mode when you boot from USB flash drive.

64-bit UEFI firmware: As long as the USB flash drive is FAT32 formatted and has \efi\boot\bootx64.efi file, it should be UEFI bootable. UEFI mode do not use boot sectors and do not require active partition to be set.

sportsfan148 · 04 Jan 2018

Chappie said:

It's okay, but then you should be able to boot from your USB flash drive in UEFI mode or in Legacy BIOS mode.

If you follow my instructions, then you should be able to boot from your USB flash drive in UEFI mode, but not in Legacy BIOS mode. So you cannot select the wrong mode when you boot from USB flash drive.

64-bit UEFI firmware: As long as the USB flash drive is FAT32 formatted and has \efi\boot\bootx64.efi file, it should be UEFI bootable. UEFI mode do not use boot sectors and do not require active partition to be set.

Hi again Chappie. NavyLCDR's Diskpart method is the one I prefer to follow. I'm just waiting for feedback from him on a couple of questions and then I'll follow his method and do a clean installation.
I understand what youre saying but I don't have an issue selecting the wrong Boot mode when booting from the flash drive. There is only the UEFI option appears as a choice on my Boot options so I would never boot from Legacy Mode BIOS mode. Thanks anyway mate for your input

AddRAM · 04 Jan 2018

Diskpart is awesome, pretty soon you`ll know most of the commands by memory, and Navy has shown that you don`t even have to type in the full command word to get things done, but I prefer to type in the full word so I don`t screw up

cereberus · 04 Jan 2018

Here is the simplest way for UEFI systems

1) format flash drive as fat32

2) mount iso as a drive

3) copy all files from iso to flash drive using file explorer

4) There is no step 4 or more!