Problems with Repair/Install

I'm trying to do a repair/install but am running into some problems I don't know how to handle. I originally asked about this a couple of weeks back in this thread: Repair/Install question - Windows 10 Forums and now finally have some time to do the repair/install.

I downloaded the Win10_1809 iso in 64-bit. Now I'd like to put in on media so that I can actually execute it. Unfortunately, when I try to use IMG_BURN to burn it on to a DVD, it tells me the file is too big by maybe 10%. I went to plan B and tried to put it on a 32GB flash drive which is nearly empty; it's got about 6 times the space I need for the ISO. But that doesn't work either! Windows tells me that the file is too big for that too!

Excuse my French but WTF?

How do I proceed? Is there some way to shoehorn the file onto a DVD or split it over two DVDs or onto the flash drive? Can I put the ISO on my external hard drive (which contains other stuff that I do NOT want to lose) and execute it from there? (The external hard drive is connected to a USB hub and the broken computer can see it fine.)

A Windows 10 iso can be downloaded and installed onto a flash drive making it a bootable flash drive.
Alternatively the iso can be copied and pasted to a flash drive making a non-bootable flash drive.
And if you want to download the iso to the desktop that can also be done.
All three methods should allow you to perform an in place upgrade repair.

Download Windows 10
Download Windows 10 ISO File | Tutorials
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade | Tutorials

To perform an in place upgrade repair:

1) power on the computer
2) insert the iso bootable or non-bootable into any USB port
3) open file explorer
4) identify either the bootable iso or non-bootable iso or desktop iso
5) click on the iso and launch setup or setup.exe
6) follow the text and images in this link:
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade | Tutorials

If the computer developed boot failure then you would need the bootable Windows 10 iso.
Then you could open the windows advanced troubleshooting menu on the flash drive.
There would be options to perform:
a) startup repair
b) system restore
c) command prompt commands
d) custom install
e) clean install
f) etc.

If I'm understanding you correctly, I *can* put the ISO file on a flash drive, either bootable or not. So why won't Windows 10 let me copy the ISO from my (working) laptop onto a flash drive with 24GB of free space when the ISO is less than 5 GB? What do I need to do to the flash drive to make it possible to copy the ISO onto it? If I need to move the existing files from the flash drive somewhere else for the time being and reformat the flash drive for the ISO, I am willing to do it.

Is it possible to split the ISO over two DVDs if I want to go that way? If so, how do I do that in such a way that I can actually execute the ISO on the problem computer?

Can I simply copy the ISO to my external hard drive and then on to the problem computer's desktop and execute it from there? I think you're saying that *is* possible but would it be problematic in any way or functionally identical to using a flash drive or DVD?

Find a flash drive that you can format ( > or = 8 GB)
Perform a fresh download and installation to create a bootable windows 10 iso.
You do not need to do anything to the flash drive.
The download and installation will perform all of the steps.

If you want to do it manually you can.
First you will format the flash drive and then you can copy and paste.
Then you will need rufus or similar software if you want to make it bootable.
This is extra work and the first method is recommended.

If you want to format the flash drive:

1) open administrative command prompt
2) type: diskpart
3) type: list disk
4) look for the disk number for the flash drive
5) double check the disk number for the flash drive
6) triple check the disk number for the flash drive
7) type: select disk 9 (replace 9 with the disk number for the flash drive)
8) type: clean
9) type: create partition primary
10) type: format fs=fat32 quick
11) type: active
12) type: exit


Creating a bootable Windows 10 iso gives you the option to fix the computer if it were not bootable or had other problems such as operating system corruption, problems with windows upgrades, problems with the drive file system, etc.

Again the easiest method is to create a brand new downloaded and installed iso directly from the Microsoft website:
Download Windows 10

RhinoCan said:

If I'm understanding you correctly, I *can* put the ISO file on a flash drive, either bootable or not. So why won't Windows 10 let me copy the ISO from my (working) laptop onto a flash drive with 24GB of free space when the ISO is less than 5 GB?

You cannot copy a 5GB file onto a Fat32 usb. Fat32 only supports a 4GB maximum file size.

Anyway, you don't need to put the iso anywhere to do an in-place repair install. All you need to do is double-click on the ISO file to mount it as a virtual DVD drive. Then you can run the Setup you'll find on this drive. See Step 4 in this tutorial...

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade | Tutorials

What do I need to do to the flash drive to make it possible to copy the ISO onto it?

You don't copy the ISO onto the USB. If you really want to make a bootable USB from your ISO (which you don't need to do for a repair install) then you mount the ISO and copy all the FILES it contains to an empty Fat32 formatted USB. Mark the USB's partition as Active if you need it to boot on a legacy bios machine.

I have no desire to make this any more complicated than it needs to be.

I already have the whole ISO file on this laptop. Is there no way to copy it to the flash drive from here? It's a 32GB flash drive with about 24GB free; the ISO is about 4.5GB, just slightly too big to fit onto a DVD.

If I must download the ISO directly onto the flash drive - I'm curious why but I'll let that slide in the interest of time - does it need to be empty of other files? You imply that it doesn't but I just want to be sure. (I'm also puzzled by why it would allow me to download 4.5GB directly onto the flash drive but it wouldn't let me copy the same file from another source. They seem like they are functionally the same activity).

I'm also confused by your first and third sentences. You advise me to get a flash drive I can format but then you say I don't need to do anything to it; I assume that includes formatting.

RhinoCan said:

I already have the whole ISO file on this laptop. Is there no way to copy it to the flash drive from here? It's a 32GB flash drive with about 24GB free; the ISO is about 4.5GB, just slightly too big to fit onto a DVD.

Is the ISO on the laptop you want to do the repair install on? If so, then mount the ISO and follow Step 4 in this tutorial.
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade | Tutorials

Do you need to copy the ISO to another machine in order to repair install that one? If so, format the usb as ntfs and you will be able to copy the ISO to it. On the other machine you will still have to mount the ISO and follow Step 4 as above.

Bree said:

You cannot copy a 5GB file onto a Fat32 usb. Fat32 only supports a 4GB maximum file size.
Thank you for explaining that! I figured that might be the issue but I'm not up on all the details of what Fat32 can and cannot do.
Anyway, you don't need to put the iso anywhere to do an in-place repair install. All you need to do is double-click on the ISO file to mount it as a virtual DVD drive. Then you can run the Setup you'll find on this drive. See Step 4 in this tutorial...

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade | Tutorials
With regards to Mount-ing the ISO, Power Shell is greyed out when I try to launch it from File Explorer. (That's just one of the many issues I am having with the problem computer. I also lost all internet connectivity with it; it can't see any connections and I can't choose a connection by clicking on the task bar; that's just ignored.) Can I simply copy the ISO from my working computer to my external hard drive, then copy it from the external hard drive to the problem computer's desktop and mount it from there? I'm willing to do that if it doesn't get my external hard drive deleted.




You don't copy the ISO onto the USB. If you really want to make a bootable USB from your ISO (which you don't need to do for a repair install) then you mount the ISO and copy all the FILES it contains to an empty Fat32 formatted USB. Mark the USB's partition as Active if you need it to boot on a legacy bios machine.

I am absolutely NOT wedded to the idea of using a flash drive; I thought a flash drive or a DVD were my only options given that I can't download onto the problem computer directly.

RhinoCan said:

I am absolutely NOT wedded to the idea of using a flash drive; I thought a flash drive or a DVD were my only options given that I can't download onto the problem computer directly.

Format a usb to ntfs, then you can copy the iso to it. Take the usb to the other machine and copy the iso to its hard drive (it will be quicker from the hard drive than trying to use is from the usb). Then mount the iso to be able to run the setup files it contains.