Media Creation Tool ISO build question

sportsfan148 · 23 Sep 2019

Hi all, When you go to the Microsoft website to download the Media Creation Tool, is there any way of knowing the exact build of the ISO file before you download it? I cant find anywhere on the website where this might be listed. All it tells you is it is version 1903.
Back in July I downloaded the Media Creation Tool and created a bootable USB flash drive which I still have safely stored away. I used it back then to clean install Windows 10 1903 and I checked immediately after the installation (before updating Windows) and it was the version 1903 Build 18362.239 ISO file. We're now on build 18362.356 but I don't know if the Media Creation Tool on the Microsoft website has been updated to a newer build or not since July.
Im going to be clean installing Windows 10 on a PC at the weekend and I don't want to waste my time downloading the Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft website again if it hasn't been updated and is still the same build as I downloaded back in July. If that's the case I may as well just use the version 1903 Build 18362.239 USB flash drive I created at the time.
If the Media Creation Tool on the MS website has been updated to a newer build since I downloaded 1903 Build 18362.239, is there any point downloading it again or would you just use the older build, 18362.239, to clean install? What do the rest of you guys do in these situations? If you have an ISO of version 1903 that you downloaded when it was first released do you just keep using that for any clean installs and only download a new ISO when a new version (1909) is released? Do you bother downloading the Media Creation Tool ISO again for any intermediate build updates to the ISO when a new Cumulative Update has been added?

Pejole2165 · 23 Sep 2019

The last MMCT version I downloaded was 2 days after the .295 CU (yeah the one with all the issues)… the download had that CU already in it, so I would say MS probably roll them in just before they put them out on updates.
Beyond that I would use the same one up until a new feature set was released, depending on how many Cu's had been released in between.
I see no issue using a slightly out of date version, it just means you'll download a few more updates after install if they aren't included during the setup phase.

swarfega · 23 Sep 2019

Windows Update will update to the latest anyway.

One way to find out what version of MCT you have is to hover over the file in explorer and it give you the link. The file itself is pretty small so won't take long to download.

Bree · 23 Sep 2019

sportsfan148 said:

Hi all, When you go to the Microsoft website to download the Media Creation Tool, is there any way of knowing the exact build of the ISO file before you download it?

Yes. Download the Media Creation Tool. Run it and wait until you see the software licence terms. Now find the file products.xml in the hidden folder C:\$Windows.~WS\Sources

Double-click on it to open in your default browser, or right-click and open in Notepad. This lists every version of the .esd files it can download. Each will include the build number in its name. Currently the MCT makes ISOs for 18362.239. When you have checked, you can either continue and download the ISO, or close the MCT without downloading anything more.

Code:

          <File>
            <FileName>18362.239.190709-0052.19h1_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-gb.esd</FileName>
            <LanguageCode>en-gb</LanguageCode>
            <Language>English (United Kingdom)</Language>
            <Edition>Professional</Edition>
            <Architecture>x64</Architecture>
            <Size>3517470158</Size>
            <Sha1>954ecfb2510fcadc7c75df2746a571be1437231c</Sha1>
            <FilePath>http://dl.delivery.mp.microsoft.com/filestreamingservice/files/22e76acb-8d14-4743-8439-96d75e324ffd/18362.239.190709-0052.19h1_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-gb.esd</FilePath>
            <Key />
            <Architecture_Loc>%ARCH_64%</Architecture_Loc>
            <Edition_Loc>%CLIENT%</Edition_Loc>
            <IsRetailOnly>False</IsRetailOnly>
          </File>

sportsfan148 · 23 Sep 2019

swarfega said:

Windows Update will update to the latest anyway.

One way to find out what version of MCT you have is to hover over the file in explorer and it give you the link. The file itself is pretty small so won't take long to download.

When you hover over the MCT file in file explorer it only gives you 10.0.18362.1. That's the problem. It doesn't give you the exact build that it includes

swarfega · 23 Sep 2019

You can infer from that number that its 1903

You can also use this page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...e-information/

sportsfan148 · 23 Sep 2019

Bree said:

Yes. Download the Media Creation Tool. Run it and wait until you see the software licence terms. Now find the file products.xml in the hidden folder C:\$Windows.~WS\Sources

Double-click on it to open in your default browser, or right-click and open in Notepad. This lists every version of the .esd files it can download. Each will include the build number in its name. Currently the MCT makes ISOs for 18362.239.

Code:

          <File>
            <FileName>18362.239.190709-0052.19h1_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-gb.esd</FileName>
            <LanguageCode>en-gb</LanguageCode>
            <Language>English (United Kingdom)</Language>
            <Edition>Professional</Edition>
            <Architecture>x64</Architecture>
            <Size>3517470158</Size>
            <Sha1>954ecfb2510fcadc7c75df2746a571be1437231c</Sha1>
            <FilePath>http://dl.delivery.mp.microsoft.com/filestreamingservice/files/22e76acb-8d14-4743-8439-96d75e324ffd/18362.239.190709-0052.19h1_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-gb.esd</FilePath>
            <Key />
            <Architecture_Loc>%ARCH_64%</Architecture_Loc>
            <Edition_Loc>%CLIENT%</Edition_Loc>
            <IsRetailOnly>False</IsRetailOnly>
          </File>

18362.239 is the same build as I downloaded in July. Pejole2165 said earlier in the thread that he had downloaded MCT with build 295 CU included so I don't knowhow he's managed that unless MCT with 18362.295 CU was later pulled from the MS website and put back to 18362.239 CU, the same as you are seeing and the same build as I downloaded back in July.
Even if it has been updated should I still use my 18362.239 Build which I have already?

Bree · 23 Sep 2019

sportsfan148 said:

When you hover over the MCT file in file explorer it only gives you 10.0.18362.1. That's the problem. It doesn't give you the exact build that it includes

That is true, the MCT does not get updates, what does change when a new ISO is produced is the products.xml file, one of the first things it downloads before it can make the ISO. In fact, the 1809 MCT will make the latest 1903 ISO too, because the products.xml file tells it too.

sportsfan148 · 23 Sep 2019

swarfega said:

You can infer from that number that its 1903

You can also use this page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...e-information/

Yeah. I know its 1903 but is it Build 239, 267, 295, 329 or 356? I have 239 already on a bootable flash drive created back in July? Im trying to decide whether to just use that for the clean install or whether it is necessary to download the Media Creation Tool ISO again (if it has since been updated to a newer build after a CU release)?

- - - Updated - - -

Bree said:

That is true, the MCT does not get updates, what does change when a new ISO is produced is the products.xml file, one of the first things it downloads before it can make the ISO. In fact, the 1809 MCT will make the latest 1903 ISO too, because the products.xml file tells it too.

If or when Microsoft update the build that the MCT gives you after a new CU is released, is it even necessary for me to download the Media Creation tool ISO again if I already have created a bootable version 1903 Build 18362.239 USB flash drive? Can I just keep using that for clean installs until version 1909 is released?

Bree · 23 Sep 2019

sportsfan148 said:

18362.239 is the same build as I downloaded in July. Pejole2165 said earlier in the thread that he had downloaded MCT with build 295 CU included so I don't knowhow he's managed that unless MCT with 18362.295 CU was later pulled from the MS website and put back to 18362.239 CU, the same as you are seeing and the same build as I downloaded back in July.

I just ran the MCT to get that product.xml, so that's certainly the build currently available.

Even if it has been updated should I still use my 18362.239 Build which I have already?

MS only occasionally update the build that the MCT makes. It has to my knowledge been updated twice since the original 18362.30 was released. It only takes one cumulative update to get you fully up to date, so it doesn't really matter which build you use.

If you let it check for updates during the install it will include the latest CU in the install process. If you don't let the install check for updates then windows update will check when you first start the newly installed system.

Either way you will be fully up to date in the end.