I'm trying to install Windows 10 on a new SSD drive

NavyLCDR said:

You would remove the old drive, install the new SSD - then boot into your WinPESE x64. Then insert the USB drive containing the ISO file. Mount the ISO file, run setup.exe to install Windows 10 onto the SSD.

Here's the problem....in order to create the standard Windows 10 USB flash drive formatted as FAT32, you need a Windows ISO file that has install.esd, not install.wim because install.wim will be over the 4gb file limit size of FAT32. Pretty much the only way to get the ISO file with install.esd on it directly from Microsoft is with the Media Creation Tool. The Media Creation Tool will only run from a full install of Windows, though, it will not run in WinPESE. So if you want the ISO file directly from MS, you have to download the one with install.wim in it, which is what you have now.

Most UEFI computers will only boot from a FAT partition, not NTFS (unless you enable CSM). So the easiest solution, in your case is to have two USB flash drives. The first one will be the bootable FAT32 flash drive with WinPESE on it. The second USB flash drive will be NTFS and have the ISO file saved on it. Boot into WinPESE from the FAT32 flash drive in UEFI mode. Once in WinPESE you can remove the FAT32 flash drive (if you want), and insert the NTFS flash drive with the ISO file on it. Mount the ISO file and run setup.exe.

Once you get your Windows 10 installed on the SSD, then you will have a full Windows 10 install that you can use to run the Media Creation Tool and then you can create your standard Windows 10 installation USB flash drive using the Media Creation Tool.

You've got it in a 'nutshell', I could of saved myself a lot of time and annoyance and asked here first. Your awesome, Many thanks. I'll have a go tomorrow morning.

The Windows iso downloaded from the Microsoft website are esd.
The Windows iso downloaded from non-Microsoft websites are typically wim.

Once the iso is downloaded to documents/desktop or a flash drive > click on the sources folder > look for install > it should display install.esd or install.wim

zbook said:

The Windows iso downloaded from the Microsoft website are esd.

That is not completely true. The Media Creation Tool creates an ISO file with the esd file. However, if you go to the same Microsoft website:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

from a "non-Windows" browser such as Apple's Safari, you get direct download links, not the Media Creation Tool. The ISO file from the direct download links contain the install.wim file, not .esd. The current 64-bit English ISO file downloaded with Safari just a couple minutes ago has an install.wim file with a file size of 4,188,549 KB which, I believe, is too large for FAT32.

The direct Microsoft download links generated by the heidoc.net download tool are also the exact same links you get from the Microsoft website on a "non-Windows" browser, and that ISO file also has install.wim in it. The OP stated they could not use the Media Creation Tool, so I would assume if they got the ISO file directly from Microsoft it was either with a "non-Windows" browser setting in the developers window of their browser in WinPESE, such as Safari emulation, or that it was with the heidoc.net download tool. Both of those methods will work in WinPESE where the Media Creation Tool will not.

A fresh iso was downloaded last night to the documents folder before the post to check the format.
The browser used was either Firefox or Chrome.
This was the displayed install size:



The optical drive was not connected to the computer.

This was created:



Microsoft displayed a method for 4GB size issues when moving an iso to a flash drive:

Troubleshooting: file copy fails

This can happen when the Windows image file is over the FAT32 file size limit of 4GB. When this happens:

Copy everything except the Windows image file (sources\install.wim) to the USB drive (either drag and drop, or use this command, where D: is the mounted ISO and E: is the USB flash drive.)

robocopy D: E: /s /max:3800000000

Split the Windows image file into smaller files, and put the smaller files onto the USB drive:

Dism /Split-Image /ImageFile:\sources\install.wim /SWMFile:E:\sources\install.swm /FileSize:3800

Dism /Split-Image /ImageFile: D :\sources\install.wim /SWMFile:E:\sources\install.swm /FileSize:3800

Note, Windows Setup automatically installs from this file, so long as you name it install.swm.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...sb-flash-drive

I've taken the old drive out, can't remove the old hard drive from 'the carriage'; removed one screw; need to get some 'chunky' screwdrivers. Installed the new hard drive 'without the carriage' (I've padded it out - very secure) for the time being, installed windows 10; all working fine.