Create Free Windows to Go system on ext USB/SSD disks (UEFI system)

jimbo45 · 02 Nov 2020

Hi folks

Don't pay any money for software to create Windows systems that run entirely from bootable USB external devices.

I'm talking here also of a Normal Windows running system (like a live Linux distro) that reboots and runs completely from the external device even if all internal devices are hosed up -- quite different from an "installation drive" or a VIBOOT system.

Note thanks to @NavyLCDR who suggested the method. It's easy enough as always when you know how but the commands can be a bit off putting when you first try them.

Pre-reqs - -- preferably an SSD connected to a USB 3/3.1/USBC connector via SATA->USB adapter. USB2 works but with USB3 and above and a decent SSD type device the performance will be almost as good as Native (and certainly better if the internal OS is running on a "spinner" type HDD).

You will also need a Windows install ISO - get either from UUPDUMP or MCT tool and of course a running version of Windows.

Unlike Wintousb etc this method doesn't nag to "keep USB plugged in" --it doesn't even know that it's running on a USB device and windows can be updated to newer versions without any problem -- I find using this much better than continually updating a Windows "internal" drive. Having say some spare USB's over you can make several Windows versions to play and test with.

One restriction - this method gives you a "Clean install" - there might be a method to create a wim image of current system but that's beyond my skill set yet - maybe someone can add it to this thread. Note - simply restoring a macrium image from your current system to this type of system won't work (or I can't make it work).

so assuming you have the Windows iso and a spare ssd external USB drive

target Windows partition -> drive W
target EFI partition -> drive S
Source windows iso image drive Q

i've put quotes around the dism commands to stop "smiley's" being generated in the command lines.

1) create EFI partition

in administrator mode : -- diskpart,list disk select disk nn clean convert gpt, create partition efi size 250
format fs=fat32
assign letter=S

2) create Windows target partition -- still in diskpart create partition primary, format fs=ntfs quick
assign letter=W, exit

3) mount the windows iso -- simply click on the iso with file explorer -- will mount - here I assume it's Q

4) you might have more than one windows image on the iso - especially if you created the iso from UUPDUMP so you need to display what windows versions are on the iso image :

"dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:Q:\sources\install.wim"
in my case it shows that windows for workstations has index 2 so that's the version I'll use on WTG drive

5) use dism to get the image on to the target drive

"dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:Q:\sources\install.wim /Index:2 /ApplyDir:W:"

On a decent SSD could take around 10 mins for this step

5) now create the boot entry on the target drive in the UEFI :

W:\Windows\System32\bcdboot W:\Windows /f UEFI /s S:

note - you must run this command using the program from the image copied to the target Windows drive--not your running Windows system or the mounted iso.

Now all done -- simply re-boot your external Windows to Go drive - install and update at will.

Have fun

thanks again @NavyLCDR and if anybody knows how to modify this to use the running OS so it's more of an update than clean install please post.

Cheers
jimbo

NavyLCDR · 02 Nov 2020

If you do convert mbr instead of convert gpt, create partition pri instead of partition efi, mark the FAT32 partition as active, and then use the /f BOTH option in bcdboot instead of /f UEFI...

You will get a universal USB drive that is bootable bootable under both legacy BIOS (CSM) and UEFI.

jimbo45 · 03 Nov 2020

Hi folks

Added : capture image of running Windows system for Windows to Go creation.

1) Boot into the windows system you want to replicate on to a Windows to Go system -- easier than messing around with sysprep / winpe etc. Assume D is an external device or partition for saving the image.

2) Dism /Capture-Image /ImageFile:"D:\Images\yourwinimage.wim" /CaptureDir:C:\ /Name:winimage

3) now apply image and boot files to the target device as before

e.g dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:%1 /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\ ( %1 - name of image file - index = windows version to capture - should be 1 for running system)

4) then run the bcdboot -- remember to run it FROM the windows target device.

Job done

Have fun

thread marked as solved.

Cheers
jimbo

blueskyler · 23 Jan 2022

Hi, in 2022 what' s the best patice to create Windows to GO from legacy BIOS (CSM) and UEFI support ?

format fs=fat32
assign letter=S

The system partiton(letter S) where the boot files are stored with the bcdboot command

must be in fat32 or ntfs ?

Thanks for any clarification

NavyLCDR · 23 Jan 2022

blueskyler said:

Hi, in 2022 what' s the best patice to create Windows to GO from legacy BIOS (CSM) and UEFI support ?

format fs=fat32
assign letter=S

The system partiton(letter S) where the boot files are stored with the bcdboot command

must be in fat32 or ntfs ?

Thanks for any clarification

FAT32 if you want universal compatibility with all UEFI computers.

Try3 · 01 May 2023

@jimbo45
@NavyLCDR

Thank you both for this procedure.
It has enabled me to run Windows 11 on a Chuwi Hi10Pro that had resisted all attempts to update to Windows 11 by normal means.

- I had jobbed the installation USB with a blank apprais*.dll file & I have successfully used it on another below-spec computer.
- In-place upgrades fail at the Safe_OS reboot.
- Clean install (wiping/selecting partitions step) cannot see the main disk [an eMMC]. I did not try that common Intel RST driver solution [sometimes used for NVMe disks] but might try that in the future.

And, best of all with the WTG, a simple reboot gets me back to its installed & fully-set up Windows 10 Home so it's like having a slightly-odd dual boot arrangement.

After the first day, shutting down started to fail [blue screen with an apology but no diagnostic data] but I can live with that if I find no way of fixing it.
- Shutdown has a normal appearance [circling dots] for several seconds before the blue screen.
- Subsequent restarts show the Don't unplug the USB, you twat dialog
- I've deliberately changed a setting immediately before the shutdown and that setting is still in place when I start it again. So there don't appear to be any adverse side-effects.
- I might rebuild the Win11ToGo since I feel sure it shatdown correctly on its first day.

Despite being a very low spec computer the Chuwi Hi10Pro [a 2.5lbs tablet computer with an integrated keyboard so it looks like a 10inch laptop] has been an excellent travel computer and will now be a very useful Windows 11 testbed computer that can sit on the edge of my desk without getting in my way.

Added later - Unfortunately, this WTG arrangement was corrupted by the first update [CU] so I had to buy a proper Windows 11 computer instead. That update failure might well have been because of the booting-related peculiarities of the particular computer I was using it on; I should have tried to install the update on a reliable computer instead.

All the best,
Denis