Windows 10 ISO: file system question

Hi,

I don't want and I never used the "media creation tool".

I Always donwload the ISO and then I usually put it in a dvd and in some pendrives.

But, I Always have some doubts that I want to clarify forever, if you can help me.

We have a WINDOWS 10.ISO (latest version).

If I am correct:

For LEGACY bios just COPY the ISO contents into the pendrive using NFTS and MBR.

For SECURE BOOT and UEFI bios just COPY the ISO into the pendrive using GPT and FAT32.

Said so, a program such RUFUS should be useless.

Please, tell me if I am right or correct me. I want to understand that forever.

PS: if someone use the Media Creation Tool, how this tool knows if the target is LEGACY or UEFI??? What kind of FS will use the tool itself??? It will pass the secure boot too?

A ISO is basically a disk image and must be written to the device by the correct software copying the contents isn't the correct way of doing it as it needs to write the correct boot sector

In this forum, in the last, someone said me that a copy (for gpt uefi fat32 as i remember) was enough.

I am not sure but once it worked without any tools (just copy).

Maybe a Rufus is needed only for ntfs mbr legacy?

I'd like to understand more of this just the have a precise idea. Also need to understand how the WMC tool works.

Format the USB flash drive as FAT32. Mark the FAT32 partition on the USB flash drive as Active. Copy the files in the ISO file to the USB flash drive. It will boot in both Legacy BIOS and UEFI, secure boot enabled or not. The Media Creation Tool does not need to know if the target is UEFI or legacy BIOS because an Active FAT32 partition is compatible with both.

There is no need for RUFUS. The commands in diskpart are:

diskpart
list disk
select disk # <- replace # with the disk number of the usb flash drive
clean <- this will erase the flash drive
create part pri
format fs=fat32 quick
active
exit
exit

NavyLCDR said:

Format the USB flash drive as FAT32. Mark the FAT32 partition on the USB flash drive as Active. There is no need for RUFUS. The commands in diskpart are:

diskpart
list disk
select disk # <- replace # with the disk number of the usb flash drive
clean <- this will erase the flash drive
create part pri
format fs=fat32 quick
active
exit
exit

cereberus said:

I always use command assign after format as that forces a mount point for a drive letter. I have found some sytems or drives (no idea which) do not automatically assign a drive letter. Should not happen but something causes that now and then. Never had issue since applying assign command.

I didn't understand this reply to NavyLCDR.

If I am correct, basically, you tell me that:

1) ISO to be extracted
2) format USB as FAT32
3) copy ISO extracted to USB
4) mark USB as active

Those commands I can do with diskpart but also with disk managment of Windows or 3rd party software of partitions (is right?) for people that don't want to use DOS interface.

Assuming what I wrote above is correct, I didn't understand about the "command assign" after format.