ESD to ISO - Create Bootable ISO from Windows 10 ESD File  

I don't think it's common knowledge but a Windows OS license should work for either a 32 bit or a 64 bit system, depending on your architecture.
If you have a machine that will support a 64 bit system but you've been running a 32 bit install this is a good time to go all the way and join the 64 bit crew.

With Kari's tutorial on ESD to ISO, and the link to all the ESD downloads, its easy to download both ESD files, make a 32 bit and a 64 bit ISO. Add memory, or what ever it takes to get your machine up to 64 bit specs and you're off and running!

I've got a machine running an old Celeron D, with a 64 bit emulator. It's reported as a 64 bit operating system. I've always run a 32 bit copy of Win7 on it but I've added some memory so with Kari's 64 bit ISO for Win10 I'm going to give it a shot. If the 64 bit ISO won't install Win10, I'll simply revert to the 32 bit ISO, and do a clean install either way!

Thanks Kari and your compatriots! I'm an ISO and clean install type of guy and hopefully you've made it possible..............Win10 and 64 bit system, all for free!

Thank you, Kari. Great job!

My upgrade didn't work for beans this time. I'll have to fresh install.

Kari said:

See my earlier post (quoted below), the reason for your error highlighted. The tool in this tutorial is based on older version of DISM and works only with the install.esd file created by the upgrade process on your computer. If you use downloaded ESD files (those with extremely long file name ) you need to use the latest version. The zip file (link in quoted post) includes the binaries to a newer DISM than used in the tool in this tutorial.

Using the new tool (script) with your downloaded ESD file you will have no issues.

Just to test I tried the old script on build 9926 ESD, work perfectly. I tried the new script on build 10041 ESD with the fully named file and that worked perfectly also. It must be something else besides the file name that creates an error.

Thanks for your work and help!

I haven't read through the whole thread, but, I have been doing this for a long time, it has always worked for me. Just installed the new build from a homemade ISO.

Hi there

I found the ESD file by searching for *.ESD on the C drive using Windows (File) explorer search. I did the download via the Update selection BUT DID NOT INSTALL IT. I was prompted by "A Restart has been scheduled to Update your system" --I changed this to the maximum - I think it said 8 hours so my download via update was fine.

I copied the whole thing plus the utility to a separate directory on an external USB drive. The ISO created I copied to a USB stick using RUFUS v2.0 to make a bootable system. I then (via bootable Linux system) deleted the Windows C partition ENTIRELY then booted my USB stick to install Windows.

it worked perfectly.

Here's details of the ISO the utility created for me. (Using the GB version of Windows Enterprise x-64 build 10041).

From what I can see both in the files and the install system there's NO personal stuff lurking in the files. In fact at first boot you actually see "Other User". However you can create user / password (local account) and then on re-boot you get shown the login screen with your user again.

Kari is much more experienced in these things than I am but I think if you have everything to a separate directory the DISM file is created as part of the ISO creation process. Could be wrong on that IMO but I only copied the ESD file and the utility to start with so the other files are part of (IMO) the utility generation process.
@Kari and topguncp thanks a million for the whole tutorial -- certainly is better when you want to try on a load of PC's rather than a load of identical downloads --and as a bog standard user I've never been happy with the whole "Sysprepping" methodology -- that's for IT admins in corporations who obviously have a different set of tools they need to use.

Cheers
jimbo

Kari said:

No, the ESD file contains Windows setup files, the process of creating an ISO from it simply decrypts and extracts the files from the compressed ESD file which basically is nothing but a compressed and encrypted package similar to ZIP or RAR packages.

The process does nothing else. The compressed ESD is extracted, its encrypted files decrypted and these files written to an ISO. Nothing else will be written to ISO.

Hi Kari --too quick off the mark -- but again thanks for the whole tutorial -- certainly makes it a LOT easier if you've got a slew of PC's you want to try this release on !!!.

Cheers
jimbo