How to: Create a bootable ISO file from your Windows 10 Download for reinstallation
Technical Level : Basic
Summary
The primary method of delivery for Windows 10 will be through Windows Update. Microsoft also provides ISO media, but if you are are already downloading Windows 10 through Windows Update, why not create your own? This is convenient for reinstall purposes especially if you need to perform a repair upgrade. Windows 10 already provides a recovery drive and reset pc functions, but these are limited by clean installs. Creating a ISO from the same PC you upgraded is also convenient if you have a second computer running a qualifying previous version of Windows you would like to upgrade, so it significantly saves on banwidth.
Details
Please note, if you plan to use this same ISO image to install or upgrade another computer, it must be running the same edition or at least have a product key that can activate it.
After downloading Windows 10 through Windows Update, a copy of the installation file called a Install.esd (Electronic Software Delivery) is created in the folder C:\$Windows.
Press Windows key + R
Copy the Install.esd file from the folder to your Downloads or Documents folder.
If you don’t see it, enable Show hidden files and folders.
Download the latest version of ESD Decrypter
(use 7zip to extract the compressed file)
Extract esd-decrypter-wimlib-4.7z to a folder.
You will need a free software called 7zip to do this:
After you have extracted the files, put the appropriate .ESD file you downloaded into that same folder.
Right click decrypt file in the same folder and click Run as administrator
Select option 2
When complete, burn to a blank DVD or create a bootable copy on a USB thumbdrive.
Preparing the .ISO file for installation.
See instructions for burning .ISO files in Windows 7 or later:
You can also use the Microsoft USB/DVD Tool, which is recommended for Windows XP users.
For UEFI based systems
If your computer is UEFI based, these are normally systems that come pre-loaded with Windows 8 or later, you will need to prepare the ISO file for such a configuration or you will receive an error message during setup. The thumbdrive needs to be formatted as FAT32 and use the GPT partitioning scheme. To do this, you need to use Rufus, a small tool you can download for free.
Rufus — credit: Pete Batard/Akeo
After you have installed Rufus:
- Launch it
- Select ISO Image
- Point to the Windows 10 ISO file
- Check off Create a bootable disk using
- Select GPT partitioning for EUFI firmware as the Partition scheme
- Choose FAT32 NOT NTFS as the File system
- Make sure your USB thumbdrive in the Device list box
- Click Start
- Close when complete
Otherwise, you download the official ISOs from Microsoft or use the one that will be provided as part of your upgrade.
How to install the latest Windows 10 build from within Windows 8.1 or Windows 7
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Sumit
Volunteer Moderator- Microsoft Community
Mark the reply as helpful or answered to help others if your query is resolved
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Thank you Andre for another brilliant tutorial.
On a windows 8.1 machine where i am logged in using my insider account i reserved the upgrade to win 10 just a couple of weeks agao after the keys and iso for tech preview were no longer available from MS. I can see the Install.esd in the location you describe (it auto downloaded on 28th July) but it is not clear if i should wait for the notification to upgrade and then upgrade before creating the iso as you describe for win 10 or if it is ok just to go ahead and create the iso before the upgrade has been applied?.
EDIT: ahh i just found the reddit option .
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Andre, thank you so much a very nice article. Can I use this ISO to do the upgrade? Will it recognize my machine as valid if I use the ISO to upgrade? And last, after I do an upgrade then can I do a clean install?
As I understand it first you must upgrade to register your machine with MS then you can do a clean install from then on out, correct?
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There seems to be a lot of folks facing activation issues on their new upgrade and others are having issues on their old windows version install with things like windows updates errors and corrupt downloads as well as GWX app issues.
The upgrade is seamless if you just go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and click the «Download Tool Now» button for the architecture of the machine you are using to either upgrade or create installation media. 🙂 It is worth the time and effort for sure. 😉 The whole process will cost you one hour or less depending on the machine you’re using.
I have not created installation as yet but can confirm the actual upgrade process is very slick.
This was after my reserved copy and Get Windows 10 app (windows updates) method of upgrade failed. The files downloaded but i never got the notification to upgrade. Reviewing windows updates history revealed there had been many failed attempts at installing the win 10 upgrade. I used the deleting whole directory and refreshing registry to get windows updates to try redownloading upgrade files but failed again with same and similar error codes.
There is no need to use the deleting $Windows.
BT directory method (which has appeared to get the upgrade in ok for some) as the Download Tool creates a $Windows.
How To Create Windows 10 Bootable DVD
Last Updated on November 23, 2019 by admin 15 Comments
These days, a large section of PC users are using USB drives as bootable media to install Windows 10. USB installs are usually a bit faster than the traditional DVD-based installations, meaning you can quickly install Windows while using USB as bootable media.
That said, not everyone has a spare USB key all the time. At times, you might need to burn a DVD to make it bootable and install Windows 10 from the same.
Having a bootable Windows 10 DVD makes sense if your PC doesn’t support booting from USB or if you often need to install Windows 10 but don’t have the time and patience to create bootable Windows 10 USB each time before installing Windows 10.
If you don’t have the Windows 10 ISO already, refer to the directions in our how to download the latest version of Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft guide.
Method 1 of 3
Prepare Windows 10 bootable DVD from ISO
Go for this method if you’re on Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10. In this method, we will use the native ISO burning tool to prepare a bootable Windows 10 DVD.
Step 1: Insert a blank DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) of your PC.
Step 2: Open File Explorer (Windows Explorer) and navigate to the folder where Windows 10 ISO image file is located.
Step 3: Right-click on the ISO file and then click Burn disc image option. This action will open Burn Disk Image or Windows Disc Image Burner (in Windows 8/8.1) dialog.
Note: If the Burn disc image option is not appearing in the context menu when you right-click on Windows 10 ISO image file, please follow the directions mentioned in our fix to burn disc image option missing from the context menu guide to resolve the issue.
Step 4: Here, select your DVD/CD drive from the drop-down box next to the Disc burner.
Step 5: Finally, click the Burn button to begin creating your bootable Windows 10 DVD.
Once the bootable Windows 10 DVD is ready, you need to make appropriate changes (change the boot priority to CD/DVD) to the UEFI/BIOS to boot your PC from bootable DVD to begin installing Windows 10.
Method 2 of 3
Bootable Windows 10 DVD using ImgBurn
If you’re having issues with the method mentioned above, you can use a third-party ISO burning tool to prepare a bootable Windows 10 DVD. There are plenty of free tools available for the job. In this method, we are going to use a free software called ImgBurn.
Step 1: Download ImgBurn from this page and install the same on your working Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10 PC.
WARNING: The setup of ImgBurn (at least, the current version) tries to install the Razer Web browser plugin. While installing ImgBurn, select the Custom install option and then uncheck the option titled Install Razor Web option.
Step 2: Launch the ImgBurn application. Click the option titled Write image file to disc.
Step 3: Next, click the browse button in the Source section (see picture) to browse to the Windows 10 ISO image and select the same.
Step 4: Finally, click the Write button to begin burning the bootable Windows 10 DVD.
Method 3 of 3
Bootable Windows 10 DVD from installation files/folders
If you have files and folders extracted from a Windows 10 ISO image (installation files of Windows 10), you can create an ISO image out of it by following the directions mentioned in our how to create bootable Windows ISO image from files/folders guide. The guide uses the above mentioned free ImgBurn software, which is very easy to use.
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Comments
Pajeet Goldberg says
This article works as long as you have a Windows 10 ISO. It is typically a 4GB file. That means downloading it from wherever you can get it. That’s why the complaining commenters can’t find it on their systems.
The ISO I have, however, doesn’t work with the article’s methods. It boots, but only in MBR mode, UEFI instructions appear not to exist on it. It’s probably the particular ISO I found, perhaps it wasn’t compiled by Microsoft. I can make a UEFI bootable USB drive (MBR too) with Rufus, but I need to make separate drives for MBR and UEFI, one drive can’t do both, and DVDs can only boot MBR. Rufus likely installs the missing UEFI instructions for the USBs.
The ISO I have was compiled with both ISO9660 and UDF file systems which could be the issue, as encountered in this forum:
forum.imgburn.com/index.php?/topic/24193-problem-i-can-not-create-a-uefi-bootable-iso-image/
I dont wanna mad but this is wasting my time! You say that create from .iso file but that shit dont have in my pc! You said that burn from folder but you didn’t show WHAT FOLDER?! can you please be DETAIL. My 10 min is WASTED for this!
I happen to be a highly accomplished artist but not a very accomplished computer user. Advice like this would be like me telling someone who asked me how to paint to check out Da Vinci’s drawings. What a freakin joke all of this crap is.
Michael Tobener says
Avoid this SHIT like the plague. Even if you do over scrutinize and uncheck all of the unwanted add ons you will get bombarded with Malware.
“…navigate to the folder where Windows 10 ISO image file is located.”
Could you give us the name of the file? Searches for *.iso returned no useful results.
mark armstrong says
Sorry, this is a junk article. In the first method, we have:
Step 2: Open File Explorer (Windows Explorer) and navigate to the folder where Windows 10 ISO image file is located.
Perhaps this is where the author might provide a little more detail!
Please update this article. ImgBurn used to be a software I used like 10 years ago but nowadays the program installs Malware. Keep away from it and use something else if you read this!
Just checked method one, didn’t work for me. Remove it, please!
Hey Guys the reason this solution isnt working, With Img burn is do to whomever wrote this, negleted to put the final step after you select the iso image, you must click advanced, and select make bootable, then select a boot img, you can google and download the bootimg for your OS.
Thanks i create my bootable dvd
windows burn iso doesn’t create a bootable iso. imgburn does
I read the above comment said that at least any of the method or solution you write did not work. Then why you don’t reply to them. Why you don’t try to give solutions.
I did with imgburn with both the methods you told but it didn’t worked
Shuti Chou says
Thank you for the post. I did create a bootable DVD disk and solved my laptop’s issue.
Tried method one, didn’t work for me. I press any key when instructed so on startup but the computer just reboots…
