Media Feature Pack list for Windows N editions

Introduction

This support page provides a central location to obtain the list of the Media Feature Pack for Windows N releases. Use this page to find the correct link for your Windows release version to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles about Media Feature Pack.

N editions of Windows include the same functionality as other editions of Windows, except for media-related technologies, Windows Media Player, and certain preinstalled media apps (Groove, Movies & TV, Voice Recorder, and Skype). The Media Feature Pack provides a way for a customer to restore these excluded technologies.

Some features require reinstalling hardware drivers after the Media Feature Pack is installed. For guidance to do this, see the following Knowledge Base article:

Media Feature Packs by Windows version

The following is a list of the articles detailing each of the Media Feature Packs for each version of Windows N editions from Windows 8 N forward.

The following versions have download links in the articles:

The following versions can be downloaded from Media Feature Pack for N versions of Windows 10, and the articles listed provide more information about the individual update:

For Windows 10 version 1903 and later, you can add the Media Feature Pack by going to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps and features > Optional features > Add a feature, and then locate Media Feature Pack in the list of available optional features. The following articles provide more information about the individual updates:

Create installation media for Windows

You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows 10.

To create installation media, go to the software download website, where you’ll find step-by-step instructions. On that website, you can select a version of Windows and create your own installation media using either a USB flash drive or a DVD. To go directly to one of the versions, select one of these links:

Windows 10 (Then select Download tool now.)

Important: Back up your files before you install or reinstall Windows on your PC. Learn how for Windows 10 or for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

To create the installation media, here’s what you’ll need:

A PC with a reliable internet connection. The download time will vary, depending on your internet connection.

A USB flash drive or DVD. A blank USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space, or a blank DVD (and DVD burner). We recommend using a blank USB or blank DVD because any content on it will be deleted. When burning a DVD from an ISO file, if you’re told the disc image file is too large, you’ll need to use dual layer (DL) DVD media.

A product key. Your 25-character product key (not required for digital licenses). For help finding it, go to Find your Windows product key.

After you’ve created the installation media, you can reset or reinstall Windows. To learn more, go to Recovery options in Windows 10.

Create bootable WinPE media

The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) and WinPE Add ons include the CopyPE and MakeWinPEMedia command line utilities. When run from the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment, CopyPE creates a working set of WinPE files, that MakeWinPEMedia can use to create bootable WinPE media. MakeWinPEMedia can create bootable WinPE USB drives, virtual hard disks, or ISOs that allow you to boot a VHD or burn to a DVD or CD.

To create bootable WinPE media, install:

• The ADK with the Deployment Tools option checked during setup
• The WinPE Add ons

If you’re using the ADK for Windows 10, version 1803 or earlier, Windows PE is included in the ADK when you choose the Windows Preinstallation environment option during setup and doesn’t require a separate addon.

separate add-on that you download and install after you install the ADK. See Download and install the Windows ADK to download th version of WinPE for the version of the ADK you’re using.

Step 1: Create working files

No matter what type of media you’re going to create, the first thing to do is create a working set of WinPE files on your technician PC.

Start the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment as an administrator.

Run copype to create a working copy of the Windows PE files. For more information about copype, see Copype command line options.

Step 2: Customize WinPE (Usually not needed)

Note, when you add more packages to WinPE, it slows WinPE performance and boot time. Only add additional packages when necessary.

Common customizations

Add an update. If you’re going to be capturing an FFU at the end of the lab, apply KB4048955 to your WinPE image. To learn more, see: WinPE: mount and customize.

Add a video or network driver. (WinPE includes generic video and network drivers, but in some cases, additional drivers are needed to show the screen or connect to the network.). To learn more, see WinPE: Add drivers.

Add PowerShell scripting support. To learn more, see WinPE: Adding Windows PowerShell support to Windows PE. PowerShell scripts are not included in this lab.

Set the power scheme to high-performance. Speeds deployment. Note, our sample deployment scripts already set this scheme automatically. See WinPE: Mount and Customize: High Performance.

Optimize WinPE: Recommended for devices with limited RAM and storage (for example, 1GB RAM/16GB storage). After you add drivers or other customizations to Windows PE, see WinPE: Optimize and shrink the image to help reduce the boot time.

Step 3: Create bootable media

Now that you now have a set of working files, you can use MakeWinPEMedia to build bootable WinPE media.

Create a bootable WinPE USB drive

Attach a USB drive to your technician PC.

Start the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment as an administrator.

Optional You can format your USB key prior to running MakeWinPEMedia. MakeWinPEMedia will format your WinPE drive as FAT32. If you want to be able to store files larger than 4GB on your WinPE USB drive, you can create a multipartition USB drive that has an additional partition formatted as NTFS. See Create a multipartition USB drive for instructions.

Use MakeWinPEMedia with the /UFD option to format and install Windows PE to the USB flash drive, specifying the USB key’s drive letter:

This command reformats the partition.

The bootable WinPE USB drive is ready. You can use it to boot a PC into WinPE.

Create a WinPE ISO, DVD, or CD

Use MakeWinPEMedia with the /ISO option to create an ISO file containing the Windows PE files:

Optional Burn a DVD or CD: In Windows Explorer, right-click the ISO file, and select Burn disc image > Burn, and follow the prompts.

Create a WinPE VHD to use with Hyper-V

You can create a bootable VHD to use with Hyper-V.

When running Windows PE in Hyper-V, consider using an ISO file format instead of a VHD to enable faster setup of the virtual PC.

To install Windows PE to a VHD:

Create a virtual hard drive (.vhdx):

Prepare the drive by using MakeWinPEMedia:

Detach the drive:

Troubleshooting

If WindowsВ PE doesn’t appear, try the following workarounds, rebooting the PC each time:

To boot a PC that supports UEFI mode: In the firmware boot menus, try manually selecting the boot files: \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI.

If your PC requires storage or video drivers to boot, try adding those same drivers to the WindowsВ PE image. For more information, see WinPE: Mount and Customize.

Download Windows 10

Before updating, please refer to the Windows release information status for known issues to confirm your device is not impacted.

Windows 10 October 2020 Update

The Update Assistant can help you update to the latest version of Windows 10. To get started, click Update now.

Create Windows 10 installation media

To get started, you will first need to have a licence to install Windows 10. You can then download and run the media creation tool. For more information on how to use the tool, see the instructions below.

Here’s when to use these instructions:

• You have a license to install Windows 10 and are upgrading this PC from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
• You need to reinstall Windows 10 on a PC you’ve already successfully activated Windows 10.

If you are installing Windows 10 on a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, or if you need to create installation media to install Windows 10 on a different PC, see Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC section below.

Note: Before you install Windows 10, check to make sure your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 10. We also recommend going to the PC manufacturer’s website for any additional info about updated drivers and hardware compatibility.

1. Select Download tool, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. On the License terms page, if you accept the license terms, select Accept.
3. On the What do you want to do? page, select Upgrade this PC now, and then select Next.
4. After downloading and installing, the tool will walk you through how to set up Windows 10 on your PC. All Windows 10 editions are available when you select Windows 10, except for Enterprise edition. For more information on Enterprise edition, go to the Volume Licensing Service Center.
   • If you don’t have a license to install Windows 10 and have not yet previously upgraded to it, you can purchase a copy here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/get-windows-10.
   • If you previously upgraded to Windows 10 on this PC and you’re reinstalling it, you don’t need to enter a product key. Your copy of Windows 10 will automatically activate later using your digital license.
5. When Windows 10 is ready to install, you’ll see a recap of what you’ve chosen, and what will be kept through the upgrade. Select Change what to keep to set whether you would like to Keep personal files and apps, or Keep personal files only, or choose to keep Nothing during the upgrade.
6. Save and close any open apps and files you may be running, and when you’re ready, select Install.
7. It might take some time to install Windows 10, and your PC will restart a few times. Make sure you don’t turn off your PC.

Follow these steps to create installation media (USB flash drive or DVD) you can use to install a new copy of Windows 10, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows 10.

Before you download the tool make sure you have:

• An internet connection (internet service provider fees may apply).
• Sufficient data storage available on a computer, USB or external drive for the download.
• A blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space or blank DVD (and DVD burner) if you want to create media. We recommend using a blank USB or blank DVD, because any content on it will be deleted.
• When burning a DVD from an ISO file, if you are told the disc image file is too large you will need to use Dual Layer (DL) DVD Media.

Check a few things on the PC where you want to install Windows 10:

• 64-bit or 32-bit processor (CPU). You’ll create either a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows 10. To check this on your PC, go to PC info in PC settings or System in Control Panel, and look for System type.
• System requirements. Make sure the PC meets the system requirements for Windows 10. We also recommend going to the PC manufacturer’s website for additional info about updated drivers and hardware compatibility.
• Language in Windows. You’ll need to choose the same language when you install Windows 10. To see what language you’re currently using, go to Time and language in PC settings or Region in Control Panel.
• Edition of Windows. You should also choose the same edition of Windows. To check what edition you’re currently running, go to PC info in PC settings or System in Control Panel, and look for Windows edition. Windows 10 Enterprise isn’t available in the media creation tool. For more info, go to the Volume Licensing Service Center.
• Microsoft Office products. If you just purchased a new device that includes Office 365, we recommend redeeming (installing) Office before upgrading to Windows 10. To redeem your copy of Office, please see Download and install Office 365 Home, Personal, or University on your PC. For more information, check How to upgrade to Windows 10 on new devices that include Office 365.

If you have Office 2010 or earlier and choose to perform a clean install of Windows 10, you will need to locate your Office product key. For tips on locating your product key, check Find your Office 2010 product key or Enter the product key for your Office 2007 program.

Using the tool to create installation media:

1. Select Download tool now, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
2. If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.
3. On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.

Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. This table will help you decide which edition of Windows 10 you’ll choose:

Your current edition of Windows	Windows 10 edition
Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8/8.1 Windows 8.1 with Bing Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8/8.1 Professional with Media Center Windows 8/8.1 Single Language Windows 8 Single Language with Bing Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10
Windows 8/8.1 Chinese Language Edition Windows 8 Chinese Language Edition with Bing	Windows 10 Home China​

Select which media you want to use:

• USB flash drive. Attach a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. Any content on the flash drive will be deleted.
• ISO file. Save an ISO file to your PC, which you can use to create a DVD. After the file is downloaded, you can go to location where the file is saved, or select Open DVD burner, and follow the instructions to burn the file to a DVD. For more info about using an ISO file, see Additional methods for using the ISO file to install Windows 10 section below.

After the installation media is created, follow the steps below to use it.

After completing the steps to install Windows 10, please check that you have all the necessary device drivers installed. To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and select Check for updates. You may also wish to visit your device manufacturer’s support site for any additional drivers that may be needed.

Note: Drivers for Surface devices may be found on the Download drivers and firmware for Surface page.

Before you install Windows 10, it’s a good idea to save any work and back up your PC before you start. If you used the media creation tool to download an ISO file for Windows 10, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD before following these steps.

1. Attach the USB flash drive or insert the DVD on the PC where you want to install Windows 10.
2. Restart your PC.

If your PC does not automatically boot to the USB or DVD media, you might have to open a boot menu or change the boot order in your PC’s BIOS or UEFI settings. To open a boot menu or change the boot order, you’ll typically need to press a key (such as F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC. For instructions on accessing the boot menu or changing the boot order for your PC, check the documentation that came with your PC or go to the manufacturer’s website. If you do not see the USB or DVD media device listed within the boot options, you may need to reach out to the PC manufacturer for instructions for temporarily disabling Secure Boot in your BIOS settings.

If changing the boot menu or order doesn’t work, and your PC immediately boots into the OS you want to replace, it is possible the PC had not fully shut down. To ensure the PC fully shuts down, select the power button on the sign-in screen or on the Start menu and select Shut down.

On the Install Windows page, select your language, time, and keyboard preferences, and then select Next.

Select Install Windows.

If you downloaded an ISO file for Windows 10, the file is saved locally at the location you selected. If you have a third-party DVD burning program installed on your computer that you prefer to use for creating the installation DVD, that program might open by going to the location where the file is saved and double-clicking the ISO file, or right-click the ISO file, select Open with and choose your preferred DVD burning software.

If you want to use the Windows Disk Image Burner to create an installation DVD, go to the location where the ISO file is saved. Right-click the ISO file and select Properties. On the General tab, click Change and select Windows Explorer for the program you would like to use to open ISO files and select Apply. Then right-click the ISO file and select Burn disc image.

If you want to install Windows 10 directly from the ISO file without using a DVD or flash drive, you can do so by mounting the ISO file. This will perform an upgrade of your current operating system to Windows 10.