- Download and install the Windows ADK
- Other ADK downloads
- Install the ADK
- Windows ADK tools for IT pros
- Windows Setup Scenarios and Best Practices
- Common Usage Scenarios
- Custom Installations
- Upgrades
- Automated Installations
- WindowsВ Setup Best Practices
- WindowsВ Setup Limitations
- Windows Setup Installation Process
- WindowsВ Setup Installation Types
- WindowsВ Setup Process
Download and install the Windows ADK
The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) has the tools you need to customize Windows images for large-scale deployment, and to test the quality and performance of your system, its added components, and the applications running on it. The Windows ADK includes:
The Windows Assessment Toolkit and the Windows Performance Toolkit to assess the quality and performance of systems or components.
Deployment tools such as WinPE, Sysprep, and other tools that you can use to customize and deploy Windows 10 images.
Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) is released separately from the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK). To add Windows PE to your ADK installation, download the Windows PE Addon and run the included installer after installing the ADK. This change enables post-RTM updates to tools in the ADK. After you run the installer, the WinPE files will be in the same location as they were in previous ADK installs.
A Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 20H2 will not be released. You can use the Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 2004 To deploy Windows 10, version 20H2.
Other ADK downloads
| ADK version and download link | Description |
|---|---|
| ADK for Windows 10 Insider Preview | Windows Insiders can download preview versions of the ADK. See what’s new for Windows Insiders for Business. |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1903 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1903. You can use this version to deploy Windows 10, version 1909 as well. |
| Windows PE add-on for ADK, version 1903 | Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) for Windows 10, version 1903 |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1809 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1809 |
| Windows PE add-on for ADK, version 1809 | New as of Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) is avalable separately form the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1803 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1803 |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1709 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1709. For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1709, also download the IoT Core Add-Ins v4.4. |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1703 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1703. For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1703, also download the IoT Core Add-Ins v3.2. |
| ADK for Windows 10, version 1607 | What’s new in ADK for Windows 10, version 1607. For IoT Core for Windows 10, version 1607, also download the IoT Core Add-Ins v2.0 (14393_v1). |
| ADK for Windows 8.1 | Use the ADK for Windows 10, version 2004
|
| Windows OEM HAL Extension Test Cert 2017 | To use the Windows ADK to work with HAL Extensions, download and install the updated Windows OEM HAL Extension Test Cert 2017 (TEST ONLY) certificate. Learn more. |
Install the ADK
Install the ADK based on what works best for your environment.
- For computers that are connected to the internet, you can use any of the download links above.
- For secure manufacturing environments, you can install the Windows ADK offline.
- For automated installs, you can silently install the Windows ADK.
Windows ADK tools for IT pros
Windows ADK contains core assessment and deployment tools that IT Pros can use to deploy Windows 10 company-wide, including the User State Migration Tool (USMT) and Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT).
Windows Setup Scenarios and Best Practices
WindowsВ Setup installs the Windows operating system. WindowsВ Setup uses a technology called Image-based Setup (IBS) that provides a single, unified process with which all customers can install Windows. IBS performs clean installations and upgrades of Windows and is used in both client and server installations. WindowsВ Setup also enables you to customize Windows during installation by using Setup answer file settings.
Common Usage Scenarios
Common installation scenarios include performing clean installations, upgrades, and unattended installations.
Custom Installations
The most common scenario for WindowsВ Setup is performing a custom installation. In this scenario, you install Windows onto a computer that does not have an operating system, or has a previous version of Windows. This scenario consists of the following stages:
Run Setup.exe from your Windows product DVD or network share.
Select the Custom installation type.
If you are installing from a previous installation of Windows, WindowsВ Setup creates a local boot directory and copies all of the required WindowsВ Setup files to this directory.
WindowsВ Setup reboots, installs and configures Windows components, and, after installation is complete, launches WindowsВ Welcome.
Custom installations do not migrate any settings or preferences from previously installed versions of Windows. Files from previous Windows versions are copied to a \Windows.old directory. All data from the Windows installation including the Users, Program Files, and Windows directories are saved to this directory.
Upgrades
WindowsВ Setup can also perform upgrades from a supported operating system.
This scenario includes the following stages:
Run Setup.exe on the previous version of Windows.
Select the Upgrade installation type. WindowsВ Setup upgrades the system and protects your files, settings, and preferences during the installation process.
WindowsВ Setup reboots and restores your protected files, settings, and preferences. WindowsВ Setup then launches WindowsВ Welcome.
NotesВ В
- Upgrades are used to upgrade a single computer to WindowsВ 10.
- Upgrades support migrating user data to a new system.
- Upgrades support the following customizations of the Windows image. This is not a change in Windows Setup support policy but instead a clarification:
- Applying a cumulative (quality) update
- Applying updates to the servicing stack necessary to complete the feature update (see Servicing stack updates for more information)
- Applying updates to Setup.exe binaries or other files that Setup uses for feature updates
- Appling updates for the «safe operating system» (SafeOS) that is used for the Windows recovery environment
- Adding or removing languages
- Adding or removing Features on Demand
For clarity, Windows Setup does not support upgrades to a Windows image that has been customized by adding / removing / changing applications, settings nor drivers.
Automated Installations
Automated installations enable you to customize a Windows installation and remove the need for a user to interact with WindowsВ Setup. By using Windows System Image Manager (WindowsВ SIM) or the Component Platform Interface (CPI) APIs, you can create one or more customized Windows installations that can then be deployed across many different hardware configurations.
The automated installation, also called an unattended installation, scenario includes the following stages:
Use WindowsВ SIM or the CPI APIs to create an unattended installation answer file, typically called Unattend.xml. This answer file contains all of the settings that you configure in the Windows image. For more information, see Windows System Image Manager How-to Topics.
From WindowsВ PE, a previous version of Windows, or another preinstallation environment, run Setup.exe with the explicit path to the answer file. If you do not include the path to the answer file, Setup.exe searches for a valid answer file in several specific locations. For more information, see Windows Setup Command-Line Options.
WindowsВ Setup then installs the operating system and configures all settings listed in the answer file. Additional applications, device drivers, and updates can also be installed during WindowsВ Setup. After the operating system is installed, Setup launches WindowsВ Welcome.
WindowsВ Setup Best Practices
The following section describes some of the best practices to use with WindowsВ Setup.
Verify that there is sufficient space for WindowsВ Setup temporary files. If you run setup from a previous version of Windows, verify that there is sufficient space on the disk for temporary WindowsВ Setup files. The space that is required may vary, but it can be up to 500В megabytes (MB).
Previous Windows installations are moved to a Windows.old folder. As a best practice, you should back up your data before you upgrade. If you install Windows over a previous Windows installation, all previous Windows files and directories are moved to a Windows.old folder, including the contents of the Users, Program Files, and Windows directories. You can access your data in the Windows.old folder after WindowsВ Setup completes. If you have additional folders not in the Users, Program Files, or Windows directories, those folders are not moved. For example, if you have a folder that is named C:\Drivers, that folder will not be moved to the Windows.old folder.
Review the Windows Setup log files. If you experience problems during WindowsВ Setup, review the log files in %WINDIR%\panther. You will be able to identify and troubleshoot many issues by reviewing the installation log files. For more information, see Deployment Troubleshooting and Log Files and Windows Setup Log Files and Event Logs.
WindowsВ Setup Limitations
The following sections describe some of the limitations of WindowsВ Setup. Review this section before you run WindowsВ Setup.
Enable UEFI-compatibility mode to install to an UEFI-based computer. On some UEFI computers, you cannot install Windows in BIOS-compatibility mode. You may need to switch to UEFI-compatibility mode.
Applications might require a consistent drive letter. If you install custom applications to your Windows image, install Windows to the same drive letter on the destination computer, because some applications require a consistent drive letter. Uninstallation, servicing, and repair scenarios might not function appropriately if the drive letter of the system does not match the drive letter specified in the application. This limitation applies to both the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool and WindowsВ Setup.
Deploying multiple images to multiple partitions. If you capture and deploy multiple images on multiple partitions, the following requirements must be fulfilled:
The partition structure, bus location, and number of disks must be identical on the reference and destination computers.
The partition types (primary, extended, or logical) must match. The active partition on the reference computer must match that of the destination computer.
Installing Custom .wim files requires a description value in the .wim file. When you create a custom .wim file, WindowsВ Setup requires that you always include a description value. If a .wim file does not include a description value, the image may not install correctly. You can provide a description value when you use the dism command with the /capture-image option. If you install a .wim file that does not have a description value, recapture the image and provide a valid description value. For more information, see the DISM — Deployment Image Servicing and Management Technical Reference for Windows.
NoteВ В For Windows Preinstallation Environment (WindowsВ PE), the version of boot files must match the computer architecture. An x64 UEFI computer can only boot by using WindowsВ PE x64 boot files. An x86 computer can only boot by using WindowsВ PE x86 boot files. This is different from legacy BIOS. In legacy BIOS, an x64 computer can boot by using x86 boot files.
Windows Setup Installation Process
Windows® Setup is the program that installs Windows or upgrades an existing Windows installation. It is also the basis for the following installation and upgrade methods:
Windows Deployment Services
WindowsВ Setup Installation Types
WindowsВ Setup can perform both clean and upgrade installations. However, it does not perform computer-to-computer migrations. Instead, you must use Windows Easy Transfer, the User State Migration Tool (USMT), or another migration tool to move data from a previous installation to the new operating system.
Custom installations. WindowsВ Setup can perform a custom installation, also known as a clean installation, which saves your previous Windows installation but does not migrate your settings. The previous Windows installation will not boot after a clean installation.
Upgrade installations. WindowsВ Setup can perform an installation that retains your settings and preferences while upgrading your operating system.
WindowsВ Setup Process
The WindowsВ Setup program starts and restarts the computer, gathers information, copies files, and creates or adjusts configuration settings. The following table shows the overall process for WindowsВ Setup:
| WindowsВ Setup phase | Setup actions |
|---|---|
