Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
ISO already downloaded? I don't see anywhere in MCT to browse the file.
I don't want want to download again because of bandwidth/quota
limitation of my ISP subscription.

I know I can use Rufus and other 11 tools but I want to know if MCT can
be used. Please just answer yes or no because I don't want to read unnecessary
information for this question.

Simon wrote:

> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
> ISO already downloaded?

no, for me it always downloads a fresh copy with the latest update, e.g.
since a couple of days ago, it gives Win11 23H2

On 11/2/23 02:33 PM, this is what Andy Burns wrote:
> Simon wrote:
>
>> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
>> ISO already downloaded?
>
> no, for me it always downloads a fresh copy with the latest update, e.g. since a couple of days ago, it gives Win11 23H2
>
Doesn't the tool just launch isoburn.exe? It's in the Windows/System32 folder. At least it is on my Win 10.
--
Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon
Al

Big Al wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Simon wrote:
>>
>>> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
>>> ISO already downloaded?
>>
>> no, for me it always downloads a fresh copy with the latest update,
>> e.g. since a couple of days ago, it gives Win11 23H2
>>
> Doesn't the tool just launch isoburn.exe?

It might do for creating a bootable DVD, but it must use something else
for a USB stick ... it doest give any clues with /?

Simon <invalid@invalid.net> wrote:

> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
> ISO already downloaded? I don't see anywhere in MCT to browse the file.
> I don't want want to download again because of bandwidth/quota
> limitation of my ISP subscription.
>
> I know I can use Rufus and other 11 tools but I want to know if MCT can
> be used. Please just answer yes or no because I don't want to read unnecessary
> information for this question.

In File Explorer, right-click on the .iso file you already have, and
click Mount. Or, just double-click the .iso file to mount it. Then
copy the folders/files in the mounted drive to your USB drive. When you
are done with the mounted drive, right-click on it to Eject. If you
don't like using File Explorer, use Peazip, 7-Zip, or any other archiver
tool that will show the contents of the .iso file, and let you copy them
elsewhere.

MCT is a stub installer. It makes an Internet connection to retrieve
the ISO file, and then run it. MCT will download the ISO file, but you
don't want to expend the bandwidth to download an ISO file you already
have. MCT is not an offline installer.

On 11/2/2023 2:19 PM, Simon wrote:
> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
> ISO already downloaded? I don't see anywhere in MCT to browse the file.
> I don't want want to download again because of bandwidth/quota
> limitation of my ISP subscription.
>
> I know I can use Rufus and other 11 tools but I want to know if MCT can
> be used. Please just answer yes or no because I don't want to read unnecessary
> information for this question.

Rufus will put the ISO on a USB stick for you.

https://rufus.ie/en/

This tool will also do it.

"Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool.exe" <=== installer

https://web.archive.org/web/20181004075559if_/https://download.microsoft.com/download/C/4/8/C48F6E20-FE20-41C6-8C1C-408FE7B49A3A/Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool-Installer-en-US.exe

This was written by someone outside Microsoft, and it used to be
delivered from the MicrosoftStore.com site or so. It was used
in Windows 8 era, for putting online purchased Windows8 onto
USB sticks. It "installs in a weird place", and Microsoft staff
wouldn't do it that way.

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Apps\Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool
README
Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool.exe

Name: Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool.exe <=== this is the file in that folder (name is different than the installer)
Size: 477,048 bytes (465 KiB)
SHA1: 6B6ECD554C96ABA07CDFE08EA47541E485A8E9E3

*******

There are two general problems with converters:

1) They do not make hybrid USB sticks properly.

Rufus may outright ask you whether you want a legacy BIOS (CSM) stick or a UEFI stick.

You boot the machine in the mode of installation you want, for
clean installs. You boot in UEFI, if the computer supports UEFI,
and you plan on, say, a GPT partitioned disk because the disk
is more than 2.2TB in size. GPT partitioning allows very large disks,
like booting from a 22TB Seagate disk for example.

2) The "handling" of the USB sticks, will cause hair loss.

Generally, the programs delete the stick contents and overwrite with
new structure.

You would think this would make it easy for the program developer,
to work with a USB stick.

Yet, they refuse to touch a stick, unless it is "served to them, just right".
The stick might need a partition to be already on it (even though,
the partition will be deleted!!!). The partition may not be allowed to
span the whole stick. Maybe on a 32GB USB stick, you make a "teaser partition"
of 8GB, leaving 24GB of slack.

"Cleaning a stick, so you can put one partition on it" will drive you nuts as well.

Some of your install materials on USB sticks, occupy multiple partitions,
and the idiot converter program can spot a 2MB partition and try and stuff
a 5GB ISO into it :-) Comedy ensues. You can attempt to use "diskpart" from an
admin window, select the USB stick as a disk, and use the "clean" command which
should just zap the partition table. Then use Disk MAnagement to easily make
the teaser partition for it.

This is all the very definition of insanity, but it is what it is.

It would not be uncommon for me, to have to do this four or five times,
until I get the blasted details right. There are just so many ways
to foul up a USB stick... the flow chart is of unlimited dimension.
And yet, the stick will just be deleted and overwritten, when all is
said and done.

So don't despair while working on your project. Working with USB sticks
was meant to annoy, that's for sure.

For Windows 11, Rufus has a separate dialog for "hacking the installer".
You do not need to hack the installer for install on a W11 compliant computer
(modern CPU, TPM 2.0 present). Hacking the installer, also tends to make
the OS not want to upgrade a year later. But if there is a tick box for
"legacy" or "UEFI", you do need at some point in the Rufus process,
to tell it which kind you want.

It's possible the Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool makes a hybrid on its own
(fully working, dual mode) just like the ISO it is made from.

HTH,
Paul

Simon wrote on 02-Nov-23 11:19 AM:
> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
> ISO already downloaded? I don't see anywhere in MCT to browse the file.
> I don't want want to download again because of bandwidth/quota
> limitation of my ISP subscription.
>
> I know I can use Rufus and other 11 tools but I want to know if MCT can
> be used. Please just answer yes or no because I don't want to read unnecessary
> information for this question.
>
>
>
No.
You can use MCT to download the ISO, then mount the ISO and copy the
entire folder structure and content to a flash drive.

--
....w¡ñ§±¤ñ

On 03/11/2023 00:16, ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ wrote:
> Simon wrote on 02-Nov-23 11:19 AM:
>> Can you use Microsoft's MediaCreationTool to create a flash drive from
>> ISO already downloaded? I don't see anywhere in MCT to browse the file.
>> I don't want want to download again because of bandwidth/quota
>> limitation of my ISP subscription.
>>
>> I know I can use Rufus and other 11 tools but I want to know if MCT can
>> be used. Please just answer yes or no because I don't want to read
>> unnecessary
>> information for this question.
>>
>>
>>
> No.
>  You can use MCT to download the ISO, then mount the ISO and copy the
> entire folder structure and content to a flash drive.

Note though, that resulting USB drive will not be bootable.

--
Brian Gregory (in England).

Paul wrote:

> Simon wrote:
>
>> Please just answer yes or no
>
> [war and peace]

:-O

On 11/2/2023 10:06 PM, Andy Burns wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>
>> Simon wrote:
>>
>>> Please just answer yes or no
>>
>> [war and peace]
>
> :-O

You would think with the army of software people
who have worked on this kind of thing, at least
someone could do a thorough job.

It's like waiting five years for someone to finish
a Bluetooth stack.

Or wait fifteen years for someone to fix a bug in Notepad.

Even if MCT attempted to do it, the same thing would happen,
as happens with all the other utilities. MCT would drive you nuts.

It is much better for the process to be broken down into pieces.

Some Linux guy was whining recently that "we should retire ISO". And
replace it with what exactly ? ISO is the only exchange media
we've got, and it allows "separating the necessary from the stupid".
Finish your download first. Then, attack the problem of the USB
stick. If the Downloader pretended to do both, *without* the downloader
tool saving an intermediate copy, you'd only lose your download.
Because the USB step would fail, with 80% certainty.

Paul