Working with 1903 media

I noticed in passing, that as expected, the x64 ISO for
1903 is larger than a single-layer DVD. And that got me
thinking about the "decision tree" on how to install.

1) You can go to the download page, and get MediaCreationTool
and ask it to make a USB key. That's a very easy solution...
if you have USB keys just sitting around to be wasted on
frippery like this. I have around seven keys with OS installers
on them, but each is prepared by copying something, rather than
a tool like MediaCreationTool downloading the stuff each time.

Consequently, while MediaCreationTool is "dead easy" and the
Curated Garden "guided path", I can't use it.

2) Using MediaCreationTool or otherwise, you can download in ISO
format.

a) Using Rufus, you can prepare (what I'm told) is a hybrid
boot key using the ISO as source. Any time someone makes a
claim like this, it must be tested. The results of using
third party key preparation software has been wrong so many
times in my computer room, this too would not be a preferred
method. Even if multiple web sites parrot the same instructions.
Unless they include *pictures* of it working, I'm really
not all that interested.

b) The "Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool" from microsoftstore.com,
does prepare a working USB stick (if you know the "tricks", such
as creating an 8GB NTFS partition first on your 64GB stick). The
problem is, it's not UEFI capable. It will only install on
MSDOS partitioned setups. I have a UEFI test disk right now,
so this is not an option.

So that brings us to "novel methods".

I tried this one. What this one does, is it allowed "editing" the
contents of a Windows 10 installation DVD. The method works. But,
it has the standard problem if "no hybrid support". The disc it
makes would be suitable for MSDOS partitioned drives, but not for
UEFI drives. And in a year or two, all new computers will be
UEFI only, and we want to be prepared for it.

https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-a...so-in-windows/

The key to editing the Windows 10 media, is "removal of excess images".
The W10 1903 V1 image has *11* different versions of Windows 10 on it,
with all the images being for, say, x64 install. There is a separate
ISO for x86 (32 bit) media, and the ISO I'm working with, which has
11 versions of x64 install on it.

Win10_1903_V1_English_x64.iso 4,939,528,192 bytes === starting materials
Win10_1903_V1_English_x32.iso 3,493,140,480 bytes

To edit the ISO, use 7ZIP from 7-ZIP.org to extract
all the files. (Alternately, you can always copy them
the old-fashioned way, as ISO files, you can right-click
and "Mount" them to get the files off.) The reason for
using 7-ZIP, is it *also* allows looking inside WIM
files, even if the operation is read-only, and no edits
of the WIM are allowed.

sources === install.wim is in here (needs modification)
efi === EFI boot files in here
boot === Legacy boot files in here
support
bootmgr.efi
bootmgr
setup.exe
autorun.inf

I dump all of those on my scratch drive, in F:\WORK

Inside the install.wim, is an XML file. It contains a text map
of which folder contains the desired OS version. Folder 6
contains Windows 10 Pro, which is what I'm after.

In an Administator Command Prompt window:

cd /d F:\WORK\sources\

Dism /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:install.wim /SourceIndex:6 /DestinationImageFile:newinstall.wim

# The newinstall.wim has no XML file and just contains the contents
# of Folder number 6. The newinstall.wim is 500MB smaller than the
# originally WIM that contains the 11 versions of Windows 10.

del install.wim
ren newinstall.wim install.wim

Now, our F:\WORK folder is ready to use to make media.

If I use the "intowindows.com" recipe above, which uses Imgburn to
remake an ISO, it works, but it only boots in legacy mode.

Instead, we need "oscdimg", which is a file from the WADK kit for
Windows. This is a huge download, if you want a copy, and all to get
a relatively small file that makes ISO images.

If you happen to use Macrium, if you search your existing C: , you
will likely find Macrium has an "oscdimg.exe" that it uses. I happened
to have a Windows 8 WADK kit on the same drive, so I used the Windows 8 WADK
version of "oscdimg.exe" for the job.

The following all goes on one line, in your Administrator Command Prompt window.

oscdimg -m -o -u2 -udfver102
-bootdata:2#p0,e,bF:\WORK\boot\etfsboot.com#pEF,e,b F:\WORK\efi\Microsoft\boot\efisys.bin
F:\WORK F:\W190364.iso

The bootdata line contains "2" boot options. etfsboot.com is the legacy boot.
Efisys.bin is the UEFI boot option. The #p option seems to specify the
"type" of the file in question, so it gets stuffed in the appropriate
cubby hole. The F:\WORK is the folder with the desired ISO contents,
including the (now smaller) install.wim. The output is the last item on
the parameter list.

What the above command also shows you, is the "unpacked" ISO contains
the files necessary to "repack" the ISO and make media again. The two
pointers, point to copies of the necessary materials within the F:\WORK
folder.

Using disktype, this is the tail end of the original x64 ISO and the
tail end of the "new" x64 ISO. This is to demonstrate that the
new media is Hybrid and can be booted in Legacy or UEFI, using
the F8 (popup boot) menu on your PC when the BIOS POSTs.

disktype H:\BUILD2015\Win10_ISO\Win10_1903_V1_English_x64.i so
....

Application "CDIMAGE 2.56 (01/01/2005 TM)"
Data size 4.600 GiB (4939528192 bytes, 2411879 blocks of 2 KiB)
El Torito boot record, catalog at 22
Bootable non-emulated image, starts at 514, preloads 4 KiB
Platform 0x00 (x86), System Type 0x00 (Empty)
Bootable non-emulated image, starts at 516, preloads 512 bytes
Platform 0xEF (EFI), System Type 0x00 (Empty)
Windows / MS-DOS boot loader
FAT12 file system (hints score 5 of 5)
Volume size 1.390 MiB (1457664 bytes, 2847 clusters of 512 bytes)
Volume name "EFISECTOR"

disktype H:\BUILD2015\Win10_ISO\W190364.iso
....

Application "OSCDIMG 2.56 (01/01/2005 TM)"
Data size 4.137 GiB (4442161152 bytes, 2169024 blocks of 2 KiB)
El Torito boot record, catalog at 22
Bootable non-emulated image, starts at 514, preloads 4 KiB
Platform 0x00 (x86), System Type 0x00 (Empty)
Bootable non-emulated image, starts at 516, preloads 512 bytes
Platform 0xEF (EFI), System Type 0x00 (Empty)
Windows / MS-DOS boot loader
FAT12 file system (hints score 5 of 5)
Volume size 1.390 MiB (1457664 bytes, 2847 clusters of 512 bytes)
Volume name "EFISECTOR"

I burned the latter (new) image on a single-layer DVD
and it's trying to install as I type. (The usual temporary
test install, not a daily driver)

I'm still having problems installing, because the disk I'm using,
has around six or seven OSes already, and the Windows 10 UEFI
stuff really doesn't like that :-) There's a hissy fit waiting
for me on the screen over there now.

HTH,
Paul

Paul wrote:

I noticed in passing, that as expected, the x64 ISO for
1903 is larger than a single-layer DVD. And that got me
thinking about the "decision tree" on how to install.

1) You can go to the download page, and get MediaCreationTool
and ask it to make a USB key. That's a very easy solution...
if you have USB keys just sitting around to be wasted on
frippery like this. I have around seven keys with OS installers
on them, but each is prepared by copying something, rather than
a tool like MediaCreationTool downloading the stuff each time.

Consequently, while MediaCreationTool is "dead easy" and the
Curated Garden "guided path", I can't use it.

Or you can guarantee the computer(s) where you want to install the OS
has an optical drive to use Blu-Ray discs.

Plus you have to carry around a CD wallet to store the disc.

A 32GB USB 3.1 32GB drive from Newegg is only $10 (a sale of just $1 off
the $11 price). If you don't need (and probably don't need) USB 3.x and
a USB 2.0 flash drive is okay, an 8GB flash drive costs just $3-$5, and
16GB and 32GB flash drives overlap that price range (there is a minimal
product cost). 64GB USB 2.0 flash drives are about $10-$15, but
obviously far larger than you need to house the OS installer.

Low-capacity (well, what's considered low nowadays) are damn cheap.
You're more likely to find a USB port on computers now than for BD
optical drives. Plus, to transport, a USB flash drive is far easier to
carry than a 120mm (4.7") disc. The only advantage that I can see to
using an optical disk is that you can use a Sharpie to mark on it what
is its contents. Most USB flash drives don't have handy little flat
spots or are light-colored on which you can use a marker to note what is
on the flash drive.

USB ports are far more ubiqituous than optical drives. I remember Steve
Harvey (Family Feud) recalling telling his son about his music CD
collection. The kid asked, "What are CDs"? If you cannot afford $10
for a USB flash drive towards the cost of your new build, you really
cannot afford that new build.

I tried this one. What this one does, is it allowed "editing" the
contents of a Windows 10 installation DVD. The method works. But,
it has the standard problem if "no hybrid support". The disc it
makes would be suitable for MSDOS partitioned drives, but not for
UEFI drives. And in a year or two, all new computers will be
UEFI only, and we want to be prepared for it.

I didn't even bother hunting around for BIOS-style mobos in my recent
build. Figured they'd be rare and with missing functionality.

VanguardLH wrote:
Paul wrote:

And in a year or two, all new computers will be
UEFI only, and we want to be prepared for it.

I didn't even bother hunting around for BIOS-style mobos in my recent
build. Figured they'd be rare and with missing functionality.

Current motherboards support UEFI+CSM. Which allows
booting from either configuration.

OEM machines tend to come with UEFI (GPT) disk setups,
even if the boot drive is 500GB. GPT is more important
for disks which are larger than 2TB.

Intels evil plan, is to cause UEFI only motherboards to
ship, which will promptly cut off some older OSes from
working. I don't know what the cost of the "+CSM" part
is today, but because the BIOS companies have already
written this code, the cost of continuing to ship
that mode should be minimal.

Paul

On 5/26/19 10:11 PM, Paul wrote:

[snip]

Intels evil plan, is to cause UEFI only motherboards to
ship, which will promptly cut off some older OSes from
working. I don't know what the cost of the "+CSM" part
is today, but because the BIOS companies have already
written this code, the cost of continuing to ship
that mode should be minimal.

Â*Â* Paul

BTW, UEFI booting is also bitness-specific, so you won't (for example)
be able to boot (for example) a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit machine.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"I put out these milk and cookies as a sacrifice. If Thou wishest me to
eat them, please give me a sign by doing absolutely nothing.
MMMMmmmm..." [Homer Simpson]