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How can the Window 10 Media Creation Tool be used to create multiple USB-Thumb-Drives without having to re-download the image for each thumb-drive?

Background: I've used the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool in the past to create USB-Thumb-Drive-Installers, but after creating one USB-Thumb it doesn't ask you if you'd like to create another (I want to create 10 or more).

Because of this, you have to run the tool again, and then it re-downloads the whole image again (gigs of data -- again).

Am I overlooking something? If not, what's the best way to image that initial thumb-drive so that I can quickly make several copies and get a whole LAN of computers onto the Anniversary Update (that came out on August 2nd 2016)?

Why do I want to do this manually? Because, this update allows a non-admin user to apply "Express Settings" that ultimately override all the Security/Privacy settings I previously set up during the initial install of Windows 10. I don't want these users to inadvertently change all their default applications and other privacy-related settings to Microsoft's "Express Settings" preferences, which naturally prefer less privacy and Microsoft brand default applications.

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  • Microsoft should alter this program so that after you write to one USB device it asks you if you'd like to make another (just like you often see in CD/DVD burning software). The amount of bandwidth saved, due to this simple addition, is probably astronomical. Someone should take the time to formally propose this. Me, I don't propose anything unless I get a issue tracking URL from my submission. Microsoft owns GitHub (which provides this), but they don't even have this feature when reporting Window 10 issues/bugs/enhancements.
    – LonnieBest
    Dec 8, 2019 at 0:17

2 Answers 2

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How can the Window 10 Media Creation Tool be used to create multiple USB-Thumb-Drives without having to re-download the image for each thumb-drive?

This can be easily achieved. You have to finish the download of the .ISO at least once, so you can copy the completed ECD extracted contents of both ..\\$WINDOWS.~BT and ..\\$Windows.~WS which are hidden by default.

Once you have completed the download:

enter image description here

If you copy the contents of the mentioned folder, into a new directory, you can then close the existing instance of the Media Creation Tool. You can then restore these directories to another system in their original location.

Once you do that navigate to ..\\$Windows.~WS\Sources\Windows\sources and launch ..\\$Windows.~WS\Sources\Windows\sources\setupprep.exe. This directory only exists if the actual download has been completed though.

This process does not appear to work if you launch setupprep.exe from other then the default location.

enter image description here

This answer was inspired by How to resume the Windows 10 installation media creation process.

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After upgrading one company using the selected answer. I upgraded another company by just mounting the ISO that the Media Creation Tool produces to each workstation's operating system using this tool: http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/

You can either copy the ISO to each workstation and mount it. Or, put the ISO onto a file share and mount it on each workstation over the LAN.

Initially, I was concerned about trying this method, because the installation performs multiple reboots. However, I learned (by trying it) that it works because the ISO is not use again after the upgrade's first reboot. Therefore, this method mounts the ISO during the only time it is actually needed.

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