Reliable/Safe Direct Download Source(s) for the Windows 10/11 ISO files

[britechguy]

@Sky-Knight,

That's my standard operating procedure, too.

I can also definitely attest that the ISO that the Media Creation Tool builds during the life of a given Windows 10 Version will change over time as updates have been applied. That's why I don't prefer to use "ancient" ISOs. I know that Windows Update will fetch everything afterward, but I like to minimize what it actually has to fetch, so if my ISO is more than a month or two old, at most, I use the MCT to create a fresh ISO.

The changing in size of the ISO file over multiple MCT runs for a given version clearly indicates something has changed.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@britechguy Yeah, I mean... who wants to do a feature update or install via USB only to have to do a feature update? That's just more time for no benefit. I wait 90 days after a release, then update all my installation tools.

 

[fincoder]

eah, I mean... who wants to do a feature update or install via USB only to have to do a feature update?

Nobody's talking about using an installer with an older feature release (except you, still using an old installer for 90 days!).
@britechguy is talking about making a new installer ever few weeks to get the latest quality updates, the ones that are installed in a simple cumulative update after OS install.

The changing in size of the ISO file over multiple MCT runs for a given version clearly indicates something has changed.

The change of size might be something to do with the way MCT builds the ISO, or a tweak to the installation process itself, or maybe as you say they roll quality updates into it. The simple fact that something has changed is (for me) not a good reason to make a new installer every few weeks.

If a newly built ISO contained the very latest quality updates there'd be no cumulative update after install. Next time you build a new ISO and use it immediately, please let us know if a cumulative update installs straight afterwards.

 

[britechguy]

Next time you build a new ISO and use it immediately, please let us know if a cumulative update installs straight afterwards.

I would presume that there will be a several day lag (and time for telemetry analysis) before anything in a cumulative update would be rolled into the ISO that gets built.

It has been my experience, at least once, updated ISO precluded the application of several cumulative updates that occurred after the last ISO I built. I don't time these rebuilds out on any strict schedule, "two weeks" or otherwise.

There would be no reason for the Media Creation Tool were it not to create "the freshest" ISO, not the same one that was available on day one, or at the end of month one, six months later.

 

[fincoder]

There would be no reason for the Media Creation Tool were it not to create "the freshest" ISO, not the same one that was available on day one, or at the end of month one, six months later.

The main reasons for the MCT are to make bootable USB media, or to initiate an in-place upgrade. Your assumption that it's fresher is only that. You might be right, but downloading it every few weeks is likely to be more time-consuming than installing the cumulative update after each install, especially as you say there is likely to be a cum update even if the installer was just updated.

The other point is, there are many techs like myself that use the same installer for 6 months and only update it on a new OS release. I've been doing it this way since the initial Win10 release and haven't experienced or seen any reason to change that.

I was actually hoping you might have had some evidence about what updates are included in newly built installers, so a logical decision could be made about when to update my installers. I blame Microsoft for their usual lack of transparency.

 

[Porthos]

I have a question, Have any of you ever used an MCT-created USB and installed it with the computer offline and with it offline check what is actually installed and which level CU it is?

 

[britechguy]

I have a question, Have any of you ever used an MCT-created USB and installed it with the computer offline and with it offline check what is actually installed and which level CU it is?

Well, I was with you up until the "check" part.

I actually did this today with Windows 11, but it's too late to check now because I have gone online since.

[Not meant to be snarky] How would you go about doing the actual checking?

 

[Porthos]

How would you go about doing the actual checking?

 

[britechguy]

OK, this presumes you're creating a local account. I know that's possible under Windows 10, but trickier (though not impossible) under Windows 11.

I was thinking there was some "secret sauce" where you could break out during the install process once the OS part is complete before the point where a user account came into play.

I was shocked when I first learned that you could break out to Command Prompt by hitting SHIFT + F10 when the language dialog appears and thought there might be another time when something like this was possible.

 

[Porthos]

I am thinking the MCT "creation" process is not updating any of the monthly CU's. All the updating is getting done after the initial install, therefore, a waste to make new ISO's except after the yearly feature update.

OK, this presumes you're creating a local account. I know that's possible under Windows 10, but trickier (though not impossible) under Windows 11.

You could always test with 11 Pro.

I just have not been in the position to test myself.

 

[Sky-Knight]

As far as I know the installers do not update with the monthly CUs, UNLESS setup.exe has internet connectivity and the appropriate box ticked.

Every install I've ever done has been basically clean ISO install to one CU roll up.

 

[MudRock]

@britechguy Yeah, I mean... who wants to do a feature update or install via USB only to have to do a feature update? That's just more time for no benefit. I wait 90 days after a release, then update all my installation tools.

@britechguy Okay I understand more, sorry.

My process is to get them "In-Band" (What I call it, I'm sure there's a proper term) - My "In-Band" is getting them inside the Window where they are still getting security updates (So right now, getting them In-Band would mean getting them off of 20H1/20H2 minimum), find the reason that their computer isn't staying up to date (SLOOOOW internet, shutting down computer immediately after use, short computer use time, end user processes, etc) and address the issue of no updates. If you get them In-Band, that means you've done your job to keep the end user safer and more secure.

In reality, I usually (as with Sky) update my ISOs every 3 months or less anyways. If they appear to be behind at all when I land in front of it, I usually fire off an ISO update anyways (Be surprised how often this rectifies weird bugs too).

I might suggest not always bringing an end user to the newest version. For example, if you would have done that with Office this week, you would have bumped into the Outlook search bug where it can't find newer emails. There's a reason most IT departments do delay patching except critical patches. They hate getting calls that an update broke something from 100 people.

Britech, have you looked if you can PowerShell it? I know I've looked at the below script because it has a horde of command-line options, you may be able to use this to generate the proper ISOs on a schedule.

GitHub - AveYo/MediaCreationTool.bat: Universal MCT wrapper script for all Windows 10/11 versions from 1507 to 21H2!

Universal MCT wrapper script for all Windows 10/11 versions from 1507 to 21H2! - AveYo/MediaCreationTool.bat

github.com

 

[MudRock]

Found a powershell script set for downloading the ISOs:

GitHub - pbatard/Fido: A PowerShell script to download Windows or UEFI Shell ISOs

A PowerShell script to download Windows or UEFI Shell ISOs - pbatard/Fido

github.com

 

[johnrobert]

I am getting the 10 iso now with Media Creation Tool. I half expected it not to be availably only Win 11

 

[Sky-Knight]

There are two different media creation tools.

 

[britechguy]

There are two different media creation tool

Yup. The Windows 10 Media Creation tool is available from the Microsoft Windows 10 Download Page, and the Windows 11 from the Microsoft Windows 11 Download Page.

This will continue to be the case through EOL for Windows 10 in 2025 (and, of course, Windows 11, but that's quite a bit further in the future).

 

[MudRock]

Yup. The Windows 10 Media Creation tool is available from the Microsoft Windows 10 Download Page, and the Windows 11 from the Microsoft Windows 11 Download Page.

This will continue to be the case through EOL for Windows 10 in 2025 (and, of course, Windows 11, but that's quite a bit further in the future).

I still teehee at Microsoft "Claiming" Windows 10 would be the last Windows OS ever...

 

[Porthos]

I still teehee at Microsoft "Claiming" Windows 10 would be the last Windows OS ever...

Wasnt actually MS. It was just a comment from a developer that was taken as official word from the company.

 

[britechguy]

And, effectively, no matter how they package it, Windows 11 is just a gussied up next release under Windows As A Service. This is probably the least changed major release of Windows unless Microsoft is keeping something very much under wraps.

 

[NviGate Systems]

I don't know if this has changed, but keep in mind a USB or ISO made with the Media Creation Tool does not have an install.wim file but an install.esd file which is compressed. So if you were planning to customize an image or import the wim file you can't without first installing it and capturing the image after Sysprep etc. But if you download the plain ISO, without using the app, it uses standard wim files.