From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Tutorial:
How to DIRECTLY download the full 5.7GB Windows 10 Offline ISO
(bypassing Media Creation Tool because it requires 8GB in C:)

Even though I have a Costco WD 5TB USB drive plugged into my PC,
the meshuganer Windows Media Creation Tool insists on requiring 8GB
of free space on the C: drive, which I don't have at the moment.

So this is the procedure I used which DIRECTLY downloaded the full
offline ISO onto that 5TB USB drive without using the MCT to do it.

I used Microsoft Edge Version 143.0.3650.96 (Official build) (64-bit)
so as to keep everything the latest Microsoft software in this tutorial.

I also have the Win+R keystroke pinned to the taskbar as a "Runbox".

This failed because MCT requires 8GB free space on C:
Runbox > msedge https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Look for "Create Windows 10 installation media"
Below that header is a blue "Download Now" button whose URL is:
<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=2265055>
That will download
Name: MediaCreationTool_22H2.exe
Size: 19463448 bytes (18 MiB)
SHA256: 690C8A63769D444FAD47B7DDECEE7F24C9333AA735D0BD46587D0DF5CF15CDE5
Double-click MediaCreationTool_22H2.exe.
Click Yes to the UAC prompt
You'll see "Getting a few things ready..." for a minute or so.
Then "Microsoft Applicable notices and license terms.
Press the "Accept" button.
It will go back to "Getting a few things ready"
And then when you see
What do you want to do?"
Change the default from:
(o)Upgrade this PC now
(_)Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)
for another PC
To:
(_)Upgrade this PC now
(o)Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)
for another PC
Click Next
Select:
Language English (United States)
Edition Windows 10
Architecture 64-bit (x64)
[x]Use the recommended options for this PC
Press "Next"
Drat.
If you have less than 8GB of free space on C:, it will say:
"8GB of free disk space needed on (C:)"
The only option is "Close".

Drat.
But guess what?

If you're on any other platform EXCEPT Windows, you can directly
download the full offline installer ISO file which is 5.7GB.

So let's employ Microsoft's direct ISO download trick.

If you're using a Chromium browser, you can "trick" it into thinking
that it's another browser using F12 to open Developer Tools and then
switch the User-Agent string to anything that is not Windows
(and then just refresh the page using Ctrl+R).

But even easier, let's adjust the start command to do that for us:
Runbox > msedge --user-agent="Android" https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10

Now you no longer see the Media Creation Tool. Instead you see:
"Download Windows 10 Disk Image (ISO File)"
"You've been routed to this page because the operating system you're
using won't support the Windows 10 media creation tool and we want
to make sure you can download Windows 10."
Windows 10 2023 Update | Version 22H2
Select edition = Windows 10 (multi-edition ISO)
Press "Confirm"
Select the product language = English (United States)
Press "Confirm"
Choose a link below to begin the download.
32-bit Download

<https://software.download.prss.microsoft.com/dbazure/Win10_22H2_English_x32v1.iso?t=dc3f8951-4477-42d9-80fd-52639cca5e57&P1=1767078305&P2=601&P3=2&P4=MoaYUg%2bcUIqaCT%2fpJXGLUGdLVt8GOsgkprNAjE0a%2fQ5zJTqmO0UZhpfQk1VF1skRBVVjlU5l7KnT2%2bgaSAL2YZwdG4J%2bxXB8
sivmdX%2f04kIxQJ%2bVOBckzfj0trRClfDpNKntRQbrUJkDQX7YYNxV6Qm7Ah9Jrit9j7qI5QeKtvepYyEZx8pK3ErlrApepWaNvJr8grEirVgg9GS6jxCmKOPhgQikatsRzB2NAV13ESkFv6%2bkcWyYJcVQf0%2fYvN8Lf%2bVLQi8WirjL1m3z5RGVxBSwNVbtKouYBunrmtuKS8ZT4a%2bpTrFYz7IjWUesq0BrFxPJX7zB3lUiLyuBCbVJ0
Q%3d%3d>
64-bit Download

<https://software.download.prss.microsoft.com/dbazure/Win10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso?t=dc3f8951-4477-42d9-80fd-52639cca5e57&P1=1767078306&P2=601&P3=2&P4=3F1f9egEAWkoRCTOJFZctZLgOdDKkr3f8ud02RyKkH3nD588fRm35eM30lw4W4BnSOajKGnZOUteMgftCmwkkfJvI1o4IUlStNAb2OMZn2
Jpedwsr2y27EfxwU2s4QrhQUcZo7mCZ83Sx%2bcdLw%2bxMDc7oH2%2fuDnrb%2fGMRcb2ro7llyImdbNvvjplRcr4Cd%2fOP7900X8knFsd%2faRtD51UAlWD%2fCin4d3GmDnL0piWvMbjcjv7qYjutG6%2bxlOqrRhK34DAzeVzFf2nqqM%2bHwNkGCFHa7WLXQceV5sYOwQYnUld%2fcNTq4VWIcs99uIP%2bQjjWOvn0Qxfbz1SRgfQX5qJf
A%3d%3d>
Links valid for 24 hours from time of creation.
Links expire: 2025-12-30T07:05:06.0155662Z UTC
Note these are time-limited, session-specific, tokenized download URLs
which are tied to the moment the ISO was requested. Z is Zulu Time (UTC).

Here's the hash for the direct link above to the Windows 10 64-bit iso:
Name: Win10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso
Size: 6140975104 bytes (5856 MiB)
SHA256: A6F470CA6D331EB353B815C043E327A347F594F37FF525F17764738FE812852E

Note that a Windows 10 ISO is about 5.7GB, so you need a dual-layer DVD
(DVD+R DL) as a standard 4.7GB DVD will not be large enough to hold it.
--
Just one person paying it forward with tested steps & free tools that work.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Marian wrote:

Note that a Windows 10 ISO is about 5.7GB, so you need a dual-layer DVD (DVD+R DL) as a standard 4.7GB DVD will not be large enough to hold it.

Drat.

I could not use ImgBurn to burn the latest Windows 10 ISO to a standard
4.7GB DVD because the most current Windows 10 ISO is about 5.7GB (and I
didn't have any dual-layer DVD+R DL larger DVDs available).

So I downloaded & ran Rufus to create a bootable Win10 USB flash drive.

How to Create a Windows 10 USB Installer Using Rufus ----------------------------------------------------
1. Download Rufus from:
Runbox > https://rufus.ie/
(Use the portable version if you prefer.)
Runbox > https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/releases/download/v4.11/rufus-4.11p.exe
Name: rufus-4.11p.exe
Size: 1936744 bytes (1891 KiB)
SHA256: ABBF04D50A44A9612C027FC8072F6DA67F5BCDA2B826F1F852C9C24D7A1FCDFF

2. Insert your USB flash drive (8GB minimum, larger is fine).

3. Run Rufus (no installation required).

4. In the "Device" box, select your USB drive.

5. Click "SELECT" and choose the Windows 10 ISO you downloaded.

6. Use these settings (recommended for most newer systems):
Partition scheme: GPT
Target system: UEFI (non-CSM)
File system: NTFS (Rufus will choose automatically)

If you need to support older BIOS-only systems:
Partition scheme: MBR
Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)

7. Rufus will show a "Windows User Experience" dialog.
If you want a standard, unmodified Windows installer,
leave all boxes unchecked and click OK.

8. Rufus may warn that the ISO contains a revoked UEFI bootloader.
This only affects newer PCs with Secure Boot enabled.
If the target PC refuses to boot the USB, simply disable
Secure Boot temporarily in the BIOS/UEFI.

9. Click START.
Rufus will erase the USB and copy the installer.

10. When Rufus shows "READY", the USB is finished.

Notes:
The latest Rufus versions apparently format the entire USB as
one large partition and then copy the Windows installer into it.

Since the installer uses about 5.8GB, the remaining space on
the USB is still apparently available for storing other files.

Obviously, do not delete or modify any of the Windows setup files.

Booting:
On the target PC, enter BIOS/UEFI and choose the USB drive as
the boot device. If you see a "Security Violation" message,
disable Secure Boot temporarily and try again.

BOOTING FROM THE USB
--------------------
1. Insert the Windows 10 ISO USB that RUFUS created into the target PC.
2. Power on and repeatedly tap the boot menu key:
Dell: F12
HP: F9
Lenovo: F12 or F8
ASUS: F8
Acer: F12
MSI: F11
3. Select the USB drive.
4. Windows Setup will start.

From there you can:
a. Run startup repair
b. Use the command prompt (bootrec, chkdsk, sfc, dism, etc.)
c. Or reinstall Windows 10 if needed

That's for tomorrow. :)
--
Just one person paying it forward with tested steps & free tools.
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

If you care about something, then (my advice is to) never install it in the hierarchies that Windows (or external programs) expects it to be in.

Below is an example, from today, for the advice to never store anything you care about where Microsoft (& other programs) "expect" it to be stored.

Starting yesterday (when I created the Windows 10 recovery media) and
finishing today, I helped recover a teen age grandkid's Windows 10 PC.

Interestingly, everything in the locations Microsoft "expects" software and data to be, was wiped out in the process, but everything stored "where it belongs" (which you define!) was preserved.

Specifically, since the registry was rebuilt from scratch, all the programs installed where they belong in C:\app\{1 dozen folders for all computers!}
were still there, and working, while all programs that owned dumb
installers which installed into the Program Files hierarchies were wiped
out. All they needed was to be run once, to re-establish registry keys.

Worse, all data in C:\users\ was apparently wiped out, but all the data
stored where it belongs (which YOU define!) was preserved in C:\data.
That included all the software installers in C:\data\software too!

In summary, by storing software archives, data and installed software
OUTSIDE of the polluted Microsoft hierarchies, they were preserved in this recovery.

The lesson here is, if you care about something, then never install it in
the hierarchies that Windows (or external programs) expects it to be in.

It's counter intuitive, but it's sheer genius because it works beautifully.
--
Just one person paying it forward with clear lessons for a better PC.
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Marian wrote:

The lesson here is, if you care about something, then never install it in
the hierarchies that Windows (or external programs) expects it to be in.

SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED:

Having installed/repaired Windows 10 many times from a DVD ISO, I was
surprised I still was able to learn about new quirks in Windows 10 repair.

One tidbit I accidentally learned in this effort was that it is now harder,
not easier, to repair with a Windows DVD iso than it is with a USB stick.

It used to be every PC had a CD/DVD drive, but this PC lacks that drive.
So I had to use an old Pioneer USB DVD

Of course, like everyone here, I have an archival CD/DVD cake box with
various Windows 10 4.7GB ISO's on the spindle, which I dug up when I found
out that the latest Windows 10 ISO no longer fits on single-layer DVDs.

Since I didn't have a dual-layer DVD handy, I dug out my first DL drive,
which is a Pioneer DVD-R/RW CD-R/RW Writer Model Pioneer DVR-107D case with
an internal Pioneer DVR-S706/DVR-107D unit encased in the heavy casing.

Looking it up today, the DVR-S706 is what it says, but I wrote on the
outside that it's really a DVR-107D, which Google says is consistent.
DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW (remember that terminology?)

The label says "MFR April 2004" which is when I bought it because it was
(as I recall) the first external CD/DVD-R burner ever sold at Fry's.
DRW2220-A = the external 12V/5V USB enclosure kit UPC 012662-705750
DVR-S706 = the tray-loading optical drive itself (dated April 2004)
Although in my handwriting is DVR-107D on the outside, so I likely opened
the case up decades ago to look inside and I must've seen that somewhere.

I think it's telling I bought one of Silicon Valley's first USB 2.0 premium external DVD writers which has been working for over two full decades!

Apparently most people today have never even seen one because Fry's in the Silicon Valley was one of the only chains in the U.S. that carried it.

Back to the error message with the circa 2019 Windows 10 ISO in the USB 2.0
DVD drive plugged into the PC SS (super speed) USB port, what happened was
"A media driver your computer needs is missing"
But Microsoft doesn't say which driver, and, as it turns out, it's not a
driver but that the first part of the reading-from-DVD process loaded fine
but the second part of that DVD-reading process wasn't fast enough.
a. Installer loads the first stage (the GUI)
b. Then fails when reading the next chunk of data
c. Windows Setup interprets the read failure as "missing driver"
Yet it's about reading the media; it's not about missing a driver.
As apparently, this message almost never means a driver missing.
<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/-a-media-driver-your-computer-needs-is-missing-or-a-required-cd-dvd-drive-device-driver-is-missing-error-message-when-you-install-windows-ad4bec88-167e-eeeb-15ab-ccd6982bd859>

That's two strikes (I didn't have dual-layer DVD blanks and the venerable
first dual layer DVD writer failed to be reliably read on a UEFI computer).
1. Strike 1 => no DVD reader in the PC so I used an external DVD reader
2. Strike 2 => PC wouldn't reliably read the single-layer Windows 10 ISO
3. Third pitch => home run!

The third pitch worked!
a. Download the latest Windows 10 ISO (1st strike was <8GB in C: failed)
b. Download & run Rufus to populate an old 64GB USB stick (used 8GB only)
c. Install/Repair Windows 10 by setting the UEFI/BIOS to boot off the USB

Voila!
Success at last.

I wonder if I hadn't had decades of Windows troubleshooting if we wouldn't
have been successful as the kid just wants a new PC that can run his games.
A. Cyberpunk 2077 Needs for 1080p, 60 FPS
B. Baldurias Gate 3: 90iV120 FPS at Ultra
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Marian wrote:

I wonder if I hadn't had decades of Windows troubleshooting if we wouldn't have been successful as the kid just wants a new PC that can run his games.
A. Cyberpunk 2077 1080p 60 FPS
B. Baldur's Gate 3: 90iV120 FPS at Ultra

It's funny, but even after decades of using Windows, we still have to solve issues that we've always had to solve, yet we always win in the end.

We never failed. Ever. But it takes a few strikes before the home run.

On this time at bat...
1st pitch: Strike (no intern DVD slot so I dug up an external DVD reader)
2nd pitch: Strike (the UEFI PC wouldn't reliable read the 2019 S/L ISO)
3rd pitch: Foul ball (Windows 10 MCT requires 8GB free on C: drive)
4th pitch: Foul ball (latest Windows 10 ISO requires dual-layer media)
5th pitch: Home run (Rufus Windows 10 ISO on >8GB flash media worked!)

The problem still though, is this grandkid want's to be able to run
a. Cyberpunk 2077 on 1080p at 60FPS
b. Baldur's Gate 3 at 90iV120FPS on Ultra graphics preset

Looking it up, we need to beef up the PC apparently, where I think:

Q: What do Cyberpunk & Baldur need if we build our own desktop PC?
A: What Cyberpunk 2077 needs for 1080p 60 FPS
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 (or RTX 3060 or AMD RX 6600 XT )
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: SSD (70 GB free)
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
A: What Baldur's Gate 3 needs for 90iV120FPS at 1080p
CPU: Intel i5-4690 / AMD FX-8350
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD RX 480 (4GB VRAM)
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 150 GB on SSD
OS: Windows 10 64-bit

Here's a high-end PC build (but it's out of the ballpark in expense).
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D or Intel Core i5-13600K
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super or AMD RX 7800 XT
RAM: 32 GB DDR4/DDR5
Storage: 1iV2 TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
MB: X670 / B650 (AMD) or Z690 / Z790 (Intel)
Power: 750W 80+ Gold

Here's a possible compromise PC build we may begin to explore:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-12400F
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 (12GB) or AMD RX 6600 XT
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2i-8 GB, 3200iV3600 MHz)
Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
MB: B550 (AMD) or B660 (Intel)
Case: Any mid-tower with good airflow (3iV4 fans)

It has been a long time since I've built a PC from scratch.
Any suggestions?
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