Create iso from files in windows 10
How to: Create a bootable ISO file from your Windows 10 Download for reinstallation
Technical Level : Basic
Summary
The primary method of delivery for Windows 10 will be through Windows Update. Microsoft also provides ISO media, but if you are are already downloading Windows 10 through Windows Update, why not create your own? This is convenient for reinstall purposes especially if you need to perform a repair upgrade. Windows 10 already provides a recovery drive and reset pc functions, but these are limited by clean installs. Creating a ISO from the same PC you upgraded is also convenient if you have a second computer running a qualifying previous version of Windows you would like to upgrade, so it significantly saves on banwidth.
Details
Please note, if you plan to use this same ISO image to install or upgrade another computer, it must be running the same edition or at least have a product key that can activate it.
After downloading Windows 10 through Windows Update, a copy of the installation file called a Install.esd (Electronic Software Delivery) is created in the folder C:\$Windows.
Press Windows key + R
Copy the Install.esd file from the folder to your Downloads or Documents folder.
If you don’t see it, enable Show hidden files and folders.
Download the latest version of ESD Decrypter
(use 7zip to extract the compressed file)
Extract esd-decrypter-wimlib-4.7z to a folder.
You will need a free software called 7zip to do this:
Right click decrypt file in the same folder and click Run as administrator
Select option 2
When complete, burn to a blank DVD or create a bootable copy on a USB thumbdrive.
You can also use the Microsoft USB/DVD Tool, which is recommended for Windows XP users.
For UEFI based systems
If your computer is UEFI based, these are normally systems that come pre-loaded with Windows 8 or later, you will need to prepare the ISO file for such a configuration or you will receive an error message during setup. The thumbdrive needs to be formatted as FAT32 and use the GPT partitioning scheme. To do this, you need to use Rufus, a small tool you can download for free.
After you have installed Rufus:
Otherwise, you download the official ISOs from Microsoft or use the one that will be provided as part of your upgrade.
How to install the latest Windows 10 build from within Windows 8.1 or Windows 7
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Sumit
Volunteer Moderator- Microsoft Community
Mark the reply as helpful or answered to help others if your query is resolved
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Thank you Andre for another brilliant tutorial.
On a windows 8.1 machine where i am logged in using my insider account i reserved the upgrade to win 10 just a couple of weeks agao after the keys and iso for tech preview were no longer available from MS. I can see the Install.esd in the location you describe (it auto downloaded on 28th July) but it is not clear if i should wait for the notification to upgrade and then upgrade before creating the iso as you describe for win 10 or if it is ok just to go ahead and create the iso before the upgrade has been applied?.
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Andre, thank you so much a very nice article. Can I use this ISO to do the upgrade? Will it recognize my machine as valid if I use the ISO to upgrade? And last, after I do an upgrade then can I do a clean install?
As I understand it first you must upgrade to register your machine with MS then you can do a clean install from then on out, correct?
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There seems to be a lot of folks facing activation issues on their new upgrade and others are having issues on their old windows version install with things like windows updates errors and corrupt downloads as well as GWX app issues.
The upgrade is seamless if you just go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and click the «Download Tool Now» button for the architecture of the machine you are using to either upgrade or create installation media. 🙂 It is worth the time and effort for sure. 😉 The whole process will cost you one hour or less depending on the machine you’re using.
I have not created installation as yet but can confirm the actual upgrade process is very slick.
This was after my reserved copy and Get Windows 10 app (windows updates) method of upgrade failed. The files downloaded but i never got the notification to upgrade. Reviewing windows updates history revealed there had been many failed attempts at installing the win 10 upgrade. I used the deleting whole directory and refreshing registry to get windows updates to try redownloading upgrade files but failed again with same and similar error codes.
How to Create ISO from Files or Folders Windows 10/7
By Petty Madison | Last Updated: Dec. 16, 2018
ISO files are essentially exact copies of a disk, program, file or folder. Although ISO files are usually used to copy the contents of a disk, they can also be created from specific files, or even folders that contain other subfolders and files. This article shows you three different software utilities that can be used to create ISO files from files or folders on your computer.
Free ISO Creator 1: UUByte ISO Editor (Windows 10/8/7 and Mac)
UUByte ISO Editor is an extremely versatile ISO creation and burning software. It has multiple utilities built into it, including creating image files or ISO files from disks, burning files to disks, copying or erasing disks, and also creating ISO files from files and folders. The interface is simple enough for novice users to get comfortable with quickly, and the steps are easy to follow.
Why Choose UUByte ISO Editor
Step 2: Click on it and then click on the «Add Files» or «Add Folder» button. This will allow you to add whatever files and folders you need to the compilation of the ISO file. Another alternative is to either drag and drop or copy paste the folders and files to the compilation window.
Step 3 :Check if all the files and folders that you need for the ISO file are present. If there is anything you do not need, you can remove it at this point by using the «Remove» option. There are also several other options such as renaming the content, applying labels, adding new folders, and changing advanced settings.
Step 4: Once you are satisfied that the content and the settings are as per your requirement, click on the «Create ISO » button. You will now be asked to name your target ISO file. Type in an appropriate name and then click on «Create Now». Once it has completed the creation of the ISO file, you may close the program by using the close button. In your selected target location, you should now be able to see the ISO file containing all the folders and files that you specified during the compilation.
Free ISO Creator 2: ImgBurn (Easily Convert Files to ISO)
Another versatile tool to create ISO files or disk images from files or folders on your PC is ImgBurn. It is used by a tremendous number of Windows users and is considered more reliable than most other ISO creation utilities. Also a great tool to burn ISO to CD.
One unique feature of ImgBurn is that once the ISO file has been created and you burn this file to create a bootable disk, you will be able to verify the disk to see if the ISO file was burned properly. The steps below describe how to use ImgBurn to create an ISO file from files and folders on your computer:
Step 1 : Download and install ImgBurn from the official website. Open the application and, on the first window, you will see an option called «Create image file from files/folders». Select that option.
Step 2: Once you are inside the compilation page, use the «Source» option to add files and folders for the compilation. Once you have done this, you may a select target location for the ISO file in the «Destination» section.
Step 3: If you look at the right hand side of the compilation window, you will see several basic and advanced options. You may leave all default values as they are, or if you require some specific parameters, you can set them here. For example, if you want to include system or hidden files, or restrict it to archived files alone, this is where you would make those changes.
Step 4: Once you check that the settings are all correct, you may proceed to click on the «Build ISO» icon at the bottom of the left side of the software interface. In a few moments, your ISO file will be created and saved to the location that you specified earlier.
Free ISO Maker 3: ISO Create Wizard
This ISO creation utility is extremely simple to use, but it is equally efficient and an ideal way to create ISO files from your local files or folders. You can also use this utility to create virtual drives from these same folders and files, and there is also a file size indicator so that you will know the size of the ISO file before creating it. Here is how to use free ISO create wizard:
Step 1: Download and install the application on your PC. When you launch it, you will see a window when you select your source folders and files, and the destination for your ISO file.
Step 2: Once you have selected your source files, folders and subfolders, you will need to specify a name for the ISO file and select the type of file system to be used to create the ISO file. When you are done, click on «Next» and then confirm the ISO file creation.
Step 3: Assuming that you have applied the appropriate settings in the compilation step above, you will soon have an ISO file ready for use in the destination that you specified earlier.
Conclusion:
All of these utilities are quite versatile when it comes to managing ISO files and their content. However, you must also be aware that not all of them work 100% of the time. There are often errors that occur while creating the ISO file, and these errors may show up later once you burn the ISO file to a disk and then try to use it. You may also experience errors with the compilation and creation process of the ISO file. If you are unable to successfully create a valid ISO file using any of these methods, you may consider using alternate premium utilities that have much higher success rates for creating ISO files from files and folders on a local drive.
Petty is editor in chief at UUByte and writes various topics about Windows and Mac to help people make the most of current technology.
How To Create Bootable Windows 10/8.1/7 ISO From Files/Folders
Last Updated on September 26, 2020 by admin 25 Comments
Update: This method works perfectly with the newly released Windows 10 as well. That is, you can use this method to create bootable Windows 10 ISO from files and folders.
A couple of weeks ago, I downloaded Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 64-bit ISO on my Windows 8.1 PC from Microsoft (using my MSDN subscription) and installed Windows 7 in dual-boot with Windows 8.1 using my USB flash drive as bootable media. The installation was uneventful and Windows 7 has been running as it should.
Two days back, I decided to free up some disk space on my Windows 8.1 drive and manually deleted all contents in the Downloads folder and also uninstalled tens of programs that I had installed over the last three months. After gaining GBs of disk space, I realized that the previously downloaded Windows 7 SP1 ISO, which was present in the Downloads folder, has also been deleted along with other files.
Even though I could easily download Windows 7 SP1 ISO pack again in a couple of minutes, I decided to create an ISO file from the bootable Windows 7 USB drive that I had prepared to install Windows 7. Preparing a bootable Windows ISO from installation files/folders is relatively easy and doesn’t take much time either. In short, if have Windows installation files and want to create an ISO image file out of it, you can do so in a few minutes.
Make bootable Windows ISO from installation files
NOTE: This method is applicable to Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 versions.
In this guide, I will show you how you can create a bootable Windows 7/8.1/10 ISO image file from Windows installation files.
Step 1: If all the installation files are in a folder on your PC, you can skip to the next step. And if the files and folders on a USB drive, connect the USB flash drive containing Windows installation files to a PC running Windows 7/8/10 and copy all the contents from the USB to a newly created folder on desktop or any other location.
Step 2: Visit this page and download ImgBurn software. ImgBurn is a free burning application but the setup offers you install Skype and Mobogenie during the installation. Make sure to select appropriate options to install the software without Skype and Mobogenie.
Step 3: Launch ImgBurn. Click on Create image file from files/folders option.
Step 4: In the resulting ImgBurn dialog, click on the small folder icon (see picture) next to the Source box to browse to the folder containing all copied files from the bootable Windows USB. Browse to the folder and then click Select folder.
Step 5: Next, click on the browse icon located next to the Destination box to select a location to save the bootable ISO image file that you’re preparing now. Select a location and click Save button.
Step 6: On the right side, switch to the Advanced tab (see picture) to see four tabs. Here, click on the tab labeled Bootable Disc.
Step 7: Now, select the option labeled Make Image Bootable, select Emulation type as None (custom), and type 8 in the Sectors to load box by removing the existing 4. Note that if you’re preparing a bootable Vista ISO, you need to keep the 4. For Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10, you need to type 8 in the Sectors to load field.
Step 8: Click on the small folder icon next to Boot Image box (see picture) and then browse to the folder containing Windows installation files (the folder that contains files copied from the USB), open Boot folder, select etfsboot.com file, and then click Open button to select etfsboot.com as the boot image file. We are almost done!
Step 9: Finally, click on the Build button (see picture) to begin creating your bootable Windows ISO image file. Upon clicking the Build button, three dialog boxes will appear one after another. Simply click the Yes button when you see the first dialog, click the OK button when you see the second, and then, click the Yes button again when you see the last dialog.
Once the bootable ISO image is ready, you’ll see “Operation successfully completed” message.
That’s it! You can now use the ISO file anywhere to install Windows. How to test an ISO file to check if it’s really bootable guide might also interest you.
Create an ISO File from a Folder in Windows
A great tool for distribution or backups
If you don’t already know, an ISO file is a container that can hold a number of files in it. It’s usually used to create backups of your CD and DVD discs. However, you can create an ISO from the folders on your Windows PC as well. There are actually multiple apps that help you do it on your machine.
There are many reasons why you may want to create an ISO on your Windows 10 PC. Maybe you want to keep all of your folders in a single place. Or maybe you want to keep some of your folders handy ready to burn to your discs.
Regardless of the reasoning, it’s pretty easy to create an ISO from folders on a Windows computer. Also, check out the video from our sister site where we walk you through the steps in a short video.
Use AnyBurn To Create ISO From The Folders On Your PC
One of the free apps you can use to create an ISO from your folders is AnyBurn. It’s actually an app that helps you burn your data to your discs but you can use it to create ISO files as well. It has an option on the main interface that helps add your chosen folders to an ISO which you can then save anywhere on your computer.
Create An ISO In Windows 10 Using WinCDEmu
WinCDEmu is an open-source tool that lets you create virtual drives out of various image file formats on your computer. If you have downloaded an ISO file and you want to view its contents, this app can help you mount that as a drive on your machine.
You can use the app to create ISO files from folders in Windows as well, and it actually provides you with the easiest way to make an ISO from your folders. All you basically need to do is install the app and it’ll add an option to your context menu. You can then use that option to generate an ISO from your folders.
Use ImgBurn To Create ISO Files From Folders On Windows
ImgBurn has been a popular app to create and burn image files for a long time. If you’ve ever created a backup of your discs or you’ve burned a disc, you’ll likely recognize the app.
The app can be used to create ISO files from your folders as well.
Use a Portable Tool To Create An ISO From Folders
If it’s just a single ISO that you’ll be making and you don’t think you’ll be doing it again anytime soon, you might prefer something that doesn’t require an installation. Folder2Iso can actually help you out as it’s a free and portable tool that helps quickly create ISOs without any hassle.
It works on many versions of Windows including Windows 7, 8, 10, and Linux.
It’s a good idea to create an ISO from your folders in Windows so you can mount them all as a single drive on your PC. If you have done it on your computer already, let us know what app you chose to do it and why. We await your response in the comments below!
Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm. Read Mahesh’s Full Bio