User:Navi/Windows 10 Install Notes

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Less of an article and more of a barely organised collection of notes, hence its place under my user, this page documents my experiences with installing and "de-bloating" Windows 10. Parts of this may possibly apply to Windows 11, but my experience with that Operating System is low. Feel free to add corrections, notes or addenda to the talk page. Parts of this page also cover my limited knowledge of Windows Deployment Services (WDS). Be aware most of this information is based on 22H2.

Choosing a SKU

Windows 10 has a large number of varieties (or SKUs), with most intended for non-consumer purposes. My knowledge is a tad fuzzy but overall:

  • Home is probably the most common, pre-installed by most OEMs onto most devices. It is also invariably the worst. This is partially related to the insistence of Microsoft that you use an account in order to login, going so far as to require it during setup (if an internet connection is detected). Home also appears to have the most potential for pre-installed apps being pushed, and is lacking "power-user" or professional features such as Group Policy. I'm sure there's other reasons. Overall, Home should be avoided unless one insists (for example to use a specific product key).
  • Pro is similar to Home but allows the use of a local account during setup, and includes a few extra features. This should be the baseline SKU that is open for consideration.
  • Pro for Workstations. A slightly obscure variant of Pro that includes some additional features such as ReFS support. I dont know of any other differences yet.
  • Enterprise is a popular choice for some, especially in its LTSC (Long Term Support Channel) form. It comes with some key benefits, complete control of updates out of the box with security updates until the end of 2028. The Microsoft Store and most UWP applications are not present providing a cleaner experience for many (nowadays this sadly comes at the cost of winget). In addition, the complete suite of applications and features from Pro. One point worth mentioning is due to its update structure, Enterprise LTSC never received the 22H2 feature update, and therefore users with applications requiring this should avoid; on the plus side, no Copilot.
  • IoT Core. The extreme option, IoT Core is designed for IoT devices or POS units etc, but still functions as a fully featured version of Windows 10. It is similar to Enterprise LTSC but is supported until 2032(!).

Personally I would recommend Pro for Workstations (or Pro if you have a key) for a general experience, or Enterprise LTSC for less de-bloating and a lighter experience, but will not miss the lack of UWP applications, the 22H2 update or a few other consumer focused features.

Tools and Utilities

Image Patching and Manipulation

  • MSMG Toolkit: A command-line utility for modifying windows images through integrating drivers, updates and so-called feature packs. It can also themes etc. Outputs a patched .WIM of a single SKU.
  • NTLite: Popular extensive tools for image customisation. Features update, driver and software slipstreaming, registry editing and bootable ISO creation. Some features are paid.
  • DISM: The official tool for the Windows IMaging File Format (WIM). Can capture (from a system), mount, modify and apply these images. Can also be used to "repair" Windows System files from an image.
  • wimlib: An open-source alternative to DISM. Comes in the form of a library but also includes command-line tools. Has the advantage of being cross platform, but does not appear to handle some extra features of DISM such as provisioning Appx Bundles.

Basic tools to handle ISO manipulation and mounting are also useful with 7-zip an honourable mention.

Flashing and Burning

  • Rufus: The de-facto 3rd party tool for image and ISO flashing to both USB and SD for Windows. Support minor patching of Windows ISOs including removal of Windows 11 system requirements. Can also handle most other bootable OS ISOs; and both "BIOS" and "UEFI" booting methods. All in the less than 2megs.
  • Windows 10 "media creation tool": This is the official way to flash Windows 10 to a USB stick. It's slow, and allows very little control over the process, so is not recommended, especially against options like Rufus.
  • WoeUSB-ng: Designed for the exclusive purpose of flashing Windows to a USB on Linux, this tool is pretty minimal compared to Rufus, but gets the job done.

For burning to a DVD, most modern Windows 10 ISO images are too big for a single-layer DVD and so using a USB drive etc is recommended. Using tools to alter the image it is possible to cut the filesize down (extracting only the SKU required helps), but otherwise the only solution is to split the WIM image, and copy each resultant SWM to the PC via multiple discs. (This is possible with either DISM or WIMLIB).

There are many, many tools available to burn an ISO. On Windows: IMGBurn or CDBurnerXP. On Linux: K3B or Brasero should be available in most distributions (you can also wrangle with command-line tools).

Todo: Installation, Patching, Imaging, Post-Install?

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