Microsoft actually has a guide for manual partitioning, which this guide does not follow. [1] The Microsoft guide cleans the whole disk and ensures the 100MB EFI partition is before the 16MB MSR partition.
I installed Windows 10 the other week - it kinda blew my mind how poor the install experience was.
The iso contained files greater than 4GB, which breaks fat32, which I'm sure many people are still using on flash drives. So I had to use an MS cmd-line tool to split the wim files manually and edit the install files. Why doesn't the installer just use smaller archive files?
But then you'd use the same method as installing other OS and people would realise installing a Linux distro is easy. Of course MS already made it much harder with secureboot and "accidentally" wiping Linux installs when you install it second.
Given the massive updates you immediately have to download, and the heavy push for only installing with an online account, there seems little reason to have anything beyond a minimal net installer on the USB stick.
Microsoft taught me to be this cynical about their motives over a few decades.
I tried installing it too, but oddly enough, it lacked drivers. Linux on the same machine runs flawlessly. I needed it for testing a new piece of software i am working on. I managed to install it after downloading a bunch of extras. Once installed it started downloading updates..and it went on and on and on. It’s such a low quality os it’s hilarious.
I imagine that very few people who use Windows have USBs on fat32. In fact, Windows format by defaults on NTFS with the option format on exFAT. There is no option fo format on FAT32, you need to use a specific tool. More so, most people just burn the iso to the usb, deleting everyhing on it.
So, it does... but only if it's made using the media creation tool. ISOs or USBs made with MCT use the better compressed ESD format for the install archive. Only the direct ISO download uses the less-compressed WIM.
https://github.com/WoeUSB/WoeUSB - you give it an MS iso and where to put it on a USB stick and it will do the job using NTFS, which doesn't have snags with >4GB files.
There was a time when Linux distros tried to concur the desktop. For that they needed the normal user to re-install the OS. Windows never really had this challenge as Windows was and still is pre-installed.
To ease the self installation quite a few nice innovations were made. One is a easy and beautiful install process. Also remember the LiveCD and not sure if related but the UnionFS was also a smart idea to support LiveCD deployments.
anecdotally - I feel windows has gone the opposite direction and switched places with linux in terms of ease of installation. I've been using Linux for decades now but had to install Windows 11 for a gaming machine I built:
* I couldn't install windows 11 because it was "missing drivers" (this took me back to 95)
* Tried installing Windows 10 instead thinking to eventually upgrade to 11
* Got stuck in an update loop where it tried to install update named like 2H02 ~20 times (I wasn't paying attention to what it was actually updating and just kinda kept trying to update it until it was finished)
* Tried to troubleshoot the issue, tried a few things
* Gave up, installed ubuntu, checked how well the game works on Steam and it ran OK
The Win10/11 setup uses 640x480 resolution or such nonsense on my system with 4k monitor, RX6*** card, so I have a teeny-tiny view of the interactive elements. Gave me a good laugh each time.
That is strange - I thought windows Media creator utility automatically formats usb to exactly what it needs. Even if i put I. fat32 or ext4 stick it'll create a working install.
The image contains the various editions (Home, Pro, etc) but only one language. Doesn't make sense to me as a company will like use one edition but possibly various languages.
The very best was for last... After all the files are in place but before the reboot (or even during setup if using offline media) remain offline until you've signed in.
In fact, don't even set a _password_ initially. Change that AFTER the first boot so the installer doesn't interrogate for recovery information / etc.
"""
Bypass OOBE
The Out of Box Experience is changing all the time. The requirement to be online or only use a Microsoft account. Bypass it with this command and using Shift+F10 to bring up the command prompt. NOTE: DISCONNECT FROM INTERNET before booting!
oobe\BypassNRO
System will restart after executing the command. Select Continue with limited Setup and name the device and create a local account.
"""
It sounds like you're the kind of person who wants a computer that "just works" with user-friendly point/click software out of the box.
You're absolutely not the target audience of Arch Linux, nor this "Arch-like" Windows install guide.
Personally, I learned more about modern Linux userspace by following the Arch install process (and subsequently maintaining an Arch install for daily-driver use) than I ever did from 5+ years of using Ubuntu desktop.
I don't even want to install Windows at all, yet M$ has made almost every business it's subordinate, where the businesses uncritically do what M$ demands of them while they pay M$ ungodly sums of money.
I’ve learnt the hard way that it’s best to let Windows do whatever it wants on the entire drive or virtual machine. Anything out of the ordinary gets broken in the next update.
It's not always a question of cost. I can't stand windows for my day-to-day job, but I do need it from time to time. Yet, my work provided laptop can only take one internal drive, and there's no way I'll lug around USB drives.
IME windows has worked well enough in a single-drive dual-boot config, even by evicting the original SecureBoot keys from the PC and replacing them with my own, with which I've also signed Windows' bootloader.
It is nice to know that there is still a simple-ish way to bypass linking your account to a Microsoft Account at install time.
A couple of days ago I was reinstalling Windows on a machine that was new enough that the wireless drivers weren't available on install, and was surprised that the installer just would not let me proceed with the install like used to.
Of course, even if you manage to install Windows with a local-only account, that doesn't mean that it is going to be easy to keep it that way. At least you'll get to have your choice of username, though!
Thanks for the article, just what I needed. I ran into a dreaded "Setup was unable to create a system partition" and couldn't find any solution, but with these steps, it worked!
I find it funny that the title is "the Arch Linux Way". I remember a time, as young man (in my 20s) when you couldn't reasonably expect a GUI installer for Linux. When Anaconda came out, that blew everybody's mind (at the time). It really depended on which distro-sphere you frequented as I know there were newer graphical installers that came before Anaconda, but were not as widely distributed.
Just the other night I was looking at the way a Windows 10 install wrote the EFI partition to some random disk it was not installed on at all, and wishing for this, the GUI installer just does ridiculous shit and is really not up to par with even some no name Linux distro's Calamares. I have no idea why people buy this shit, it's Microsoft's luck that it comes preinstalled and most users never touch it
Yeah, learnt that the hard way as well. "I'll install Windows on the new drive, copy over data from the old drive, then throw away the old drive - computer doesn't boot anymore because EFI boot partition randomly ended up on the old drive"
Since then, I always make sure to disconnect all drives except for the intended system drive when installing Windows.
I’ve had the Windows installer clobber the EFI partitions of Linux and macOS (hackintosh) installs on separate drives in the past, which is ridiculous. I now know to disconnect unrelated drives when installing Windows.
I found out that it did the same to me when I installed arch. Windows on one drive, EFI partition on a completely different one that has no reason to ever have an EFI partition.
If you install Windows a lot, get yourself an answer file for unattended installs (you can generate one oneline). It turns all the clicking and typing into booting the ISO (potentially through Ventoy, which would allow you to pick between answer files), and waiting for the desktop to show up
This reminds me of a tool I built a number of years ago to do unattended installs of Windows over PXE, for an IT services company I worked for at the time. It completed much faster than using DVDs or thumb drives, and could serve many machines at once.
This method is obviously exploratory and tongue-in-cheek but Titus has a great, more serious Windows 11 installation and configuration post and YouTube video here:
You probably don't want to go down that rabbit hole. (trust me, I've done it, it is littered with footguns and sometimes incorrect documentation, and outdated advice. Lots of things are legacy, the docs are extensive but still only scratch the surface)
Search for unattended install, autounattend.xml, Windows System Image Manager, Windows Imaging Toolkit. Don't try to install WSIM from windows store, as that version doesn't work. (this alone can save half a day of debugging phantom problems). There are extensive docs on the topic, but they are sometimes incorrect, contain incorrect code, etc.
I installed Windows recently and it didn't want to create a partition. Tried all kind of black magic (you can do a lot of stuff using the tools on the install media). Finally I copied the windows usb onto the hdd and booted from it, that did the trick.
[+] [-] joemelonyeah|2 years ago|reply
[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...
[+] [-] greatcircle|2 years ago|reply
The iso contained files greater than 4GB, which breaks fat32, which I'm sure many people are still using on flash drives. So I had to use an MS cmd-line tool to split the wim files manually and edit the install files. Why doesn't the installer just use smaller archive files?
[+] [-] 0xcoffee|2 years ago|reply
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installat...
[+] [-] runjake|2 years ago|reply
But you don't have to do all that. Use the Media Creation Tool:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11/
Edit: Or even better, as degenerate comments below, use Rufus, which is what I use.
[+] [-] pbhjpbhj|2 years ago|reply
Given the massive updates you immediately have to download, and the heavy push for only installing with an online account, there seems little reason to have anything beyond a minimal net installer on the USB stick.
Microsoft taught me to be this cynical about their motives over a few decades.
[+] [-] gumballindie|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kwanbix|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jcotton42|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gerdesj|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baz00|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dataflow|2 years ago|reply
They're probably expecting exFAT instead?
[+] [-] voltagex_|2 years ago|reply
Other option: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...
Other other option: https://rufus.ie/en/
[+] [-] j-a-a-p|2 years ago|reply
To ease the self installation quite a few nice innovations were made. One is a easy and beautiful install process. Also remember the LiveCD and not sure if related but the UnionFS was also a smart idea to support LiveCD deployments.
[+] [-] IE6|2 years ago|reply
* I couldn't install windows 11 because it was "missing drivers" (this took me back to 95) * Tried installing Windows 10 instead thinking to eventually upgrade to 11 * Got stuck in an update loop where it tried to install update named like 2H02 ~20 times (I wasn't paying attention to what it was actually updating and just kinda kept trying to update it until it was finished) * Tried to troubleshoot the issue, tried a few things * Gave up, installed ubuntu, checked how well the game works on Steam and it ran OK
[+] [-] thfuran|2 years ago|reply
It's nearing twenty years since I stopped using fat32. I rather doubt that's a good assumption in the modern era.
[+] [-] antihero|2 years ago|reply
Why on earth would you do that? People have been using exFAT for many years now.
[+] [-] RGamma|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] NikolaNovak|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gdprrrr|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] RedShift1|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mjevans|2 years ago|reply
In fact, don't even set a _password_ initially. Change that AFTER the first boot so the installer doesn't interrogate for recovery information / etc.
""" Bypass OOBE
The Out of Box Experience is changing all the time. The requirement to be online or only use a Microsoft account. Bypass it with this command and using Shift+F10 to bring up the command prompt. NOTE: DISCONNECT FROM INTERNET before booting!
oobe\BypassNRO
System will restart after executing the command. Select Continue with limited Setup and name the device and create a local account. """
[+] [-] Zetobal|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gameoverhumans|2 years ago|reply
You're absolutely not the target audience of Arch Linux, nor this "Arch-like" Windows install guide.
Personally, I learned more about modern Linux userspace by following the Arch install process (and subsequently maintaining an Arch install for daily-driver use) than I ever did from 5+ years of using Ubuntu desktop.
[+] [-] flanked-evergl|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tucosan|2 years ago|reply
Then don't. You're simply not part of the target audience.
[+] [-] tommica|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SanjayMehta|2 years ago|reply
Hardware is much cheaper than time.
[+] [-] vladvasiliu|2 years ago|reply
IME windows has worked well enough in a single-drive dual-boot config, even by evicting the original SecureBoot keys from the PC and replacing them with my own, with which I've also signed Windows' bootloader.
[+] [-] pyrophane|2 years ago|reply
A couple of days ago I was reinstalling Windows on a machine that was new enough that the wireless drivers weren't available on install, and was surprised that the installer just would not let me proceed with the install like used to.
Of course, even if you manage to install Windows with a local-only account, that doesn't mean that it is going to be easy to keep it that way. At least you'll get to have your choice of username, though!
[+] [-] unknown|2 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] pyr0hu|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deafpolygon|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] BxGyw2|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] klauserc|2 years ago|reply
Since then, I always make sure to disconnect all drives except for the intended system drive when installing Windows.
[+] [-] jwells89|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nottheengineer|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yonatan8070|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jakogut|2 years ago|reply
https://github.com/jakogut/kiwi
[+] [-] runjake|2 years ago|reply
https://christitus.com/windows-11-perfect-install/
[+] [-] jcrben|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fodkodrasz|2 years ago|reply
Search for unattended install, autounattend.xml, Windows System Image Manager, Windows Imaging Toolkit. Don't try to install WSIM from windows store, as that version doesn't work. (this alone can save half a day of debugging phantom problems). There are extensive docs on the topic, but they are sometimes incorrect, contain incorrect code, etc.
You can start from here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/customize...
[+] [-] jcotton42|2 years ago|reply
[0] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu... [1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-start... [2] https://www.ntlite.com/
[+] [-] timetraveller26|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nullindividual|2 years ago|reply
> ass letter=c
Certain subcommands also support three letters, such as create partition primary:
> cre par pri
[+] [-] z3t4|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yomlica8|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] consoomer|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SuperNinKenDo|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lakomen|2 years ago|reply