Looking at the final result - a bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 11 setup: what are the pros and cons of these two methods: 1) latest .esd from this MDL Windows 11 ESD Repository -> abbodi1406's ESD>ISO Converter (esd-decrypter-wimlib) -> .iso -> flash to thumb drive 2) Media Creation Tool -> Create installation media -> .iso -> flash to thumb drive (I do want the .iso in any case to store on a backup volume). I know this is fresh, but maybe someone proficient already knows the answer
@BugsB, this is not a general windows discussion thread, this is a specific thread for ESD related posts.
@Enthousiast so let me refine my question: before with Windows 10, with both methods, inside the sources folder, I do get a highly compressed install.esd. Before I noticed that the .eds via abbodi1406's tool was slightly smaller = more compressed. So my refined ESD related question would be: apart from size, are there any other pros of method 1 form my post above (.esd download etc.) vs. method 2? E.g.: will ESD>ISO allow what BAU said a few post ago here is not possible with the setup via MCT W11: ?
The manual way, using ESD>ISO, will give you more options* but you need to create the bootable USB yourself. * More info: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/windows-10-esd-repository.59082/page-77#post-1380516
Yes thanks @Enthousiast , I was aware of that [TuT]. @ you or @BAU : does any of you know if the ability to upgrade or create an upgrade media is given with the ESD>ISO method?
@BAU meant that his MCT wrapper stuff direct upgrades now can't be used combined with this new MCT, now the upgrade options are moved to the upgradeassistant.exe. ISOs created by ESD>ISO or MCT can simply be used for upgrading or clean installing, nothing changed.
Yes, 22000.194 is the latest, as shown here: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...hed-windows-11-image-file.84251/#post-1695342
I don't develop these tools, when you downloaded the ESD>ISO tool you should have noticed who did develop it.
Irrc, @murphy78 found out how it works and @abbodi1406 made a tool automating it and improved it heavily.
Hmm gotta dust off the old cobwebs for this one. esds in the form of an iso. Yes I seem to remember noticing that some of the indexes took the form of the files that were normally found in the iso files. I think the reason I never initially made a script to automate it is because initially they all needed to be decrypted. Remember when they all came with a long crypto string and one user (damn I wish I could remember all the names off the top of my head) made a tool to decrypt them. We'll all kinda spoiled these days because MS gave up on encrypting them for the most part. It's not that I couldn't have made a script to create isos with the tool and a custom txt file where the user entered the crypto id, it's just that at the time it wasn't much longer until the final real ISOs came around so it kinda seemed pointless. Probably a lot less work if they're not encrypted tho.
https://forums.mydigitallife.net/posts/893638 check Credits https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/53855#a4
Oh god now that's embarrassing. Did I really make a script for it and forget? hahahhaa Qad, that was the name...