Figured I would share this tip, as it’s so simple (and really shouldn’t happen), but it does and drives me nuts every time.
The Windows 10 Media Creation Tool downloads a Windows 10 install, and let’s you create an ISO or bootable USB stick to install Windows 10 into a computer. I don’t generally use it much in an IT realm as we use the corporate installer tools, however when working on a home computer or re-gearing an old laptop for home use for someone, I use this to quickly get Windows 10 installed.
As always, there’s a catch. I pop in a USB stick, open the tool, select “Create installation media”, and it will show the E drive or whatever drive my USB stick is. Great! Hit go and it spends some time downloading Windows 10 and starts working on creating the stick.
Then it fails.
Ok maybe it was a fluke…do it all again, wait another 15 minutes, it fails again. ARRG! It usually comes up with some cryptic error that sounds like a media/disk error, in addition the USB stick usually now is corrupted and you have to re-format the stick. What is going on with this??
Turns out the answer is an easy one, and really, it shouldn’t even happen. Once you click “Create Installation media” – it brings up a screen with your USB drive showing, for example E:\. For all intents and purposes it looks like its already good to go. Thing is…you haven’t PICKED that drive yet! Even though it looks like that’s where it’s pointing to, and yes it seems to access the stick, you have to actually click on the drive letter before clicking Next.
Gets me every time!