Windows 10 media creation tool only installs version 20H1 onto USB drives.
Windows 10 media creation tool only installs version 20H1 onto USB drives.
With Windows 10 support set to end soon, I chose to make one final USB installer, hoping it would contain all the updates since I first installed Windows 10 nearly three years ago. However, when I examined the contents of the USB drive using commands from ChatGPT, I found that the installed version was only 10.0.19041, known as Windows 10 20H1. This outcome undermined my intention to prepare this backup installer. Could there be a way to include version 22H2 on the USB, or is this really the version Microsoft releases for new installers, which then upgrades to 22H2 after installation? I don’t recall making any mistakes—I downloaded the media creation tool from the official site, which lists 22H2 as the default and doesn’t offer any settings that would have accidentally resulted in a 20H1 build.
Here’s what the Windows 10 installer contained when I checked its details:
dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:"E:\sources\install.esd"
showed:
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.3636
Details for image : E:\sources\install.esd
Index : 1
Name : Windows 10 Home
Description : Windows 10 Home
Size : 15,276,446,585 bytes
Index : 2
Name : Windows 10 Home N
Description : Windows 10 Home N
Size : 14,502,073,131 bytes
Index : 3
Name : Windows 10 Home Single Language
Description : Windows 10 Home Single Language
Size : 15,261,619,226 bytes
Index : 4
Name : Windows 10 Education
Description : Windows 10 Education
Size : 15,613,170,917 bytes
Index : 5
Name : Windows 10 Education N
Description : Windows 10 Education N
Size : 14,857,698,925 bytes
Index : 6
Name : Windows 10 Pro
Description : Windows 10 Pro
Size : 15,625,575,440 bytes
Index : 7
Name : Windows 10 Pro N
Description : Windows 10 Pro N
Size : 14,854,608,417 bytes
Why are you inquiring about this?
You can visit the link provided: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software.../windows10
You might conduct a test, obtain a spare drive, employ the newly made bootable USB installer via Windows Media Creation Tools, and then install the OS without connecting any other drives to a test platform. Check if the OS installs as 22H2. I created an installer a month ago for a client and have used the same one my colleague requested to source, as well as the one you obtained from Microsoft's support site.
If you notice any differences with the installed OS, it’s likely an issue occurred when the file was uploaded recently.
Additionally, over the past decade working with Windows 10 installations, I haven’t examined the contents of installers, simply proceeding with the installation and following steps, including installing the OS offline before accessing the internet for updates.
19041 serves as the foundation for all subsequent versions. The installer includes cumulative updates that can be toggled on or off, allowing you to choose any version you prefer, with the latest being the default.