[Tutorial] How to create a bootable USB flash drive in fat32 format if the install.wim file exceeds 4 GB ?

[haris_sane69]

Hello everyone,

 

As you guys already know that it is not possible to create a bootable USB flash drive in FAT32 format if the install.wim on the ISO exceeds 4 GB in size, which means the only File System available is NTFS and if this is used, the Bootable USB will not pass Secure Boot.

 

1) To get around this we need to make a non-Bootable FAT32 formatted USB Flash Drive using Rufus.

    Make sure the options are as follows in Rufus:

 

Boot selection : Non bootable ;

Partition scheme : GPT ;

Target system : BIOS or UEFI ;

Volume label : Windows Version &

File system : FAT32 (Default)

 

   a) Select Start.

   b) Select OK to format the USB flash drive.

   c) When done Rufus will say READY, you may now close Rufus.

   d) In Windows Explorer you should have a blank FAT32 formatted USB Flash Drive.

   e) Delete the autorun files on it.

 

2) Now manually create bootable USB:

 

    a) In Windows Explorer, right click the ISO file.

    b) Then select Mount.

    c) Copy all the files & folders to the USB except sources folder which contain install.wim.

    d) Then create a new folder on the USB called sources.

    e) Copy all the files in the sources folder on the ISO except the install.wim onto the USB Flash Drive.

 

3) Split Install.wim into Multiple Install.swm Files:

 

   a) Copy the install.wim directly to the C:\Drive.

   b) Select Continue when asked to provide administrative conditions.

       We will now split the install.wim into multiple install.swm files.

   c) Right click the start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

   d) Accept the User Account Control Prompt.

   e) Copy and paste the following command into the PowerShell Window, then press [Enter].

 

Dism /Split-Image /ImageFile:C:\install.wim /SWMFile:C:\install.swm /FileSize:4000

 

   f) When the Operation has Completed Successfully close the Power Shell Window.

   g) This will create two (or more) install.swm files.

   h) Copy these to the sources folder of the Bootable USB flash drive.

 

That's all.

CREDITS: @philipyip 

[Marcus Thunder]

52 minutes ago, haris_sane69 said:

As you guys already know that it is not possible to create a bootable USB flash drive in FAT32 format if the install.wim on the ISO exceeds 4 GB in size, which means the only File System available is NTFS and if this is used, the Bootable USB will not pass Secure Boot.

What about extended FAT filesystem. It supports more than 4GB files but it is not supported by many usb media player devices... I got no experience with extended FAT with booting, do you think it would work.

[haris_sane69]

11 hours ago, Marcus Thunder said:

What about extended FAT filesystem. It supports more than 4GB files but it is not supported by many usb media player devices... I got no experience with extended FAT with booting, do you think it would work.

No Idea about that and If am not wrong there is no option of ext. FAT file system in Rufus also.

[erp-ster0]

"Can't make a bootable drive from ISO using exFAT #724"

https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/issues/724

 

just split the install.wim file into install .swm files or compress & convert install.wim to install.esd with ESD2WIM-WIM2ESD