Surprise after using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool

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Two days ago, I downloaded the Media Creation Tool from the Download Windows 10 page. I received a file called MediaCreationTool20H2.exe. On the following day, I ran the tool to create the Windows 10 installation files on a USB flash drive. So far, so good.

I don’t know why I felt the need to do it but, today, I decided to use the dism /get-wiminfo command to query what was on the USB flash drive. To my great surprise, I was informed that version of Windows 10 on the drive is 10.0.19041, aka 2004!!!

Can anyone explain this? Or is it the case that, no matter which feature level is specified in the name of the Media Creation Tool (be it 1909, 2004, 20H2, or whatever), when you run the tool, the actual feature level of the code you receive will be what happens to be on the Microsoft server at that time?

If this true, is there any way of determining the feature level of the code on the Microsoft server before downloading it?

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Lars220

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Win10 2004 and 20H2 have the same core (2004 = 19041), receive the same CUs and SSUs. The difference between them is the Feature Enhancement Pack is turned on in 20H2 and not in 2004.

What you see when you run DISM is the core 19041 (2004). If you have downloaded the MCT recently, what you get when it creates the installation media is the core (2004 = 19041) with the Feature Enhancement Pack turned on to give you 19042 = 20H2.

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Lars220, TonyC, oldpaul100

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Your reply probably also explains something else that seemed strange to me – the fact that 2004 is build 19041 and 20H2 is build 19042.

However, the main reason for my reply is that I consider this situation to be unsatisfactory. If DISM can’t tell the difference between 2004 and 20H2, is there any other way of determining what feature level of code is on a USB flash drive? For example, can it be done by a visual examination of the file structure, file names, file properties, file contents, etc.?

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Get ready for this: 21H1 (soon to be released), as I understand it, will also have the same 2004 core. So after it’s release (and 1909 EOL in May 2021), all the current Consumer versions of Win10 (2004, 20H2, 21H1) will have the same CU/SSUs. The difference will be the Feature Pack level.

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Kirsty, TonyC

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Plus, less differentiations offer an opportunity for MSFT to get their patches in order. and..back in the real world there’s always hope.

To help us understand, when you refer to the DISM command, did you use this in PS?

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:X:\sources\install.esd /index:1

X: being the destination drive location (variable dependant on USB location)

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Microfix wrote:

To help us understand, when you refer to the DISM command, did you use this in PS?

Yes, although the index parameter in my case was:

/index:6

because I have Win10 Pro, and I used Command Prompt as an Administrator, not PowerShell.

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PKCano wrote:

Get ready for this: 21H1 (soon to be released), as I understand it, will also have the same 2004 core.

Yes, I had guessed that because the Wikipedia article on Windows 10 states that 21H1 is build 19043.

But there still remains the question of how do you determine what feature level of Windows 10 is on a USB flash drive if dism /get-wiminfo is not able to tell you. I’ll wait a day or two to see whether anyone watching this forum knows the answer, otherwise I might try another forum.

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[EP]

unfortunately TonyC you can not easily determine what Win10 media is on a usb drive using the dism tool.

so there’s no easy answer (aka no simple answer) to that specific question you were asking
maybe ask abbodi (send him a PM here or in another forum)

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by EP.

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TonyC

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[Susan Bradley]

My memory – meaning that I download it generally speaking after it’s been up there and thus know when I did it.  Then I look at the date on the file.  I personally – when I squirrel these isos away- I name the iso the specific version so I know and then I write on the flash drive.

For a more accurate – try this:  https://windowsloop.com/check-windows-10-iso-version-build-number/#:~:text=Find%20Version%20and%20Build%20Number%20of%20Windows%2010,%E2%80%9C%20DriveLetter%20%E2%80%9D%20with%20the%20…%20More%20items

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Susan Bradley.

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TonyC

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Susan, thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

But the link you provided simply recommends the same dism /get-wiminfo command that I used in the first place. For the reason that @PKCano gave, that command will apparently return the same version number, namely 10.0.19041, for each of 2004, 20H2, and 21H1.

I consider this to be a very unsatisfactory situation, and I hope Microsoft somehow takes note. Not every Microsoft customer, particularly individuals like myself, meticulously labels USB flash drives, maintains documentation, and records dates. It is therefore quite possible that, in the future, someone will have in their hands a USB flash drive with the output from the MCT and not be able to tell whether it contains the installation code for 2004, 20H2 or 21H1.

As a matter of interest, does Microsoft publish the dates on which all its servers around the world make available new versions of Windows 10 for download by the MCT?

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The ISO created by the MCT you download will be the Version of Win10 that is current on the day you run the MCT. In other words, today (on 3/16/21), the MCT will create an ISO of version 20H2=19042. The MCT is just a tool to download and create an ISO.

However, the material (files, code, whatever you want to call it) that the MCT downloads from Microsoft to create the ISO, may not be the current build. It will be the material from the last time MS created an ISO. In other words, today (on 3/16/21), the ISO might contain the November Preview Build (19042.631) instead of containing the current updates for March Build 19042.867. MS doesn’t put together new ISO material for download every day.

So when you use the ISO, or its created installer, there is a good chance that it will be the right version (20H2), but the Build will probably not be current (as in containing the latest month’s updates).

There is a release date for each version of Win10. An ISO created with the MCT before the release date of that version contains the previous version. An ISO created after the release date (before the next release date) is the version current in that time period. So the date of ISO creation can tell you which version (but not necessarily Build)

It is your responsibility to document your ISOs, not Micorsoft’s. You can designate name the ISO with the version and date in the name. You can store the ISO in a folder with that information in its name. You can record the information in a file/document included wherever you store the ISO.

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Kirsty, TonyC

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PKCano wrote:

In other words, today (on 3/16/21), the MCT will create an ISO of version 20H2=19042.
…
In other words, today (on 3/16/21), the ISO might contain the December Build (19042.685) instead of containing the current updates for March Build 19042.867.

I downloaded MCT today and created Windows.iso, but Get-WimInfo shows that it’s build 19041.631 (created 11/18/2020), i.e. version 2004 (even though I’ve been running 20H2 since 6/16/2020!)

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The ISO you downloaded today with the MCT, should give you the core v2004 Build 19041.631 with the Feature Enhancement Pack for 20H2 turned ON, that will result in the installation of v20H2 Build 19042.631.

The proof is in the installation.

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You can try my Get-USBWinVer.ps1 program that can be downloaded here.

HTH 😎

[moderator edit] fixed non-working link

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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TonyC

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Does Get-USBWinVer do a better job than DISM in distinguishing 2004 from 20H2?

But I have a bit of a problem with your post #2304029. I might have misunderstood completely, but isn’t “Version: 10.0.19041, Build No: 450” 2004, not 20H2?

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Tony, don’t know what you’re looking at but the reference post shows 20H1 not H2.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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TonyC

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TonyC wrote:

I ran the MCT on the 12 March 2021, which is after the 20 October 2020, the release date of 20H2.

If he ran the MCT on 12 March, 2021, the ISO he has is 20H2, which is the current version on that date. 2004 was no longer available for download from the MS download site on March 12th of this year.

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RetiredGeek wrote:

Tony, don’t know what you’re looking at but the reference post shows 20H1 not H2.

Mea culpa! You are correct. I apologise. I’m so used to seeing 20H1 referred to as 2004 that my brain must have thought it read 20H2. Any psychologists reading this would probably have a good explanation of what happened.

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[RetiredGeek]

I just updated the program to grab info from my website so when versions change you don’t need a new copy of the program. Here’s results from a variety of USB sticks I had laying around.

Note: the version on this USB was a Preview Version created on my Windows Insider Laptop. The program does not support Preview Versions!

This last test was done from a freshly downloaded MediaCreationTool20H2.exe which I used to create a fresh USB. As you can see the version on the USB is 20H1 but I’m sure it will install 20H2!

Here’s a list of the supported versions as of this date:

15063=1703
16299=1709
17134=1803
17763=1809
18362=1903
18363=1909
19041=20H1
19042=20H2

HTH 😎

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by RetiredGeek.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by RetiredGeek.

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PKCano wrote:

So when you use the ISO, or its created installer, there is a good chance that it will be the right version (20H2), …

I believe the basic message for me in what you wrote is the following. I ran the MCT on the 12 March 2021, which is after the 20 October 2020, the release date of 20H2. Therefore, I can be 100% certain that I have the installation code for 20H2 on my USB flash drive. Correct?

But I am a little puzzled by your choice of the phrase “a good chance” which is not the same as “100% certain”.

PKCano wrote:

It is your responsibility to document your ISOs, not Microsoft’s.

No issue; I agree 100%. Before I retired, I was an IT professional and I worked for 30 years for a company that developed software, among other things. I know about builds, the importance of documentation, and so on.

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[abbodi86]

There is a way to check using DISM, but it’s not elegant or definitive

dism /List-Image /ImageFile:F\sources\install.esd /index:6 | find /i "_microsoft-product-data_"

this will return 2 or 3 manifest files, the last one will give hint about the version
example:
\Windows\WinSxS\Manifests\x86_microsoft-product-data_31bf3856ad364e35_10.19042.19041.631_none_b9094de7f5b1104c.manifest

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by abbodi86.

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Microfix, Kirsty, PKCano

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That command finds nothing for me (with correct drive letter for \sources\install.esd after mounting iso).

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Following the suggestion by @EP in #2350805, I did PM @abbodi86. The short discussion we had was very useful. I am glad to see that @abbodi86 has now joined this discussion.

Following a hint that I saw on a TenForums post, I suggested that the following might be a simple solution, but it depends on whether the build numbers of 2004, 20H2 and the forthcoming 21H1 follow a continuous sequence. For example, just suppose the build numbers for 2004 are below 500 and the build numbers for 20H2 are above 500, then the output from the DISM command that contains the following entries:

Version : 10.0.19041
ServicePack Build : 631

would suggest the 20H2 build, 19042.631.

But this method would depend on whether the premise of a continuous sequence of build numbers is correct and knowing precisely where the cut-off points are for each version.

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The .xxx part of the Build number will be the same for 2004 and 20H2 as long as neither has reached EOL. In other words, 2004 is 19041.631 and 20H2 is 19042.631.
After the next update, both will have the same incremented suffix again (until 2004 is EOL and no longer being updated). That is where the problem begins.

See Windows 10 Update History – clicking on the version will expand downward the information for that version & scroll to the bottom for older versions. Look at 1903/1909 history and you will see what I mean. Also 2004/20H2 (and 21H1 when it is released).
You can also see the initial release date of each version there at the top of each section.

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Lars220, TonyC

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The Windows 10 update history document, which you provided the link for, contains the key dates. I didn’t know about that document. Thank you.

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Hey Y’all,

Take a gander at this:

To me this explains why when you check the version of Windows on an  Install stick which uses the Windows PE you get 2004 (20H1) even though you’re installing 2009 (20H2).

Source Document

HTH 😎

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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RetiredGeek wrote:

You can try my Get-USBWinVer.ps1 program that can be downloaded here.

HTH 😎

[moderator edit] fixed non-working link

this is now a “broken” link, RetiredGeek

Onedrive site is reporting “Sorry, something went wrong” error.
tried several times to download your tool but keeps saying that message.
please re-upload

[moderator edit] link fixed and now works

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here

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geekdom, PKCano

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