Solved Transferring Files to Thumbdrive......


rdburke

Well-known member
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Local time
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Location
Boiling Springs, South Carolina USA
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.2361)
I have been meaning to ask this question for a while now but I've just been putting it off hoping that it would work itself out on it's own. I have three different computers that I use for testing, 1 Desktop and 2 Laptops. I used to use a thumbdrive to deploy Insider Builds to each one. My Desktop PC which I use on a regular basis and that has the fastest internet connect started giving me the message that "Install.wim is too large for the destination drive" when copying the Windows 11 setup files to any drive. Happens every time no matter what. I have checked the size that the drives hold which is much greater than the 5.57GB of the ESD folder I am trying to send to the drive. This issue has been present through many builds. Most of them are at least 32GB and have been formated in either FAT32 or NTFS......I get the same results either way. I have run SFC/SCANNOW and DISM to check for corrupt files and it says that all is OK. All drivers are up to date as far as that goes. I am now running Windows 11 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22623.891) Any help would be appreciated.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22623.891)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.2361)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Case
    CPU
    AMD FX 8350 8 Core Processor, 4400 Mhz (Overclocked)
    Motherboard
    M5A78L-M/USB3
    Memory
    24.0 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7570 2GB
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 27" SA240Y LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 Resolution
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB ATA Device
    WD My Book 25EE 4TB USB
    Toshiba External 3.0 TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x
    Case
    Custom Spider 6000S
    Cooling
    Modded
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M325
    Internet Speed
    AT&T 1GB Fiber
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Security
I have been meaning to ask this question for a while now but I've just been putting it off hoping that it would work itself out on it's own. I have three different computers that I use for testing, 1 Desktop and 2 Laptops. I used to use a thumbdrive to deploy Insider Builds to each one. My Desktop PC which I use on a regular basis and that has the fastest internet connect started giving me the message that "Install.wim is too large for the destination drive" when copying the Windows 11 setup files to any drive. Happens every time no matter what. I have checked the size that the drives hold which is much greater than the 5.57GB of the ESD folder I am trying to send to the drive. This issue has been present through many builds. Most of them are at least 32GB and have been formated in either FAT32 or NTFS......I get the same results either way. I have run SFC/SCANNOW and DISM to check for corrupt files and it says that all is OK. All drivers are up to date as far as that goes. I am now running Windows 11 Version 22H2 (OS Build 22623.891) Any help would be appreciated.
See this tutorial.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
A base problem with USB Thumb drives is they come factory formatted as FAT32 which has a partition size limit of 32GB [at least a couple of mine at 128GB and 256GB] and a single file size limit of 4GB.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
A base problem with USB Thumb drives is they come factory formatted as FAT32 which has a partition size limit of 32GB [at least a couple of mine at 128GB and 256GB] and a single file size limit of 4GB.
The 32GB limit is an annoying windows creation limit but is not an actual fat32 limit. It is possible to bypass this limit.

Hower the 4GB limit cannot by bypassed - hence tutorial link in my previous post.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
The 32GB limit is an annoying windows creation limit but is not an actual fat32 limit. It is possible to bypass this limit.

Hower the 4GB limit cannot by bypassed - hence tutorial link in my previous post.
So if I use Rufus or a similar program to create a bootable drive, I will be able to copy what I need off of it to do an upgrade of my OS's......Thank you for clearing up the 4GB limit info. I had never run into that issue until now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.2361)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Case
    CPU
    AMD FX 8350 8 Core Processor, 4400 Mhz (Overclocked)
    Motherboard
    M5A78L-M/USB3
    Memory
    24.0 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7570 2GB
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 27" SA240Y LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 Resolution
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB ATA Device
    WD My Book 25EE 4TB USB
    Toshiba External 3.0 TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x
    Case
    Custom Spider 6000S
    Cooling
    Modded
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M325
    Internet Speed
    AT&T 1GB Fiber
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Security
So if I use Rufus or a similar program to create a bootable drive, I will be able to copy what I need off of it to do an upgrade of my OS's......Thank you for clearing up the 4GB limit info. I had never run into that issue until now.
More about the FAT/File Allocation Table:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
If you use the USB flash drive exclusively on Windows, you can format it as NTFS to hold as large files as its capacity, no 4GB limit. If you want to also use it in Mac or Linux you can either enable full read/write NTFS access or format it as exFAT that can be read/written from all three OSes without the 4GB limit of the original FAT32.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 64-bit (build 22631.3235)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v23H2 (build 22631.3235)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Patriot Burst Elite 480GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Stock Intel CPU Fan, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
When I want to use an ISO file on a thumb drive to update my other computers, I mount the ISO and copy the files to the thumb drive. It's been so long ago that I don't remember if the thumb drive is bootable to be used to do a clean install.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
If you use the USB flash drive exclusively on Windows, you can format it as NTFS to hold as large files as its capacity, no 4GB limit. If you want to also use it in Mac or Linux you can either enable full read/write NTFS access or format it as exFAT that can be read/written from all three OSes without the 4GB limit of the original FAT32.
Yeah but most uefi pcs will not boot from ntfs or exFat.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Most distros of Linux can read/write a larger number of formats and Mac OS X can read NTFS but not write without additional software [I have an older 21" iMac All-in-One], haven't had a chance to try NTFS on the newer macOS with their new CPUs. As a test I used Linux and GPARTED to clean a 200GB HDD then partitioned and formatted as FAT32, no issue. The new 128GB and 256GB Thumb drives came as FAT32, still no way around the 4GB file size limit.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Assuming that you have a Windows ISO image that contains a \sources\install.wim file (not an install.esd) file, you can also get around that issue by splitting the install.wim into smaller pieces.

Here is an example of how you can do this:

In this example, I will assuming that your thumb drive is E: and that you have mounted your Windows ISO image to F:. Make changes to those drive letters as appropriate in the commands below.

1) Start by mounting the ISO image. You can simply double-click to mount. Note the drive letter. Again, in this example I assume F:

2) Run this command to copy everything EXCEPT the install.wim file to your thumb drive:

robocopy F:\ E:\ /mir /xf install.wim /xd "system volume information" $recycle.bin

3) Now split the install.wim into smaller pieces that will fit on FAT32 and copy it to the thumb drive:

DISM /Split-Image /ImageFile:F:\sources\install.wim /SWMFile:E:\sources\install.swm /FileSize:3800

That's all!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
When I want to use an ISO file on a thumb drive to update my other computers, I mount the ISO and copy the files to the thumb drive. It's been so long ago that I don't remember if the thumb drive is bootable to be used to do a clean install.
My problem is, I don't seem to have the option to mount when dealing with the .ISO.........Any idea why?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.2361)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Case
    CPU
    AMD FX 8350 8 Core Processor, 4400 Mhz (Overclocked)
    Motherboard
    M5A78L-M/USB3
    Memory
    24.0 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7570 2GB
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 27" SA240Y LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 Resolution
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB ATA Device
    WD My Book 25EE 4TB USB
    Toshiba External 3.0 TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x
    Case
    Custom Spider 6000S
    Cooling
    Modded
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M325
    Internet Speed
    AT&T 1GB Fiber
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Security
My problem is, I don't seem to have the option to mount when dealing with the .ISO.........Any idea why?
I figured it out finally why "Mount" was not showing. WinRaR was set as the default for opening .ISO files. I set Explorer as default and I now have the option showing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.2361)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Case
    CPU
    AMD FX 8350 8 Core Processor, 4400 Mhz (Overclocked)
    Motherboard
    M5A78L-M/USB3
    Memory
    24.0 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7570 2GB
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 27" SA240Y LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 Resolution
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB ATA Device
    WD My Book 25EE 4TB USB
    Toshiba External 3.0 TB USB
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x
    Case
    Custom Spider 6000S
    Cooling
    Modded
    Keyboard
    Logitech K360
    Mouse
    Logitech M325
    Internet Speed
    AT&T 1GB Fiber
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    MS Windows Security
You don't have to change default application. Just right-click and select Open with Explorer.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 64-bit (build 22631.3235)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v23H2 (build 22631.3235)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Patriot Burst Elite 480GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Stock Intel CPU Fan, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4

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