Unable to use Rufus with Windows 11 GPT/UEFI

Anonymous
2021-08-19T23:36:06+00:00

With Windows 11, we were instructed to use GPT/UEFI when using Rufus to create a Windows 11 Insider ISO. Rufus has changed their policy and in order to use the newly created ISO states that Secure Boot must be disabled. Can Microsoft offer any help here?

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CrazyKats 19,760 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2021-08-20T00:33:50+00:00

Oh! I could be wrong but I think I know what's going on. If you download/use the official ISO, it contains both Home & Pro and it's too big for FAT32, therefore Rufus changes to NTFS automatically.

Ahhh that makes sense.

So that means we would have to turn off Secure Boot.

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-08-20T16:08:34+00:00

    Will this situation show up in Public builds with Win 11, I don't know..

    @Saltgrass,

    For public build MS uses the Media Creation Tool.

    That is creating the correct Installation media and will have no problem.

    Rufus with UEFI-NTFS is just a kluge !

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-08-20T15:33:03+00:00

    Oh! I could be wrong but I think I know what's going on. If you download/use the official ISO, it contains both Home & Pro and it's too big for FAT32, therefore Rufus changes to NTFS automatically.

    Ahhh that makes sense.

    So that means we would have to turn off Secure Boot.

    C.K.

    There are 11 editions of Windows in the ISO not just Home and Pro, but even with only Pro the size of the install.wim exceeds the 4GiB limit for creating the normal FAT32 USB Media.

    Rufus always used a the weird UEFI-NTFS trick to get around this issue, it is nothing new.

    The bottom line is that Rufus does not create the correct USB installation media like it is done with MCT.

    MS should make the insider ISO with the compressed install.esd instead of the install.wim and that would fit just fine in the normal FAT32 Installation USB media and there would be no need for Rufus or any other weird utility to create the Installation media.

    It only takes a little extra extra step effort for MS to distribute the ISO in the right format, and that would eliminate all these issues.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-08-20T14:47:47+00:00

    @fg2001, you just missed an opportunity to add to the data base of which systems will or will not work. What are the configurations of the systems that do not work?

    The more folks that know the NTFS drive might be an option, the more info we will get as to what system will work. If a system does work then it is so easy to set up bootable media. Will this situation show up in Public builds with Win 11, I don't know..

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-08-20T11:26:05+00:00

    Hi Davy,

    I added a comment too. Stop using Rufus. 😉

    Hi fg,

    It's not just the use of Rufus or the pointing towards Rufus I object to. It's the insistence of using secure boot when MS know that if Insiders/public users use Rufus with secure boot enabled they will fail.

    So either remove the need for secure boot or the need to use Rufus to make bootable media.

    Or am I asking too much...?

    Davy.

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