Windows 10 Media Creation Tool Error: 0x80042405 - 0xA001A

Anonymous
2017-11-16T13:39:26+00:00

Greetings,

Recently, I have seen many people inquiring about this error regarding the Media Creation Tool. I myself got this error when I try to create a bootable USB drive (aka Create an Installable Media).

Here's what I tried:

Reformatting USB drive to FAT32

Deleting files

Tried to locate and run Setupprep.exe (I couldn't find this file in C:\$Windows.~BT\Sources or anywhere)

Change Startup Type of Update-Related Services (Startup Type: Manual -> Automatic)

Uninstalled and Reinstall Windows 10 Media Creation Tool

Made sure my USB is above 8Gb as instructed by the tool (it is 15Gb)

The Fix (for me at least):

1. Downloadthe Windows 10 Media Creation Tool directlyinto the USB drive that you want to use as a bootable device (meaning you download the Tool into the same USB you chose to use as an Installation Media). If you already downloaded the tool on your PC's Desktop, copy it into your USB.

2. Run the Tool directly from your USB, meaning you open File Explorer, locate the MediaCreationTool.exe in your USB and double-click to run it.

The installer should then create an Installation Media/Bootable USB.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Tom

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Install and upgrade

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-05-27T13:02:08+00:00

    I found my USB stick was sleeping.  Go to Start, Run, Control Panel, and select Power Options.  Then go to 'Change When The Computer Sleeps'.  In this screen, click on the 'Change Advanced Power Settings', 'USB Settings', 'USB Selective Suspend Setting', and then change 'On Battery' and 'Plugged In' to Disabled.  This stopped my USB stick sleeping and I could then make the USB installation media.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-10T16:05:35+00:00

    This worked for me when other steps did not. I'm wondering if it's either due to formatting in NTFS (I was originally using FAT32) or creating a partition for the size of the entire drive (was just doing 32 GB before and it's a 64 GB drive). Either way, thanks!

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-04-02T12:48:55+00:00

    I was trying to create an installation USB for Windows 10 for my son's PC, using my own Windows 10 pro laptop, and ran into the same problems described here. The simple fix of running the MediaCreation tool from the USB did not work. I recommend the multi-step approach described by others here, which finally worked for me.

    1. Format the USB to NTFS. Note that because of the failed prior attempts, I eventually used Disk Management to remove the partition that had turned my 64gb drive into an effective 32gb drive (https://www.howtogeek.com/215349/how-to-remove-an-efi-system-partition-or-gpt-protective-partition-from-a-drive-in-windows/), and then formatted it using the Disk Management interface. I did not use the Quick Format option.
    2. Copy the MediaCreation tool onto the USB
    3. Turn off antivirus (I had BitDefender running), and other background programs
    4. Right-click on the MediaCreation tool to "Run as administrator"
    5. I left it overnight, and did not use the PC for anything else during this time.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-03-03T17:26:29+00:00

    Used a 8GB USB

    Formatted the drive NTFS

    Copied the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool into the USB

    It worked for me.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-01-23T15:25:11+00:00

    Like they used to say in cartoons, "It's crazy enough, it just might work."

    Sure enough, it worked.

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