Media Creation Tool Error 0x80042405 0xA001B

Anonymous
2019-05-22T02:24:49+00:00

I must be doing something wrong because I always have the update fail with some BS error like this. What are the proper steps to run this tool?

I download the tool to the desktop. I'm on an Admin account. I insert a 16GB thumb drive. I format it. I start the tool. I point it to the thumb drive. During the phase where the files are copied to the USB, I get some stupid error like this:

Why are my steps not good enough? Where is the hole in my logic? Or is this tool just written poorly. I'd like to use stronger language here as I used to have to start it all over again and burn bandwidth trying this failed endeavor over and over.

I've heard people make it work by running the tool FROM the USB. Why would that matter? I've tried to write files to the thumb drive just after the format and before running the tool to make sure I have successful writes. Doesn't help. 

As a workaround today, I left the error up for a bit. Tried to access the thumb drive and it said it needed to be formatted AGAIN! So I did. Then I just opened the C:$Windows.~WS\Sources\Windows and copied the files to the drive by hand. Made the dang thing myself! WHO WRITES THIS STUFF??

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Install and upgrade

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Kapil Arya 38,446 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2019-10-23T10:23:40+00:00

Hello,

I would suggest you to create latest media. Download the Media Creation Tool using this link:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

Hope this helps!

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-06-21T15:06:33+00:00

    I had exactly the same problem as you did, no matter how many times I tried with 3 different 32Gb thumb drives.

    Eventually I tried both of these simultaneously and it worked, so one of these (or both combined) may work for you:

    First: Manually make the thumb drive bootable with Diskpart:

    • Open an elevated command prompt and run diskpart.
    • Once inside Diskpart, type list disk and you'll get a list of all storage drives in your computer. Take a note of the number that matches your thumb drive (it'll read, for instance, Disk 2 (I'll use 2 for the sake of this example)
    • type select disk 2<enter>
    • type clean <enter>
    • type convert mbr<enter>
    • type create partition primary<enter>
    • type format fs=fat32 quick<enter>
    • type active <enter>
    • type assign <enter>
    • close the elevated prompt

    Second: Run the Windows Media Creation Tool IN ELEVATED MODE

    Basically, right click on the executable file and "Run as administrator". You'll get the usual UAC prompt. Accept and let the media creation tool do its thing.

    I got this to work after trying a lot of stuff. I didn't find this exact solution elsewhere so your mileage may vary, but it's worth a shot

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-06-21T13:56:54+00:00

    thank you for the tips Greg, i use Diskpart and then created my usb bootable fow Windows 10.....

    thank you.

    Sylvain

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-06-20T00:52:58+00:00

    It is not YOU... it is MICROSOFT, with LOTS OF BUGS in their software!!!

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-06-20T00:46:18+00:00

    Scenerio: New Dell computer, running ver: 1809.

    Boss downloaded the Windows Media Creation Tool, and was using a 16gb SANDISK thumb drive, but ended up getting the error:

    0x80042405 0xA001B

    After several HOURS of dealing with this, including getting hung up on, from Microsoft (RUDE LEVEL 1)...

    I called back AGAIN, and this LEVEL 1 tech at Microsoft, remoted into the computer, and formatted the THUMB DRIVE using FAT32, and this allow the tool to get installed. After talking to a supervisor and several techs at MS, several of them says that it depends on the format the computers HARD DRIVES is in, be it GPT or MBR, and apparently, when the formatting from the Windows Media Tool formats the drive, IT DOES NOT KNOW what it is doing, and besides, why do I need to format the drive using FAT32, if the Windows Media Creation Tool is going to format the thumb drive anyway?

    Sounds like MICROSOFT has lots of bugs they still need to work out, as they progress to sell their software to the public, making BILLIONS, along with making WINDOWS UPDATES turn your computer into a DOOR STOP. So, now we have 1903 out there, and WHO KNOWS what bugs we are going to be dealing with. I call the WINDOWS UPDATE, the MICROSOFT VIRUS... What alternatives do we have with a computer...? APPLE, LINUX, and that is IT!!! We are VICTIMS of their MONOPOLY, but then there is the phone, which is probably why younger people are using only phones, and to hell with MICROSOFT!!! They don't want to deal with ONGOING HEADACHES. The CEO of Microsoft needs to be testifying in front of CONGRESS, explaining what they are doing to everyone's computers, and probably trying to DESTROY THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY, because of LACK OF KNOWLEDGE on how to fix their SOFTWARE, because you're talking to OUTSOURCED India people, and not the DEVELOPERS, to try to resolve stupid problems. My personal opinion... DELL, TOSHIBA, HP, PANASONIC, etc, need to get together and sue MICROSOFT, and make them FIX THEIR SOFTWARE, before they RELEASE IT TO THE OPEN MARKET, like you and I.

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