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
    2019-07-14T00:09:53+00:00

    I gave the fix a few post up.  I tried with an older machine and had no issues. I tried with the new machine I am on now, which has mostly 3.1 USB. Please check to make sure you are using a USB 2.0.  That was my fix, not saying it is everyones, but worked for me.

    Lighty_269, Not sure why you had problems with 3.1?

    I had no issues with USB 3.1 or 3.0.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-07-14T00:11:18+00:00

    I agree that one has to try repeated times to get it to work.  Finally I got a copy of Win10 to reinstall after reformatting the hard drive, but apparently the hard drive was not completely reformatted.  Some of the stuff on the old format of the hard drive showed up after reformatting the hard drive.  Not certain how to get a clean reformat.  

    (1) What do you mean by "reformat" - i.e., exactly what did you do?

    (2) What stuff on the hard drive showed up after the reformat (& presumably a reinstall of Windows)?

    A reformat involves erasing/deleting a partition & recreating it.

    A clean install involves reformatting several partitions:  EFI, MSR, Windows (C:), & Recovery. And nothing remains - everything is new again. However, drivers may well remain the same as they are redownloaded during the install.

    But an upgrade-install has an option to keep apps & files. It might also do a reformat of Windows (C:) - not sure. However, afterwards it reinstalls your 3rd-party apps & reinstates their files.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-07-14T00:17:21+00:00

    I was able to fix this issue after finding this thread by freeing up ~24gb of space on the PC and using a large flash drive (64gb) for the installation usb. The tool created the usb successfully.

    Pinyl, 

    Windows does not format with FAT32 on volumes bigger than 32GB, so I don't see how a 64GB flash drive makes any difference ?

    The Media Creation Tool probably made a partition for 32GB anyway.

    Keep in mind that for Legacy Bios the partition must be set Active or it will not boot, but it would boot on e UEFI machine even if it is not set active.

    The media Creation Tool is supposed to make the USB compatible for both UEFI and or Legacy Bios.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-07-14T01:32:22+00:00

    "But an upgrade-install has an option to keep apps & files. It might also do a reformat of Windows (C:) - not sure. However, afterwards it reinstalls your 3rd-party apps & reinstates their files."

    PCR, 

    In your statement above, an upgrade-install will not reformat the C: volume, just creates a new Windows directory and renames the original as WindowsOld, just in case something goes wrong and you want to go back to the original.

    It may shrink the C: volume if it needs to create an extra new recovery partition because it does not have enough space in the original one.

    The WindowsOld directory can be eliminated as part of the "disk cleanup" if you chose the option of eliminating the previous windows installation in the "cleanup system files".

    When you do that you eliminate several GB of data on your C: volume and that will reduce the time it takes when you do a windows image backup.

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