Media Creation Tool Error 0x80042405 0xA001B

Anonymous

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??

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Answer accepted by question author

Kapil Arya 38,446 Volunteer Moderator

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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227 additional answers

Anonymous

2019-08-11T00:51:42+00:00

Roy Beaulieu,

Unfortunately I don't see your error so I cannot even try to figure out what the problem is.

From your description it sounds like a bug with your USB device or USB drivers.

I have seen other cases, unrelated to MCT, where inserting a USB device, that was previously properly formatted, windows would say it needs to be formatted, in those cases just removing and reinserting the device clears the problem, but I don't know why it pops up the message in the first place even if the device is perfectly formatted.

Anyway, the easiest way to workaround your bug is by downloading the Windows.iso and creating the USB media from the Windows.iso, no need to download multiple times and keep retrying when it fails.
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Anonymous

2019-08-11T00:04:09+00:00

Well, here is what I see when it fails. When I monitor what's on the USB drive, it's empty. At the point when the MCT goes to copy the verified files to the thumb drive, Explorer closes the drive, and the error in my screenshot pops. If I leave the error up and try to access the USB drive again, Windows tells me it's not formatted and offers me the option to format the drive. When that's done, the drive is empty of course. That's when I copy the files I listed manually and get on with my life.

Mind you, this doesn't happen every single time. Just most of the times. I have a client that isn't in my town who helps elderly with their PCs and asks me for advice. He uses the MCT to make drives all the time as well. Since he doesn't want to bother me with every single error, he often just does it two, three, or four times until it completes. Rerunning the tool from scratch and downloading everything all over again until "it just works." Many here have done the same.

I have nothing special about my systems or my thumb drives. I'm glad this doesn't plague you. It's quite frustrating. It seems very random. One guy here used Mark Russinovich's tool to watch what's held open and stopping the show. I'm sure there is something to be discovered there. I'm just not the one who's going to do it due to health issues. I'm just about out of ***** to give.
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Anonymous

2019-08-10T23:48:01+00:00

After formatting the USB drive and watching it's contents, no autorun.inf file gets created. I also use Windows Defender and nothing else. Looking over the links you posted very briefly, I don't see any relation to this issue. The MCT just doesn't seem to reliably be able to get access to the clean USB drive reliably. I have no issues copying the files myself after the error pops. Should be an easy fix for someone at Microsoft. Yet, here we are years later. This issue isn't new with 1903. I've been making USB install drives for myself and clients for about 2 years. It's really very sad and pathetic that this is still going on but not surprising.

Roy Beaulieu,

The autorun.inf is not created when you format the USB, but it is copied from the downloaded files.

I see autorun.inf in the one I create, to see it you need to change the view to see hidden files.

Would be nice to know what is the difference bewtween your setting that fails and mine that never fails. What is the root cause ?

I have 5 different machines and created USB windows install media all the time for years, I never see the problem described in this thread.

Autorun.inf on the media with both 32 and 64 bits:

[Autorun]

open=setup.exe

icon=setup.exe,0
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Anonymous

2019-08-10T23:27:26+00:00

After formatting the USB drive and watching it's contents, no autorun.inf file gets created. I also use Windows Defender and nothing else. Looking over the links you posted very briefly, I don't see any relation to this issue. The MCT just doesn't seem to reliably be able to get access to the clean USB drive reliably. I have no issues copying the files myself after the error pops. Should be an easy fix for someone at Microsoft. Yet, here we are years later. This issue isn't new with 1903. I've been making USB install drives for myself and clients for about 2 years. It's really very sad and pathetic that this is still going on but not surprising.
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