Upgrade Assistant and Media Creation Tools

Some of the Media Creation Tools are giving a 404 error… The most problematic ones are the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant (needed for Windows Vista and Windows XP systems) and Windows 8.1 with Update 2 Media Creation Tool.

Windows 10 Product Family

Windows 10 TH2 Media Creation Tool -ok

Landing Page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10  

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

File name and size: MediaCreationTool (18,016 KB)

Remarks: Watch out for Windows 7 to Windows 10 TH2 Upgrade changes English (UK) to English (US). Download the .iso, make a Bootable USB and Upgrade from that.

Windows 10 TH2 TechBench .isos – ok

Landing Page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/techbench 

Windows 10 TH2 Academic Media Creation Tool – ok

Landing Page: http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/vlacademicwindows10

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691208

File name and size: MediaCreationToolRetail.exe (18,016 JB)

Remarks: File name mentions Retail but it is Academic. Requires Product Key and does not allow selection of language or architecture.

Windows 10 TH1 64 Bit Media Creation Tool – ok

Former Landing Page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10  

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=616936  

File name and size: MediaCreationToolx64 (19,272 KB)

Remarks: Was Upgrade Only caused issues with Windows 7 and Windows 8.x OEM licenses. Windows 7 to Windows 10 TH1 Upgrade changes English (UK) to English (US).

Windows 10 TH1 32 Bit Media Creation Tool – ok

Former Landing Page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=616935

File name and size: MediaCreationTool (17,850 KB)

Remarks: Was Upgrade Only caused issues with Windows 7 and Windows 8.x OEM licenses. Windows 7 to Windows 10 TH1 Upgrade changes English (UK) to English (US).

Windows 8.x Product Family

Some links for Windows 8 and Windows 8.x Media Creation Tools/Upgrade Assistants are giving 404 Errors.

Windows 8.1 with Update 2 Media Creation Tool – 404 error

Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media  

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=510815  

File name and size: mediacreationtool.exe (1,449 KB)

Remarks: Lacked Windows 8.1 with Bing OEM and Windows 8.1 Single Language with Bing OEM .isos.

Windows 8.1 with Update 1 Retail Only Downloader (requires a product key) – ok

Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

Direct Download Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=271128

File name and information: OSGS14-WindowsSetupBox-32bitand64bit-English-4141408 (6,281 KB)

Remarks: Is Windows 8.1 Retail only blocking Windows 8 Retail Keys and all OEM keys.

Windows 8.1 Retail Only Downloader (requires a product key) – 404 Error

Former Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

Direct Download Link: http://web.esd.microsoft.com/W81GA/81GF9D695DA9DF8D56B2BC5B7356B5DA9D89D29D69/WindowsSetupBox.exe  

File Name and Information: WindowsSetupBox.exe (4,839 KB)

Remarks: Was Windows 8.1 Retail only blocking Windows 8 Retail Keys and all OEM keys. Tricks with the Windows 8 Retail Only Downloader and generic product keys could be used with a Windows 8 Retail key.

Windows 8.0 Retail Only Downloader (requires a product key) – 404 Error

Former Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

Direct Download Link: http://web.esd.microsoft.com/W8DL/DFB736WD8A9DFB5B1D8DFD92C5B1DSEC5B18956/Windows8-Setup.exe  

File name and information: Windows8-Setup.exe (5,359 KB)

Remarks: Was Windows 8.0 Retail only blocking Windows 8.1 Retail Keys and all OEM keys.

Windows 8.1 Upgrade Assistant – Ok

Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/upgrade-assistant-download-online-faq  

Direct Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=261871

OSGS14-WindowsUpgradeAssistant-32bitand64bit-ClientSKU-4141411.exe (6,281 KB)

Remarks: Cannot be ran on Windows Vista or Windows XP.

Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant – 404 Error

Landing Page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/upgrade-assistant-download-online-faq

Direct Link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=321548  

File name and size: Windows8-UpgradeAssistant.exe (5,359 KB) 

34 thoughts on “Upgrade Assistant and Media Creation Tools

  1. dear philip.

    you have guided me in the past about upgrading my dell inspiron 3421 with win8.1 single language to win10.
    i did not do the process as i was a bit concerned from the reports i was getting about the troubles with win10.

    now i am hearing that, if i don't get my dell registered as a win10 device, by upgrading to win10, i may not be able to do it for free after august 1.
    is that right?

    if so, if i want a clean install of win10, do i use the media creation tool TH2 to make a USB? or do i use the techbench TH2.

    am i right in assuming that i have to use the tool with the link id LinkId=691209?

    feeling grateful for your support, philip.

    1. First install the latest UEFI BIOS Update A13 if you haven't done so already:
      http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03475878M/1/O14A13.EXE

      Then backup all your data onto an external hard drive.

      I advise following the instructions on this guide which is as detailed as the Windows 8.1 guide you followed in the past:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/

      The Windows 10 TH2 Media Creation Tool is recommended to use (since you are running Windows 8.1 Single Language). It essentially downloads a little faster and checks the .iso is okay (but only runs on Windows 7 or later). Make sure you select the Windows 10 TH2 Single Language .iso.

      The Free Upgrade expires on the 29th of July so assume the 27th (if activation servers get overloaded etc.). I suspect Microsoft to extend the free upgrade but you are better to make your system a Windows 10 Single Language Device just to be sure…

      Regarding problems with Windows 10 there have been a little more than with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (not more than Windows 8.0) but most issues will be stamped out with Windows 10 RS1 (anniversary update) which will be out on August the 2nd. I will write a guide on clean installing this when I get the .iso and final details.

      1. do I have to worry about updating drivers and their istallation sequence this time (like I had to for upgrading towin8.1)?

        warm regards

      2. Yes and no….

        Windows 10 TH2 has been updated to include a large number of drivers inbuilt. Also in many cases it will automatically download and install the drivers it needs from Windows Update.

        Sometimes Dell will have some newer drivers or just the same versions as Windows Update or even slightly older…

        Drivers wise you should install Intel Management Engine Interface which is newer than what Microsoft and Dell provide:
        https://downloadcenter.intel.com/search?keyword=intel+management+engine
        This should also stop some instabilities when awaking the system from sleep.

        Likely you will also need the Realtek Card Reader:
        http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03195387M/1/SD-Card_Driver_R1FPK_WN32_10.0.10125.31214_A00.EXE

        The Dell Wireless Card driver (latest versions I can find here):
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-wireless-cards/

        Dell Synaptics Touchpad Driver (you should force install the latest version via the device manager) see here:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-touchpad-drivers/

        My guess is the rest will be inbuilt (most Intel, AMD and NVIDIA – the big three hardware vendors are covered via Windows Update).

      3. I have downloaded the sd card driver,and I will have it ready with me after i clean install win10.

        for the touchpad driver (I have synaptics) – as I understand from you – I can go to the link to your article/post and try out from the list you have provided, AFTER I install win10. and use force install through device manager.(am I correct?)

        similarly, for the dell wireless card driver (I have qualcomm Atheros), can I install after win10 is up and running? will I be able to access internet – through some basic driver provided by win10? if not, do I have to download all and keep them ready – to try one by one?

        for the intel mngmnt engine – how do I come to know which or what to download? please help me. and, when do I install this? immediately after installing win10? or can be done anytime later also?

        is there any sequence of installing the drivers that I need to take care of?

        thank you, Philip.

      4. And the intel management engine?
        Which one from the list in the link u provided? And when?

        Regards

      5. The latest one, after Windows 10 TH2 installation. Driver installation doesn't matter so much with Windows 10 TH2.

      6. in the list, this seems to be the latest one for windows 10 –
        https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26136/Intel-Management-Engine-Driver-5M-for-Intel-NUC-Windows-7-8-1

        is that correct?
        the reason I ask is, because, it says IME for intel NUC. so, is my intel chipset an NUC, or called an NUC? (I don’t know what NUC is, except that it is an abbreviation for – next unit of computing)

        also… I had made a DBAN CD in December 2014 based on your guides, I think.
        can I use it for a clean wipe? or will I have to download and make a new cd/usb?

  2. so, the latest IME that comes up is this:
    https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26136/Intel-Management-Engine-Driver-5M-for-Intel-NUC-Windows-7-8-1

    is that which I use? I ask because it says it is for intel NUC, and I didnot know if my intel chipset is NUC (or called NUC)… so, wanted to be sure that I have the right one.

    also… I have a DBAN cd I made in dec.2014, using the help of one of your guides here. can I use it to clean wipe my laptop before installing win10? or do I need to download a new dban and make another cd/usb?
    (don't want to spend money – so parted magic is out)

    1. Yes thats the one I used on my systems.

      I have switched from recommending DBAN to Parted Magic and I explain why in my guide here:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/cleaning-up-a-drive-format-vs-secure-wipe-ssd-and-hdd/
      It essentially depends on the drive type installed and DBAN was only good for mechanical hard drives on a Legacy BIOS.

      If you have a mechanical Hard Drive (with the Inspiron 3421 UEFI BIOS) then use Diskpart Clean All. See here:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/cleaning-up-a-drive-format-vs-secure-wipe-ssd-and-hdd/useofdiskpart/
      If you have a SSD Magic Parted is recommended however Diskpart Clean can also be used.

      1. yes, Philip… I have a mechanical HDD of western digital – WD5000LPVX-75V0T01.0
        so… diskpart should be ok, I guess.

      2. I have a western digital (WD5000LPVX-75V0T01.0)
        hdd, so I can use diskpart, right?

        and this is how I do it:

        when I am ready to install win10,i boot from my win10 usb, and go till the screen which says 'install' (after language etc selection).
        then, instead of selecting 'install', I select 'repair my computer' and follow your guide to wipe (clean all) the drive using diskpart. and then boot again with win10 usb and carry on the installation.

        if I have missed or misunderstood, please let me know.

        thank you.

      3. philip, i am again stuck.
        i downloaded the intel engine mngmnt driver. it has 3 folders. one seems to have only drivers. but the other 2 folders (ME_SW_MSI and MEI-Only Installer MSI) both have setup exes in them.

        which one do i use?
        how do i use these downloaded pack?

        thank you.

  3. can't watch the video, Philip. youtube says, it is private.

    also, Philip… when I use chrome to open this guide/post… something funny is happening. I see the page has comments till the one I posted on 19/07/2016 at 16:07 – all the comments after that don't show up.

    I tried incognito browsing, and cleared all the browsing data too. nothing worked.
    any idea what is wrong?

    regards

    1. Sorry realised I hadn't published that video properly. Its up now.

      Regarding the comments not showing… The issue is with Ezoic (Google Adsense company) that I linked my website to a while ago. Its one of the disadvantages…

      When I joined they just started so you recall the website being quite unstable etc. Now what they do is cache the website. So this means they store a copy on the website to their server with the adverts and that cached page loads instead of the original page with adverts loaded afterwards.

      This increases the performance of the website but content doesn't display until they refresh the cache or I go to the Ezoic website and manually refresh things. I usually only refresh the guides I have updated so it may take a while for the comments in an unupdated guide to show.

      The advertising has its pros and cons but mainly it has allowed me to purchase several systems so I now have adequate hardware coverage. This has allowed me to address areas where my guides were lacking for instance the UEFI BIOS settings (my guides cover this far better than they used to even though in the past my guides were being commonly referenced for UEFI BIOS settings). I have 5 second hand desktops in waiting to test the Windows 10 RS1 Anniversary Update and its product activation… I have some new SHHD and SSD to test parted magic with. I need to test Parted Magic with the SHHD in particular.

      1. surprisingly, Philip… I have never felt very frustrated – and never irritated – about the pages of your site not loading properly.
        now I know why. you provide such uncomparable, unprecedented, un-available value… that nothing seems to be too much to do, give or sacrifice to get what you give.

        and now that I know that the slow, or wrongly, loading pages has a value – that they allow you to do your work… I am more than glad to go through the seeming trouble of waiting, and waiting.
        now my waiting has two purposes – to get the valuable support that only you give, AND, that it makes me a willing part to bring you support that YOU need. 🙂

        so… I am glad with things as they are.

        thank you for your passion and purpose, Philip, just as much as for your support and help.

      2. dear philip,
        thank you. i have now a working, activated win10 🙂

        there is a glitch though.
        i downloaded the following atheros network card driver (dell 1705) as suggested by you – downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03215253M/1/Network_Driver_48H21_WN32_10.0.0.102_A00.EXE.
        then, to install the drivers, i simply clicked the downloaded file (it was not showing as a folder, but a file). the installation started and went uptill the blue screen of 'qualcom atheros'; but then it said something like 'can not install on this platform, select correct package'

        but when i checked the device manager, network and bluetooth both show driver as atheros dell 1705.

        would seeing the log file help you? how can i send you that file? (my email is biren.biroo AT g- mail)

        can i unistall the driver and then try reinstalling? how can i force install it?

        thank you, philip

      3. dear philip,
        i tried to post this comment under the 'dell touchpad drivers' post – 5 times – but i was not able to. so, posting here.

        i have an inspiron 3421.
        i downloaded the latest synaptics driver file suggested by you and then extracted it to a folder. As it had an exe file, instead of any x64 folder, i used 7z to further extract that file (Synaptics_v19_0_27_9__C__x64__Win7_Win8_Win81_Win10__Signed__MUP__DellWPF_RMIHID).
        but even this extratced folder didnot have any folders – none at all, only files – so, i used this folder in my selection for the force install.
        following your instructions, i found that there were 2 devices showing up under 'select the device driver you want to install for this hardware' – "dell touchpad" and "touchpad" – and so i selected 'dell touchpad' and completed the install.

        on restarting i found that the touchpad was not working at all, and had to use a mouse.
        and the device manager showed 'dell touchpad', but with a yellow traingle.
        so, i checked the 'properties'. this is what it said under device status:

        This device cannot start. (Code 10)
        The specified request is not a valid operation for the target device

        what do you suggest?

        thank you.

      4. just as in the case of the touchpad driver, this drivers for the network card also seems to suddenly show up as 'correct'.
        so, the network and bluetooth are both showing dell 1705 drivers.
        so, should i still go ahead and install the 10.0.0.328 one like you suggest above?

      5. philip, is it 10.0.0.328 that you suggest? or did you meant 10.0.0.318?

        on the dell downloads site, the recommended driver for 1705 is 10.0.0.318.
        for inspiron 3421, the version 10.0.0.328 does not show up in any recommendation.

        this is how it shows:

        Dell Wireless 1705 WiFi + Bluetooth Driver
        This package provides Dell Wireless 1705 WiFi + Bluetooth Driver and is supported on Inspiron 5435/3421/5421 and Vostro Notebook 2421 running the following Operating Systems:Windows 10.More details
        Recommended
        10.0.0.318
        (the file is downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03204981M/1/Network_Driver_YRC29_WN32_10.0.0.318_A00.EXE)

      6. I mean 10.0.0.328 it is newer than Dell list… Dell don't list it as compatible for the DW1705 card however its setup information file lists the hardware IDs for the 1705 card…

      7. I have updated the guide to incorporate Windows 10 RS1:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qR27q5yMzk
        Looks like the Windows 10 RS1 .iso contains Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Home Single Language, Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Education on the same .iso. Looks like someone @ Microsoft is listening to my installation feedback; this solves all the issues with people installing the wrong OEM Edition.

        Also came across 10.0.0.341 the other day. It has compatible hardware IDs for the Dell Wireless 1705:
        http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03748274M/1/Network_Driver_3F0RX_WN32_10.0.0.341_A05.EXE

      8. philip… i tried the above 10.0.0.341 network driver on my present win10TH2 installation. it worked!

        will try that first, when i install win10RS1, rather than trying the 328 or 318.

        thanks

  4. philip,
    I have clean installed the win10 RS1 update.
    just sharing this in case it can be of help to others who have inspiron 3421.

    I needed and used the intel management engine interface drivers you suggested in one of the comments above. and it worked. the yellow triangle was gone 🙂

    I needed the sd card driver too, and used the one you suggested. and that solved my driver issue.

    then I used the dell wireless driver you suggested – though the wireless and Bluetooth seemed to be working ok – that is, the 10.0.0.341 version.
    and it seems to be working fine.

    then, I used the synaptics touchpad drivers suggested by you, to replace the generic ones provided by win10.
    first I installed the latest one suggested by you – 19.0.27.9 version – but it did not work.
    so then I went to the next one – the 19.0.15.2 version – and it installed and works properly.

    thank you for all your support.

    (how, and how often, do I look for updating drivers, as I use the win10 RS1, if it is working ok?)

    warm regards

      1. Oh! Sorry!
        I forgot to mention the dell quickset. Yes! I did install that too.

        Followed your guidance completely. And i am feeling happy and grateful, philip. 😊

        (About the drivers, what i wanted to really know is… does the same driver version (that is working perfectly just now) keep working even 2 or 3 years down the line? Without needing any update? Does windows take care of the updates?)

      2. It should keep on working as is but the honest answer is I don't know what will happen in 2-3 years time….

        If Windows 10 undergoes drastic changes then there may be knock on effects… Its unlikely to happen but theres always a possibility.

  5. Does the osgs14-windowssetupbox-32bitand64bit-english-4141408.exe still work?

    1. No none of these still work, only the Windows 10 Version 2004 Media Creation Tool works. Windows 8.1 ISOs can be downloaded with direct download links however.

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