One of the biggest problems with the Windows 10 operating system is the amount of junk loaded on it when it’s first installed. While you can remove the applications from the computer after the fact, its not the cleanest install. So, I decided to modify the Windows 10 Pro install.wim file to help you expedite and simplify the process. The benefits to using this wim file on your Windows 10 USB drive is that the only application installed by default is the Windows Store. This app allows you to download anything as you need it and the versions you receive are the latest and greatest. Something that will help keep your new installation clean. Finally, the ever annoying OneDrive application that’s installed automatically has also been removed, however you can download it later.
The wim file is for Windows 10 Pro May 2020 Update (Build 2004). You can download the tool for creating your USB drive below.
Once you’ve created the USB drive, download the following files:
Once these two files are downloaded place them in the following locations of your already created Windows 10 Pro USB drive.
- Rename the file Windows 10 Pro – Lite.wim to install.wim and place it in the sources folder on your USB drive.
- Place the file Autounattend.xml in the root of your USB drive.
Alternately, you can simplify the process by downloading the ISO image below which contains all of the files.
Beyond the download, you’d format a USB drive with FAT32. After the format, open the ISO file and copy and paste the contents to the USB drive.
From there you can boot your USB drive. My recommendation is that you boot from UEFI. This is the ideal way to install Windows offering faster boot-up speeds, better recovery options and security.
If you’d like to make a backup copy of your installation once it’s done for recovery purposes please head to the “Creating a Ghost USB Recovery Drive” post.