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What I need

I need the boot image file for Windows so I can create my own Windows 10 custom ISO file and/or burn it to a DVD and make it bootable.

For example, in WinISO there is a menu option called "Set Boot Image" where it expects a boot image file to be specified, with the file name extension bifx or bif, or img.

WinISO - Set Boot Image

What I have tried

  • Downloading the boot image from the web

At first, I thought I could easily download one of the millions of boot images from the web. But after two hours of searching the web, I have not found anything I could use. Well, I found only one site that had it and my anti-virus program warned me not to go to that site.

Why is the boot image so hard to find? Is it copyrighted material?

  • Extracting the boot image from an ISO file

I then tried to extract the boot image from an existing ISO file using WinISO. However, WinISO can only extract it from a physical CD/DVD. What I have here is the Windows 10 ISO file (64 bit, version 1909) which is more than 5 GB (5,294,394 Kb) and cannot fit on a single layer DVD-5 (4.7 GB). Therefore, I cannot burn the ISO file to a DVD in order for WinISO to extract the boot image (unless I have a double layer blank DVD-9 (8.5 GB) disc). I guess the programmers of WinISO didn't expect people to extract boot image from existing ISO files.

Is there any place where I can download a boot image file (bifx, bif or img) or any way to extract the boot image from an existing ISO file?

Clarification

I am looking for a boot image FOR Windows, not the bootable image OF Windows.

Samir
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joehua
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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – DavidPostill Jun 15 '20 at 17:21
  • I think you need to do more research to see what you actually need. There are files inside the ISO you can grab which are probably what you're looking for, maybe. We've given you clear instructions for doing what you've told us you think youre doing, but you insist we're not getting it. Perhaps you could tell us EXACTLY what you are trying to accomplish and WHY you think you need what you've asked for so far. Otherwise we've alrwayd helped you. – music2myear Jun 16 '20 at 02:00
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    This question should not have been marked as a duplicate of "Where can I get a clean ISO of a specific build of Windows 10?" This is not what the author is asking. I understand the question and will provide an answer if the question is reopened. – Samir May 16 '21 at 15:30
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    The file you want is called etfsboot.com in case of Windows 10 and can be easily obtained by taking the Win10_1909_English_x64.iso file that you already have and mounting it in a virtual disc drive, either natively by double clicking on it if you're on Windows 10 or by using a third party software like Daemon Tools or Virtual CloneDrive to mount it. The file can be located in the boot folder and it's only 4,096 bytes in size and MD5 is D4BEFEBF3CEF129AC087422B9E912788 (in case you decide to download it from the web). – Samir May 16 '21 at 23:12
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    The classic way to extract the boot image would be to use bbie.exe (Bart's Boot Image Extractor v1.0, (c) 2001, Bart Lagerweij) which used to be hosted on nu2.nu but the site no longer hosts any of the old utilities. However, you can still find this tool on various software archive sites like Softpedia. This was used before Windows 10 was invented, even before Windows 7. I just tested it and it produces image1.bin (2 KB) and image2.bin (2 KB) dumps where the first one matches against the first 2 KB of etfsboot.com. So it may not be fully compatible with Windows 10. – Samir May 17 '21 at 08:31
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    Worth noting is that bbie.exe works against either ISO images or physical CD/DVD ROM drives, so you could try it. I see here that it has a options for generating bootrecord.bin and bootcatalog.bin. Also, I don't know what version of WinISO you used, but at least in version 6.4.1.5976 you can go to "Bootable" menu, then "Import From", and then "CD/DVD/BD Image File". It will produce a bifx ("Multi-Boot Image File", hence the X) in the amount of 1480704 byte (roughly the same as a 1.44 MB floppy, i.e. including the first 4 KB you may need). – Samir May 17 '21 at 08:45
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    You can also mount the Win10_1909_English_x64.iso file in a virtual disc drive and then use UltraISO to extract the boot image from the virtual drive. I just tested this and it made a CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9.bif (uses volume label of the ISO file) which is 100% bit match against etfsboot.com (4 KB). – Samir May 17 '21 at 08:59
  • I would appreciate good answers to this question. I need a Win10 boot image for testing of another program. Like the OP, I don't need a Win10 ISO. At present, the reader is left to piece together comments instead of getting an answer. This question should not have been closed. – Ray Woodcock Mar 18 '22 at 06:22

1 Answers1

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If you download the Media Creation Tool for the current version of Windows, you can use it to create an .ISO file that will fit on a single layer DVD. You can also create a USB stick and boot that.

Make sure you only do x64 or x86, not both, otherwise the iso will be twice as big.

The provided link will always be for the latest version of Windows.

LPChip
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    Didn't I already say I have a Windows 10 ISO? I'm not looking for Windows 10 ISO. I'm looking for the boot image file, a small file, which would make a DVD bootable. – joehua Jun 15 '20 at 12:07
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    Windows ISOs are created with the boot parameters baked into the image via oscdimg - please use Rufus, or Windows' built-in burner, in lieu of WinISO and the issue will be resolved – JW0914 Jun 15 '20 at 12:17
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    I said I already have Windows 10 ISO. I didn't say I have created a USB of Windows 10 with it using Rufus but I have done it. I'm looking for boot image FOR Windows, not OF windows. – joehua Jun 15 '20 at 12:41
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    @joehua I understand what you're asking & as I've repeatedly stated, you don't specify boot files w/ a Windows ISO, as the ISO already had all the boot parameters injected when the ISO was created w/ oscdimg. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Windows ISO is created, as a Windows intall ISO can't be created by simply creating an ISO of the folder/file structure [it won't boot], which is why oscdimg exists.The boot files are where they've always been, within .\Boot\ – JW0914 Jun 15 '20 at 14:38
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    @JW0914 Please, forget about Windows ISO. I want to archive files and, at the same time, make the DVD bootable. – joehua Jun 15 '20 at 16:01
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    @joehua You'd use oscdimg, which is contained within the Windows ADK: only select Deployment Tools during the install. Once installed, it'll be located at %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\Oscdimg – JW0914 Jun 15 '20 at 19:37
  • These suggestions are interesting, and clearly the OP appreciated being corrected on what he was trying to do - but unfortunately they signal that the question was closed by people who did not understand it. – Ray Woodcock Mar 18 '22 at 06:25