Edit 6: a major edit
The github version is at 5.1.3 and works in Ubuntu 20.04.x LTS (and 18.04.x LTS, probably all current versions of Ubuntu, but I have not tested them).
PPA version of woeusb
deprecated
Please be aware that the woeusb
PPA version at ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
is deprecated (works in Ubuntu 18.04.x LTS but fails in 20.04.x LTS). Today (2021-11-07) it is at version 3.3.1 (dated 2020-02-13).
Test
From the WoeUSB github I downloaded and tested woeusb-5.1.3.bash
as well as the version in the tarball. They differ only in the line specifying the version. So I used the separate version with explicit version number.
I used the command line
sudo ./woeusb-5.1.3.bash --target-filesystem NTFS --device Windows11.iso /dev/sdx
wimlib-imagex
was not found, and woeusb
quit. It can be installed from the repository universe with the command
sudo apt install wimtools
It is needed, when installing into a FAT32 file system in order to split the huge install.wim
file, but when selecting NTFS, the installation should continue without wimtools
. That way the WoeUSB bash shellscript will work without wimtools
(but it wants an internet connection in order to get uefi-ntfs.img
).
The USB drive with Windows installer
- created in 18.04.6 LTS and 20.04.3 LTS
- boots both
- in UEFI mode (also with secure boot) and
- in BIOS mode (alias CSM alias legacy mode).
end of Edit 6
I tested the current woeusb
from the PPA (running a persistent live Lubuntu 18.04.1 LTS), and the following command lines work for me.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt update
sudo apt install woeusb
sudo woeusb --target-filesystem NTFS --device path/windows.iso /dev/sdx
In my case the iso file was in /media/lubuntu/usbdata/images/
and the target device was /dev/sdb
, but in your case check carefully that you will write to the intended drive (avoid destroying valuable data in some other drive),
sudo woeusb --target-filesystem NTFS --device /media/lubuntu/usbdata/images/windows.iso /dev/sdb
Notice that all partitions on the target device must be unmounted.
The created USB boot drive has a small FAT partition (for UEFI boot) and a big NTFS partition with the Windows files. It can install Windows both in BIOS and UEFI mode with woeusb 3.2.10.1
(dated 2018-09-19 (Sept 19 2018) in the PPA).
Using NTFS makes it is possible to use file size > 4 GiB. The size of install.wim
is
smaller than 4 GiB in some of Microsoft's own iso files, for example in
Win10_1809Oct_Swedish_x64.iso
$ <<<'scale=3;4274234443/2^30' bc
3.980 # < 4 GiB
greater than 4 GiB for some iso files for particular computers, OEM, but also in several of Microsoft's own iso files, for example
Win10_1809Oct_English_x64.iso
$ <<<'scale=3;4396229344/2^30' bc
4.094 # > 4 GiB
Win10_1809Oct_EnglishInternational_x64.iso
$ <<<'scale=3;4386496792/2^30' bc
4.085
Win10_1809Oct_German_x64.iso
$ <<<'scale=3;4401709065/2^30' bc
4.099
Win10_1809Oct_Spanish_x64.iso
$ <<<'scale=3;4404104344/2^30' bc
4.101
There is also a GUI version woeusbgui
. I don't think is has the option to create a target drive with a FAT file system for UEFI plus an NTFS filesystem, so I would recommend using the command line version woeusb
.
Edit 1:
You can do it yourself with detailed help at
help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/iso2usb/diy/windows-installer-for-big-files
This method works in both BIOS and UEFI mode and also with secure boot. (But in most cases it should be possible to turn off secure boot, use the drive created by woeusb
, and turn on secure boot again.)
Edit 2:
Thanks @John for your comment that there should be no space character in the source file name. If there is you can rename the file, and then woeusb
works.
Thanks @qbit. This did not solve my problem but your idea of a parsing
error helped me to realize that it does not like having a space in the
source filename. That got me to move one step forward.
Edit 3:
There is a problem in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
$ LANG=C sudo apt install woeusb
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
woeusb : Depends: libwxgtk3.0-0v5 (>= 3.0.4+dfsg) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
Until this problem with woeusb
is solved, you can use mkusb-plug according to this link:
help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb/plug
The tool mkusb-tow
of mkusb-plug is now available also via dus (mkusb version 12.5.6). See this link
mkusb 12.5.6 with new installer for Windows
Edit 4:
A set of workaround commands for woeusb in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is described in the following link,
NTFS partition service issue with creating Windows 10 bootable USB on Ubuntu
Edit 5:
Today (2021-10-16) I tested that mkusb can create working installer drives from a Windows 11 iso file.