Video summary

Minimal Windows Install | ISO Creation, Setup, and Config

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Technological concepts & goal

  • A walkthrough for creating a minimal Windows 10 1903 installation ISO by:
    • Starting from Microsoft’s official ISO, then
    • Customizing/modifying the install image to remove “bloated” components.
  • The guide emphasizes avoiding unauthorized/custom Windows builds from torrent sites due to risks such as malware, spying, and system compromise.

Main tooling / inputs used

  • 7-Zip
    • Extract Windows installer files and toolkit archives.
  • Windows 10 ISO download from Microsoft
    • Used as the clean base (download the official ISO).
  • Wind Toolkit (also referenced as “Wind toolkit” / “Wind Toolkit”)
    • Used to edit the ISO’s install image (WIM/ESD) and remove components.
    • The speaker notes an alternative tool (e.g., “thelit” / “tealight”) but says it now costs about $60.
  • PowerShell (for ESD handling)
    • If the ISO contains install.esd instead of install.wim, run PowerShell to extract/convert to install.wim.
  • Rufus
    • Writes the customized ISO to a USB boot drive.
  • “Deep Bloat” / “De bloat” PowerShell script (from a GitHub project)
    • Used after installation to remove additional built-in Windows components and “bloatware”.

Key process (tutorial steps)

  1. Download required tools and Windows 10 ISO

    • Download Windows 10 installation media.
    • Choose ISO (not USB).

  2. Extract the ISO to a working folder

    • Use 7-Zip to extract the disc contents.

  3. Modify the Windows image using Wind Toolkit

    • Target the /sources file:
      • Prefer install.wim.
      • If only install.esd exists, extract the correct WIM from ESD via PowerShell.
    • Use Wind Toolkit’s:
      • All-in-one Integrator
      • Component remover

  4. Component removal strategy (minimal build)

    • Guidance: don’t remove “everything” blindly.
    • Highlights and rationales:
      • Leave “first-time customizing” safe components alone
        • The speaker advises keeping items marked “do not remove”.
      • Networking
        • Selected broadly, while many enterprise/unused features are removed for a home-focused minimal system.
      • Don’t remove .NET
        • Example: removing .NET 3.5 / 3.1 can break games/apps.
      • Remove Windows Defender and Windows Search
        • Described as resource-intensive.
      • Keep Internet Explorer
        • For legacy/enterprise use (the speaker references legal/court workflows depending on it).
      • Remove Hyper-V packages for minimal/non-virtualized systems.
      • Avoid removing “unknown/unrecognized” packages unless sure
        • Warning: removing the wrong items can break the system.
      • Potential removals to avoid:
        • Some container/core packages and update-related packages (speaker avoids these due to risk of issues).

  5. Second-stage removals

    • After initial component removal, remove:
      • Windows Cortana
      • Windows Hello Face
    • Note: these can break login/welcome features; the speaker says Cortana affects the welcome/login experience.

  6. Save & rebuild the customized WIM

    • Size change example:
      • Starting WIM ~4.8 GB
      • Rebuilt ISO around ~4.9 GB
    • Size may increase slightly due to compression differences.

  7. Create an unattended answer/config (Auto-unattend XML)

    • In Wind Toolkit’s intermediate tab:
      • Set unattended install parameters, including:
        • auto login as administrator
        • computer name
        • timezone
        • network location (when possible)
    • Caveat:
      • The speaker reports Windows 10 1903 unattended XML didn’t fully work:
        • EULA/product key prompts were missed
        • Account creation sometimes worked; other parts did not
      • They expect to revisit unattended fully later.

  8. Burn ISO to USB

    • Use Rufus.
    • Partitioning/file system guidance:
      • Prefer NTFS if the install WIM > 4 GB (avoid FAT32 limitations).
    • Secure Boot note:
      • When booting with NTFS/involved configurations, Secure Boot may need disabling if incompatible (the speaker notes this is mainly relevant in certain large-WIM cases).

  9. First boot + install verification

    • Reported performance:
      • Unattended + minimal build achieved an “astonishing” ~8–9 minutes to desktop.
      • Test setup: the speaker’s “bare metal” PC using USB 3 + UEFI + NTFS.
    • Claimed reasons:
      • Removing components reduces what must install
      • Some archives may be handled faster due to how WIM is stored/read after modification

Post-install de-bloat (extra refinement)

After the minimal install, the speaker:

  • Uninstalls Microsoft-installed extras (examples mentioned):
    • bubbles/stickies/Spotify/Adobe Photoshop and other preinstalls
  • Runs the “De bloat” / “Deep Bloat” PowerShell script
    • Options include removing Xbox-related components and stopping Edge takeover as PDF viewer
    • Also mentions unpinning Start menu apps
  • Handles temporary PowerShell setup:
    • execution policy set/unrestricted (with the expectation it can be reverted later)

System configuration recommendations (review/analysis content)

  • Delay Windows Updates
    • Feature updates delayed by ~1 year
    • Quality updates delayed by ~30 days
    • Rationale: avoid “bleeding edge” updates breaking systems before wider testing.
  • Privacy / telemetry adjustments
    • Reduce telemetry and restrict background apps.
  • Security decisions
    • Since Defender was removed during the build, the speaker later asserts Defender is “not installed” and suggests alternatives.
    • Antivirus preference mentioned:
      • If you want free: keep Windows Defender
      • Otherwise: mentions Webroot (as a paid option, speaker preference)
  • Final assessment
    • CPU usage reported as low (around ~1% utilization on startup/assessment)
    • Result described as minimal, not a resource hog, and far better than most Windows installs.
  • Limitation acknowledged
    • For 1903, more bloat remains than in older 1709.
    • Claim: Windows has become more integrated over time, making deeper removal harder.

Main speakers / sources

  • Speaker
    • The YouTube creator narrating the tutorial (no explicit name provided in subtitles).
  • Sources referenced
    • Microsoft (official Windows 10 ISO download)
    • Wind Toolkit (image modification/component removal)
    • Rufus (USB ISO writer)
    • 7-Zip (extraction utility)
    • GitHub “Deep Bloat/De bloat script” (PowerShell cleanup script)
    • Also mentioned: prior/alternative download tooling such as “tealight” and MajorGeeks (for toolkit downloads)

Original video