🚀 Windows2Go

💾 Windows2Go is a comprehensive, professional-grade application for creating portable, bootable Windows2Go installations on USB drives.

• This was successfully tested on a SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16GB drive using Windows 11. Performance can be better with a higher-spec USB drive and ports that support USB 3.1 or 3.2.

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📋 Table of Contents

• 🎯 Features
• ⚠️ Important Disclaimers
• 📋 Prerequisites
• ⚡ Installation
• 🖥️ Usage
• 🔧 Technical Details
• 📸 Screenshots
• 🛠️ Troubleshooting
• 📝 License
• 🤝 Contributing

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🎯 Features

✨ Core Functionality

• 🖱️ Intuitive GUI - Modern, dark-themed interface built with CustomTkinter
• 💾 USB Drive Detection - Automatic detection and listing of connected USB drives
• 📀 ISO Validation - Built-in validation for Windows ISO files
• 🔄 Real-time Progress - Live progress tracking with detailed logging
• ⚙️ Smart Configuration - Automatic settings persistence between sessions

🛡️ Safety Features

• 🔒 Administrator Rights Verification - Ensures proper permissions before execution
• ⚠️ Multiple Warning Systems - Clear warnings before destructive operations
• 🛑 Emergency Stop Function - Ability to cancel operations mid-process
• 🧹 Automatic Cleanup - Temporary files are automatically removed

🔧 Technical Capabilities

• 💿 Professional Image Application - Uses Microsoft DISM for Windows image deployment
• 🥾 Dual Boot Support - Creates boot files compatible with both BIOS and UEFI systems
• 📦 Efficient Extraction - 7-Zip integration for fast ISO extraction
• 💻 Windows To Go Optimization - Specialized for portable Windows installations

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📊 Screenshot

⚠️ Important Disclaimers

🚨 CRITICAL WARNING

This tool directly manipulates disk drives and can cause PERMANENT DATA LOSS. Please read carefully:

• ❌ All data on the target USB drive will be completely destroyed
• ⚡ A mistake can result in data loss on ANY connected drive
• 🔧 This creates a NON-OFFICIAL Windows To Go environment
• 📊 Performance and compatibility may vary
• 🛡️ Use at your own risk - no warranties provided

🎯 Use Cases

• System recovery and troubleshooting
• Portable workstation environments
• Testing and development scenarios
• Emergency boot scenarios

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📋 Prerequisites

🖥️ System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise or Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise official website
• Privileges: Administrator rights required
• Architecture: 64-bit Windows installation
• Memory: Minimum 4GB RAM recommended
• Storage: At least 10GB free space for temporary files

🛠️ Required Dependencies

📦 How to Extract the 7z.exe Files:

1. Download the Stable Installer (23.01 x64): Go to the 7-Zip Download Page and download the very first link: "Download .exe 64-bit Windows x64"
   • Direct link: 7z2301-x64.exe
2. ⚠️ Do NOT run the installer. Instead, right-click on the downloaded .exe file
3. From the context menu, choose 7-Zip → Open archive
4. A 7-Zip window will open. Inside, you will see 7z.exe and 7z.dll
5. Select both 7z.exe and 7z.dll and drag them into your Windows2Go project folder

💡 Note: If you don't have 7-Zip installed yet, you can use WinRAR or extract the files using PowerShell: Expand-Archive -Path "7z2301-x64.exe" -DestinationPath "extracted"

Python Libraries

pip install customtkinter psutil pillow pywin32

Windows Tools (Built-in)

• ✅ DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management)
• ✅ BCDBoot (Boot Configuration Data Boot)
• ✅ DiskPart (Disk Partitioning Utility)
• ✅ WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation)

💿 Compatible Windows ISOs

• Windows 10 (all editions)
• Windows 11 (all editions)
• Windows Server 2019/2022
• Other Windows versions may work but are not tested

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⚡ Installation

📥 Method 1: Direct Download

1. Download the windows2Go program.
2. Extract to your desired directory
3. Ensure 7-Zip command line tools are in the same directory
4. Run as Administrator

🐍 Method 2: From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/LMLK-seal/windows2Go.git
cd Windows2Go

# Install Python dependencies
pip install customtkinter psutil pillow pywin32

# Download 7-Zip command line tools
# Place 7z.exe and 7z.dll in the project directory

# Run the application
python Windows2Go.py

📦 Method 3: Portable Installation

1. Create a dedicated folder (e.g., C:\windows2Go)
2. Place all files in this folder
3. Create a desktop shortcut with "Run as administrator" enabled

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🖥️ Usage

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Launch Application

• Right-click on Windows2Go.py → "Run as administrator"
• Or use the provided batch file if available

Step 2: Select Windows ISO 📀

• Click Browse to select your Windows ISO file
• The application will validate the file size and format
• Supported formats: .iso files only

Step 3: Choose Target USB Drive 💾

• Click Refresh to scan for USB drives
• Select your target USB drive from the dropdown
• ⚠️ WARNING: All data will be permanently destroyed!

Step 4: Configure Options ⚙️

• Partition Scheme: MBR (currently the only supported option)
• File System: NTFS (recommended for Windows To Go)

Step 5: Create Windows To Go Drive 🚀

• Click "CREATE WINDOWS TO GO DRIVE"
• Confirm the final warning dialog
• Monitor progress through the real-time log

⏱️ Expected Timeline

• Phase 1: ISO Extraction (2-5 minutes)
• Phase 2: USB Drive Preparation (1-2 minutes)
• Phase 3: Windows Image Application (15-45 minutes) longest phase
• Phase 4: Boot File Creation (1-2 minutes)

Total Time: 20-55 minutes depending on hardware and ISO size

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🔧 Technical Details

🏗️ Architecture Overview

Windows To Go Creator
├── 🖼️ GUI Layer (CustomTkinter)
├── 🔧 Core Logic (Threading)
├── 💾 Disk Operations (Windows APIs)
├── 📦 Image Processing (DISM)
└── 🥾 Boot Creation (BCDBoot)

🔄 Process Flow

1. Validation: ISO file and USB drive verification
2. Extraction: 7-Zip extracts ISO contents to temporary directory
3. Preparation: DiskPart formats USB drive with NTFS
4. Application: DISM applies Windows image to USB drive
5. Bootloader: BCDBoot creates boot files for BIOS/UEFI compatibility
6. Cleanup: Temporary files are automatically removed

📁 File Structure

Windows-ToGo-Creator/
├── Windows2Go.py              # Main application
├── 7z.exe                     # 7-Zip executable
├── 7z.dll                     # 7-Zip library
├── windows_togo_config.json   # Configuration file (auto-generated)
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
└── README.md                  # This file

🔧 Configuration Options

The application automatically saves settings in windows_togo_config.json:

{
    "last_iso_path": "C:/path/to/windows.iso",
    "partition_scheme": "MBR",
    "file_system": "NTFS"
}

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📸 Screenshots

🖥️ Main Interface

Modern, dark-themed interface with clear step-by-step workflow

📊 Progress Tracking

Real-time progress bars and detailed logging for transparency

⚠️ Safety Warnings

Multiple confirmation dialogs to prevent accidental data loss

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

❌ Common Issues

"Administrator Rights Required"

• Solution: Always run the application as Administrator
• Right-click → "Run as administrator"

"7z.exe not found"

• Solution: Download 7-Zip command line tools
• Place 7z.exe and 7z.dll in the application directory

"No USB drives detected"

• Solution:
  • Ensure USB drive is properly connected
  • Try a different USB port
  • Click the "Refresh" button
  • Check if the drive appears in Windows Disk Management

"USB drive is too small"

• Solution: Use a larger USB drive
• Minimum recommended: 32GB for Windows 10/11
• The drive must be larger than the ISO file + additional space for Windows To Go

Installation fails during image application

• Cause: Corrupted ISO file or insufficient space
• Solution:
  • Verify ISO file integrity
  • Try a different USB drive
  • Ensure stable USB connection

🔍 Advanced Troubleshooting

Enable Detailed Logging

The application automatically logs all operations. Check the log panel for detailed error messages.

Manual Cleanup

If the application crashes, manually delete temporary directories:

• Check %TEMP% for folders starting with win-togo-

DISM Errors

• Ensure Windows 10/11 Pro or Enterprise
• Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth as administrator
• Restart and try again

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

📄 Third-Party Licenses

• 7-Zip: GNU LGPL license
• CustomTkinter: MIT License
• Windows APIs: Microsoft License Terms

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our contributing guidelines for details.

🐛 Reporting Issues

• Use the GitHub issue tracker
• Include detailed system information
• Provide log output when possible
• Describe steps to reproduce

💡 Feature Requests

• Check existing issues first
• Provide clear use case descriptions
• Consider backward compatibility

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📞 Support

• 📚 Documentation: Check this README and inline code comments
• 🐛 Bug Reports: Use GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions for general questions
• ⭐ Show Support: Star the repository if you find it helpful

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🏆 Acknowledgments

• Microsoft for DISM, BCDBoot, and DiskPart utilities
• 7-Zip project for compression/extraction capabilities
• CustomTkinter community for the modern GUI framework
• Contributors and beta testers

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⚡ Made with ❤️ for the Windows community ⚡