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dd73cef3b4
* Closes #7 * Also make sure our console output uses UTF-8 * Also harmonize the listing of all the Windows 10 releases
75 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
75 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
Fido: Full ISO Download Script (for Windows retail ISOs)
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[](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html)
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[](https://github.com/pbatard/Fido/releases)
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Description
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-----------
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Fido is a PowerShell script that is primarily designed to be used in [Rufus](https://github.com/pbatard/rufus) but that
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can also be used in standalone fashion, and that automates access to the official Windows retail ISO download links.
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We decided to create this script because, while Microsoft does make retail ISO download links freely and publicly
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available on their website (at least for Windows 8 and Windows 10), it only does so after actively forcing users to
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jump through a lot of unwarranted hoops, that create an exceedingly counterproductive, if not downright unfriendly,
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consumer experience, which greatly detracts from what people really want (direct access to ISO downloads).
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As to the reason one might want to download Windows __retail__ ISOs, as opposed to the ISOs that can be generated by
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Microsoft's own Media Creation Tool (MCT), this is because it is only with an official retail ISO that one can assert
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with complete certainty whether its content has been altered in any way or not. Indeed, retail Microsoft's ISOs are the
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only ones you will be able to obtain an official SHA-1 for (from sites [such as this one](https://msdn.rg-adguard.net/public.php))
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allowing you to be 100% certain that the image you are using is non corrupted and safe to use.
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This, in turn, offers assurance that the content __YOU__ are using to install your OS, and which it is indeed critical
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to validate beforehand if you care about security, does matches bit for bit the one that Microsoft officially released.
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On the other hand, because no two MCT ISOs are the same (due to MCT always regenerating the ISO content on the fly)
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it is impossible to get the same kind of assurance from non-retail ISOs. Hence the need to provide users with a much
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easier and less restrictive way to access official retail ISOs...
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License
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-------
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[GNU General Public License version 3.0](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0) or later.
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How it works
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------------
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The script basically performs the same operation as one might perform when visiting either of the following ULRs (that
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is, provided that you have also changed your `User-Agent` browser string, since, when they detect that you are using a
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version of Windows that is the same as the one you are trying to download, the Microsoft web servers at these addresses
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redirect you __away__ from the pages that allow you to download retail ISOs):
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* https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/Windows8ISO
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* https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/Windows10ISO
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After visiting those with a full browser (Internet Explorer, running through the `Invoke-WebRequest` PowerShell Cmdlet),
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to confirm that they are accessible queries web APIs on the Microsoft servers to first request the language selection
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available for the for the version of Windows that was selected, and then the download links for the various architecture
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enabled for that version + language combination.
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Requirements
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------------
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PowerShell 3.0 or later is required. But the script does detect if you are using an older version and points you to the
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relevant PowerShell 3.0 download page if needed, which should only be the case if you are running a vanilla version of
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Windows 7.
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Also, because Internet Explorer is being used behind the scenes, if you haven't gone through the first time setup for
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Internet Explorer, you may receive an error about it when running the script. If that is the case, then you need to
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make sure that you manually launch IE at least once and complete the setup.
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Note that, if running this script elevated, this annoyance can be avoided by using the `-DisableFirstRunCustomize`
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option (which basically __temporarily__ creates the key of the same name in the registry __if__ it doesn't already
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exist, to bypass that behaviour).
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Additional Notes
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----------------
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Because of it's intended usage with Rufus, this script is not designed to cover all possible retail ISO downloads, but
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mostly those that the general public are likely to use. For instance, we currently have no plan to add support for
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LTSB/LTSC Windows 10 ISOs downloads.
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If you are interested in such downloads, you are kindly invited to visit the relevant download pages from Microsoft
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such as [this one](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-10-enterprise) for LTSC versions. |