Windows 10 USB install "Windows cannot read the <Product Key> from the unattend start file"

Question

I've got my Windows 10 iso from MSDN. I created a bootable USB with it. I go to actually install, and I get an error:

I've used the same iso before when burned to a disc. I'm not trying to install on VM or anything, so my googling has resulted in no answer that has helped. Is there something I can edit or change in the iso to get around this?

BTW, I'm installing on a laptop that doesn't have a DVD drive, thus the USB install.

Solution 1

You should eject all media from the computer you are trying to install on.
I ejected the cd-rom/dvd i had in there and it worked.

Solution 2

I've been experiencing this issue and I haven't been able to find anything useful on google at all. I've been able to bypass this error message by creating an unattend.xml with just the product keys in it. Here's what it looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<Key>W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX</Key>
</ProductKey>
</UserData>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<Key>W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX</Key>
</ProductKey>
</UserData>
</component>
</settings>
</unattend>

Copy the above xml into a new file called autounattend.xml and place the file into the root directory of your USB/DVD.

The product key it uses is a default upgrade key. I've been able to install windows and change my product key once installed using this method.

Solution 3

I've been struggling with this same issue trying to install Windows 10 on a Mac using BootCamp. Turns out I downloaded the wrong Windows 10 ISO - I had the x86 version, not the x64 version.

All the components in the autoattend.xml file are configured for specific processor architectures - so if you end up with an x86 installer that's got an autoattend.xml file intended for x64 systems, nothing works. I've just run through the same process using the correct ISO and it's worked first time.

Comments

[mic84]

Other thread link??

[Frank Hintsch]

For me this answer is the best, since I used an unattend file that addresses only amd64 architecture although I (accidentally) used a boot image for x86 architecture.

[Isiah Meadows]

This worked for me, and also it apparently worked for this person: youtube.com/watch?v=EqipK4ML1iM I hate such atrocious error messages...

[Chthonic One]

Thank you, this allowed me to overwrite a bad installation where Windows 10 tried to install in UEFI mode on a non-UEFI disk during a Windows 7 upgrade. Luckily I had the product key handy for activation after.