(03-08-2020, 05:24 PM)onespeedbiker Wrote: I bought the professional version of WintoUSB and created a USB that runs Windows 10 using a Windows 10 ISO. It works great. What i would like to know is some information on the options. I tried three different Sandisk USBs and all were successful; an Ultra 3.0 256GB (100MBps), an Extreme Go 3.1 SDCZ800 64GB (150MBps) and Extreme Go 3.1 SDCZ880 128GB (380MBps). The all loaded with no issues, however the Sandisk Ultra 3.0 ran much slower and was not really a viable choice. I also settled on using the Extreme Go 3.1 SDCZ880 128GB (380MBps)
I created these with the same default setting of VHD mode, which creates a virtual hard drive. My question what would be the difference if I used legacy or VHDX? My other question is how would I clone the USB I am using so I can save the changes I have made?
For Windows operating system boot drive, the 4K random read/write speeds are very important. Usually the 4K read/write speeds of the common flash drives are always slow, so these drives are not suitable for creating portable Windows. We highly recommend using a Windows To Go Certified Drives or external hard drive to create Windows To Go. For Non-certified USB flash drive, we recommend you to buy a Corsair Flash Voyager GTX Flash Drive, SanDisk Extreme Go USB 3.1 Flash Drive or SanDisk Extreme PRO CZ88 USB 3.0 Flash Drive, we've done a lot of testing, they're fast enough to run Windows smoothly and more cheaper. If you want small size and high performance, Corsair Flash Voyager GTX Flash Drive is the best choice.
The 'Legacy' installation mode installs Windows directly into the target boot partition on the physical USB drive, and the VHD/VHDX installation mode installs Windows on the VHD/VHDX file that is stored in the target boot partition. When you choose to use VHD/VHDX mode, there is only one VHD/VHDX file in the boot partition on the physical USB drive, and all Windows files are stored in this VHD/VHDX file. The Legacy mode is the best choice if you are using an external USB drive to create Windows To Go, it has the best performance. The VHD/VHDX mode is the best choice if you are using a USB flash drive to create Windows To Go, because from our tests and user feedback, the VHD/VHDX mode has best compatibility when using a USB flash drive to create Windows To Go. The VHD file has a 128 GB limit when you use it to install Windows, VHDX doesn't have such a limit. The VHDX format provides protection against file corruption related to power failures by continuously keeping track of updates in the metadata, this feature is not available with the VHD format. There is not much difference in performance between VHD and VHDX.