After Four Years Using Arch Linux, I Finally Decided to Switch Back to Windows
After four years of using Arch Linux, I finally decided to switch back to Windows. I know that was quite a strange decision, as I was never a fan of Windows. I was always committed to Linux and its security. But time changes, and so do we.
I always used Balena Etcher for flashing ISOs, as I really love that product. Huge shoutout to them for making our lives easier.
After almost getting my pendrive ready to boot, I finally started to boot Windows, but one issue occurred saying, "Required media driver not found." I was like, "Did I make a mistake while flashing the ISO?" I even tried to reinstall the ISO, but the same issue persisted. After doing some research, I got to know that the media driver issue happens because Windows Setup can't detect the internal storage usually due to missing storage controller drivers or USB compatibility problems.
How Ventoy Solved This Issue
This is where Ventoy became my lifesaver.
Traditional tools like Balena Etcher work by extracting the ISO contents and writing them to the USB drive with a bootloader. This process can sometimes mess with the driver structure or how Windows Setup accesses the installation media and internal storage.
Ventoy works completely differently. It creates a bootable environment on your USB drive where ISO files are kept as - is - no extraction, no modification. You literally just copy the ISO file onto the USB like a regular file. When you boot, Ventoy loads the ISO directly from the file, maintaining its original structure and all embedded drivers.
Why this fixed my problem:
The "media driver not found" error happens because Windows Setup loses access to either the USB installation media or can't detect the internal storage (HDD/SSD/NVMe). With traditional flashing methods, the USB controller drivers or storage drivers don't always work properly during setup.
Ventoy bypasses this entirely because it boots the ISO in its virgin state, Windows gets all its drivers exactly as Microsoft packaged them, without any modifications from the flashing process.
What I did:
- Downloaded Ventoy and installed it on my USB drive (one - time setup)
- Simply copied my Windows ISO file directly onto the USB
- Booted from the USB and selected the Windows ISO from Ventoy's menu
- Windows installation went smooth, internal storage detected, no driver errors
For me the best thing will be of this tool is, I can keep multiple ISOs on the same USB - Windows, Linux distros, recovery tools i.e. all on one drive. No more reformatting every time and you dont even need extra USB because I don't have that, that is why I find this way :)
So sometimes the simplest solution is the best one and ventoy proved that by just not messing with the original ISO structure, everything works as it should.
If you’ve been through a similar switch or hit an unexpected installer issue, I’d be genuinely interested in hearing how your experience went.
Thank you for reading!
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