MSU file corrupted when copy to USB stick

I did a manual update with on Windows 11 24H2 PC with a MSU file then copied it via a USB stick to my other identical PC but it wouldn't install on the 2nd PC with a message saying it had an incorrect format. I then copied the file onto another USB stick and tried again with the same result.

I then downloaded the MSU file again on the 2nd PC and it installed fine.

So somehow, copying it to or from the USB stick corrupted it. Is this possible?

anparkinson said:

copying it to or from the USB stick corrupted it. Is this possible?

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Yes, it is very possible. Either a fluke in the copying process itself OR an issue with the usb drive you copied it to. There's a lot of bad flash drives out there, especially the cheap, no-name or unknown name ones. I use a lot of flash drives and learned the hard way to stick with the major brands if I want dependability. That old theory of "you get what you pay for" is very true in flash memory. Sandisk is my preferred brand, but PNY or Samsung are also good.

I also have a number of SanDisk Thumb drives but also Verbatim Stripe. Have a few PNY but the sliding cover is difficult. Largest is an HP 256GB. All came factory-formatted as FAT32.

It could also be that the default association of MSU files has been changed by another application, so double-clicking of the file doesn't install the update. There is a fix in Tutorials section (a .reg file) that restores the original configuration and makes MSU files work again. I had the same issue once and fixed it. Also if your USB is corrupt, you can try putting the file on a shared folder and use it via network, if both computers are on the same network. You can copy all files from USB on your computer and format the USB. This usually fixes any logical errors such as a corrupted file system. You can then copy the files back to the USB.