Guide: How to Create Bootable Windows 10 USB Flashdrive
More and more Windows PCs come without optical drives, making it a bit more inconvenient to reinstall Windows from a disc. There is always the option to connect an external DVD drive via USB, but a better and more future-proof method is to create your own Windows USB Installer. Here’s how.
Download or create an ISO
The first step in creating a Windows USB Installer is to obtain the source data. If you purchase Windows online or opt for a free trial, you often have the option to download the operating system instead of receiving a physical disc in the mail. This download arrives as an ISO file, image or archive of the entire contents of an optical disc. The size of your Windows ISO will vary depending on the version, but expect it to be between 2 and 4 GB which may take a while. while to download. Once you get it, make a note of the location as we’ll get to it later. In our example, we are using an ISO from the new Windows 8.1 Preview and saved it in a “Downloads” folder on our desktop.If you already have a physical disk, you will need to create an ISO yourself. There are many free and paid tools that can handle this task, but one we like the most is ImgBurn. Here’s a great one tutorial from How-To Geek on Using ImgBurn to Create an ISO File. The end result is an ISO file on your hard drive that is nearly identical to the file you could download from Microsoft.
Find the right USB drive
To make a Windows USB Installer, you need a good USB drive. Capacity is the main concern; depending on the version of Windows you are running with, you will likely need a disk with at least 4 GB of free space. Nowadays, if you buy a new USB drive, it is difficult to find a drive smaller than 8 GB, so you should be suitable for almost any product. These discs are also incredibly cheap. Here’s a well-reviewed 8 GB Kingston drive for about $ 7. If you’re using an old drive you already have, make sure it’s still working and at least 4 GB in size. The drive we’re making only contains a generic Windows Installer, so reliability isn’t a big issue. As long as you save your ISO file, you can always repeat these steps if the drive fails on the way.
Install the USB / DVD tool from Microsoft
While it is possible to manually create a bootable USB installer from an ISO file, the process can be time consuming and complicated. Fortunately, Microsoft has created a free tool that does the job for you. The Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Tool (ignore the name, it works great with both Windows 7 and 8) walks users step-by-step through the USB installer creation process.Download the small tool from Microsoft’s website and run the installer. Continue with the installation process and complete the installation.
Create a Windows USB Installer
Then launch the Windows USB / DVD tool which is on your desktop by default. It requires administrator access, so select “Yes” when prompted by Windows’ User Account Control. The tool consists of four simple steps. First click on “browse” and navigate to the location on your PC where you saved your downloaded or created ISO file. Hit “Next” once you’ve selected your ISO file.Now you have to choose your media type. This tool was originally created to help users with Windows 7 ISO files create backup installers both via USB and DVD. Since we are only interested in creating a USB installer, choose ‘USB device’. If you ever need to create a Windows installation DVD, you can repeat these steps and choose “DVD” instead.It’s time to insert the USB device you selected earlier and choose it from the drop-down list. Be careful here; the tool will erase everything on the drive, so make sure you’re using an empty USB drive (or at least one with files you don’t need to save) and also check that you’ve selected the correct drive from the list. In our example, we are using a 4 GB USB drive that is currently assigned the drive letter “M.”After double checking the path of the disk, press “Start copying” to start the creation process. Depending on the size of your ISO, the speed of your USB interface, and the speed of the USB drive’s storage, this may take a while. Just grab a drink and let the tool do its thing.When the process is complete, you will be notified that the “Backupup completed “and it is now safe to remove your USB drive.
Use your Windows USB installer
There are two primary ways to use your Windows USB Installer. First, you can start the installation process directly from Windows from the disc. Allows you to upgrade or start a repair.Second, if you want a clean install, you can configure your computer to boot from the USB drive, just like you would from an optical drive. Note, however, that not all motherboards support booting from USB drives, so make sure to check your motherboard manual to ensure compatibility. Motherboard configurations also vary greatly, so even if your board supports booting to a USB drive, check the manual for instructions on how to how to configure that process in your BIOS or EFI interface.A Windows USB Installer can also be used to install Windows on virtual machines such as VMware Workstation on Linux or Parallels Desktop on Mac OS XA final note: not all Windows Install ISOs are the same. Depending on the version of Windows you bought or used to create the ISO, the Windows Installer can be a full version or an upgrade version. In the latter case, you may not be able to install a “clean” version of Windows on a blank disk; You may already need to have an existing licensed version of Windows. Your USB installer will still work in these cases, but make sure to check the licenses of your ISO.BIOS source image modified from Corsair source file.
How to Create Bootable Windows 10 USB Flashdrive: benefits
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