People nowadays find it is easier to install a fresh copy of Windows. USB device can serve more than a mere transfer device, it can help you boot Windows 10 easily. A USB stick allows you to install Windows 10 within minutes on laptop, PC, or media center. If your PC does not have optical drive, Windows 10 bootable USB is the best solution.
There are lots of benefits of using USB device to install a Windows copy. USB device is highly portable and it is highly compatible with almost all desktop and laptop. It is also worth mentioning that USB port presents in every computer and laptop, unlike DVD drive that some computers might miss it. In addition, installing Windows 10 is faster than the optical drive.
Windows 10 USB Install Tool
Downloading Windows 10 from Microsoft gives you two options, either to download a pack of compressed files or download an ISO file. When you decide to choose an ISO, you will get all installation files in an uncompressed file. These files allow you to create a bootable file from USB drive, copy the Windows files and run the Windows USB Download Tool. In short, you can install Windows on your computer from USB.
When downloading the ISO file, you have to copy to a USB stick. Whenever you want to install Windows, simply insert the USB device and run Setup.exe from the folder. This explains why installing Windows from USB is faster as you don’t have to run the existing operating system.
Windows allows you to create a copy of the ISO files as a back-up copy in case you need to reinstall on the computer. Your copy after installing the Windows counts as one copy. If you need to download the software, visit your Download Purchase History and access the download there.
Create Bootable USB from ISO Windows 10
There are at least 3 methods to create a bootable USB from Windows 10. Considering the convenience, the methods are worth trying. As long as you follow the instructions, you don’t need to be a techy person to carry out this job. Here are the 3 methods to make a bootable USB:
- Windows USB Download Tool
Despite this method is considered old, Windows USB Download Tool is still an effective method to create a bootable USB for Windows installation files. As Windows users, you can make a bootable USB disk from ISO image file. Simply follow these instructions:
- Prepare an empty USB stick, at least 8GB. It is advised to quick format the drive.
- Open Windows USB/DVD Download Tool page, click Download and Run to install. Follow the dialogue box.
- After installing the tool, run it. This tool requires ISO image file. Choose the ISO image then start the process.
- Your bootable USB / DVD Installer will be created.
- Windows Media Creation Tool by Microsoft
Among other methods to create Windows 10 bootable USB, this is the easiest one that you can try. It does not take many steps, simply download Windows Media Creation, make an installation, and you are ready to go. Follow the instructions below to make a bootable USB using Windows Media Creation:
- Download Windows Media Creation from Microsoft.
- Choose Create installation media for another PC.
- Choose Language / Edition and Architecture as you desire.
- Choose USB Flash drive for Bootable USB.
- Use third party software
You can also create a bootable USB from Windows 10 using third party software. There is a lot of software that will help you do this job, including Rufus. Below, you will figure out how to make a bootable USB using Rufus software:
- Download Rufus software, then open Rufus.exe
- Plug in the USB flash drive when the software launches.
- Navigate to Create a bootable USB drive
- Select an ISO image from the menu
- Click Next button, then click Windows 10 ISO you want to install
- Click Start and Rufus will begin to make a bootable USB flash drive
- Once finished, you are ready to install Windows 10.
- Create bootable USB using command prompt
You might want to challenge yourself. If the three methods above are too easy for you, this last method may be a bit challenging. You can create a bootable USB disk using command prompt, which takes more complicated steps.
- Plug in USB drive
- Search Command Prompt on your computer
- Run as administrator
- Using command prompt, open the disk management utility
- In the CMD, type: diskpart and press Enter
- Type: list disk and press Enter. At this point, you will see the display of available connected disks
- Select USB drive. Type: select disc # and hit Enter (replace # with the disk number on the list)
- Type: clean to clean the USB drive. Press Enter
- Create a bootable partition by typing: Create partition primary and hit Enter
- Select the partition you just created by typing: select partition 1 and type: active. Hit Enter
- Format the USB, type: format fs=fat32 and press Enter
- Type: assign to assign a letter to the USB drive
- Copy all Windows 10 files and paste in the USB drive.
After creating the bootable USB, now you can install Windows 10 on computer or laptop. All you need to do is safely remove from the PC and insert to a computer you desire. Turn on the computer in which you want to install Windows 10, wait for a few minutes to detect the USB drive. When the computer does not detect the device, press the key to access boot menu.
The second reboot should detect the installation media. At this point, Windows 10 is ready to install. You can get started by powering up the installation wizard. Once it is installed, your Windows will be installed.
In a nut shell, Windows 10 bootable USB is the easiest way to get a fresh copy of Windows. You can experience a new version of Windows even though your PC does not have an optical drive, or you are out of DVDs. There are several ways to create bootable USB, allowing you to choose one that you like the most.