Bootable USB: How to Install Windows 10, 8, or 7

Ready to Install Windows? Planning to install Windows on your PC but don’t have a DVD drive? In this essential tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows 10, 8, or 7 with ease. From downloading the Windows ISO file to using third-party tools for USB creation, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get your bootable USB drive ready for installation. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, these step-by-step instructions will help you install Windows from a USB drive hassle-free.

Bootable USB: How to Install Windows 10, 8, or 7

This procedure is necessary when your PC, laptop or netbook lacks a DVD drive or it doesn’t work properly, if you have no system installation disk, or you just don’t like working with DVDs.

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How To Create a Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows 10, 8, 7 💽💻🛠️

How To Create a Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows 10, 8, 7 💽💻🛠️

Method One: for a UEFI Computer

All you need to create a bootable flash drive is a computer with UEFI instead of BIOS and the system image itself. It should be noted that almost all modern computers support UEFI.

UEFI

So,

  • Format the flash drive you want to make bootable. Make sure you select the necessary file system – FAT32. Choose Quick format and click Start.

    Format disk

  • You will see a warning that all data will be deleted. Click Ok and wait for the process to finish.

    Quick format

  • After that, use the File Explorer to open the disk or .ISO image containing the installation package, copy image files to the flash drive and wait until it is over.

    .ISO image

When the copying process is complete, your bootable flash drive is ready.

Then restart your PC, go to UEFI, set the computer to boot from the flash drive and install the operating system you need.

Method Two: Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

The second method will be relevant if your computer has BIOS instead of UEFI.

BIOS

In that case, creating a bootable flash drive requires official software by Microsoft – Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. It is free of charge and you can download it from the Microsoft official website.

Don’t let the words Windows 7 worry you. This app is also good for Windows 8 and 10.

Now,

  • Download and install it.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool


    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • Select a suitable system image file and click Next.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • Now choose the media type, in this case USB-device.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • Select the necessary flash drive from the list of all devices in your computer (in my case, it is disk I) and click Begin copying.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • You will see a warning that all data in this flash drive will be deleted. If you don’t have any important files on this drive, click Erase USB Device.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • Confirm your decision to delete all files and wait until the files are copied to your USB drive.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool


    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

  • When it is over, you will see a message Backup completed, which means the bootable flash drive is ready to use.

    Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Method Three: Command Prompt

The third method is to create a bootable drive with the Command Prompt started by administrator. The advantage of this method is that you don’t have to download and use any additional software – for example, if you can’t access the Internet, and your device will work with both BIOS and UEFI.

For starters, launch the Command Prompt as Administrator.

Launch the Command Prompt as Administrator.

Then enter the command Diskpart and then List disk.

Diskpart / List disk

Check the list of all disks installed in the computer to find the flash drive (in my case, that is Disk 2) and enter the command select disk 2. Now all actions will affect this particular disk. At this stage, you have to be very careful, because all data will be deleted from the disk you have selected.

select disk 2

Then enter the command clean, which cleans the flash drive’s partition table. You can see a report saying that disk cleanup was successful.

clean

Now create a partition on this flash drive with the command create partition primary and enter select partition 1 (that is, select this partition).

select partition 1

Make it active with the command active and format the flash drive in NTFS format with the command format fs=ntfs quick, and wait until the formatting process is 100% complete.

format fs=ntfs quick

Assign a drive letter (for example, Х) using the command assign letter=X and finish the work of Diskpart with the command exit.

assign letter=X

Now close the Command Prompt and copy files from the image onto the flash drive as in the first method. When the copying process is over, your bootable flash drive is ready.

Method Four: Windows Media Creation Tool

The fourth method is to use the utility called Windows Media Creation Tool to create a bootable flash drive for Windows 8 or Windows 10.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

All you need is a properly working operating system, Windows 8 or 10, a 4 Gb flash drive, and this utility. I will use a computer with Windows 10.

To begin with, insert the flash drive into one of the computer’s ports and start the utility.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Accept the license agreement and select Create installation media….

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Use the specific settings you need or The recommended options for this PC.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Choose USB flash drive.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Click on the USB drive you need (in my case, that is Disk X) and click Next.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

It starts the process of creating a bootable drive. When it is over, your bootable flash drive is ready to use.

Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Of course, these are only a few ways you can use to create a bootable flash drive. However, they use official software tools only and you don’t need to register any other programs.

How to Recover Data After Reinstalling or Resetting Windows

If you reinstalled Windows and discovered that some important files are gone, don’t give way to despair. They can be recovered with specialized software tools, And you can learn more about it if you check another article in our blog or watch a video on our official YouTube channel.

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How to Recover Data After Resetting Windows 10, Resetting a Laptop to Factory Settings 📁🔥⚕️

How to Recover Data After Resetting Windows 10, Resetting a Laptop to Factory Settings 📁🔥⚕️


Go to view
How to Restore Data from a Windows Computer or Laptop That Can’t Boot 💻🛠️👨‍🏫

How to Restore Data from a Windows Computer or Laptop That Can’t Boot 💻🛠️👨‍🏫

Vladimir Artiukh

Author: , Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: , Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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Questions and answers

  • What capacity should a bootable USB flash drive have?

    Microsoft recommends using drives of at least 8 Gb. However, it is better to have a 16 Gb USB drive (or even opt for more space). Before you start the process of creating a bootable drive, format the device into FAT32.

  • Why do I need a bootable drive?

    Bootable drives can be used in a few ways:

    • To install an operating system (or restore it);
    • To run some diagnostics tests without actually booting its operating system (you can check its RAM or hard disk for errors);
    • To start special programs (which modify the structure of hard disk partitions, perform backup, move the OS from one hard disk to another etc).
  • Which is better, a bootable USB flash drive or a DVD?

    Advantages of a bootable USB flash drive:

    • Installing OS to a PC without having to use a DVD drive;
    • Physical dimensions (it’s several times smaller than a DVD);
    • Its capacity to store data is higher than that of a DVD;
    • Its contents can be modified.

    Advantages of a CD/DVD:

    • The read speed can be considerably higher than that of a USB drive;
    • Contents can’t be changed (so a virus won’t damage the files);
    • Of course, DVDs have certain disadvantages: all pros of USB flash drives are DVD’s cons.
  • The best tools for creating bootable USB flash drives.

    TOP tools to create a bootable USB flash drive:

    • WinToFlash;
    • Universal USB Installer;
    • XBoot;
    • Windows Bootable Image Creator;
    • Rufus;
    • Etcher;
    • Win32 Disk Imager.
  • What is a multiboot USB flash drive?

    A multiboot USB flash drive lets you boot a computer in various modes, and for different purposes. For example, such drive may contain:

    • Installation images for Windows 10, 8.1 and Windows 11;
    • Bootable antivirus images;
    • Live CD images with various utilities;
    • Installation images for various Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu or Mint.

Comments (14)

  • solutioninfotech
    solutioninfotech 23.02.2021 13:20 #
    That is very helpful. It presented me a number of ideas and I’ll be placing them on my blog eventually. I’m bookmarking your website and I’ll be back. Thank you again!
    Reply
  • Steve Grindrod
    Steve Grindrod 5.05.2020 22:19 #
    I’ve had to replace the hard drive on my Dell Inspiron 660 desktop computer. I created recovery files using Windows onto a USB drive and carried out a full system backup to a network drive before the hard drive finally died. I’m now trying to reload the system using the USB recovery drive but can’t get the computer to reboot off the USB. It keeps asking for a DVD. I’ve been into the boot system to make the USB the number 1 boot option and it does show it as such in the setup menu, the one accessed by pressing F12 during start up. I’ve tried it several times now but it refuses to use the USB. Can you suggest what is going wrong? Thanks in advance.
    Reply
    • Andrey Mareev
      Andrey Mareev 9.05.2020 14:37 #
      1) Try to use over USB drive 2) Update BIOS
      Reply
  • Mortimer Waddilove
    Mortimer Waddilove 29.08.2019 19:40 #
    How can you check if your bootable USB flash drive is created successfully and ready to use for Windows installation?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 29.08.2019 20:11 #
      1. Insert the USB flash drive into your computer and open the File Explorer.
      2. Check if you can see the bootable USB drive listed under the This PC section.
      3. Right-click on the USB drive and select Properties.
      4. Click on the General tab and check if the File System is set to NTFS.
      5. Go to the Tools tab and click on Check. This will check if the USB drive is ready to use for Windows installation.
      Reply
  • Daniel Upchurch
    Daniel Upchurch 29.08.2019 16:41 #
    What are the advantages of using Rufus software to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows installation?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 29.08.2019 17:11 #
      1. Easy to Use: Rufus is a straightforward and easy-to-use software that allows you to create a bootable USB flash drive in just a few clicks.
      2. Fast Formatting: Rufus offers a fast formatting process, which can save you time when creating a bootable USB flash drive.
      3. Compatibility: Rufus is compatible with most versions of Windows, including Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10.
      4. Supports Multiple File Systems: Rufus supports multiple file systems, including FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT, which makes it easier to install Windows on different types of hardware.
      5. Supports ISO Images: Rufus also supports ISO images, so you can create a bootable USB flash drive from an ISO file.
      6. Free: Rufus is free and open-source software, so you don't have to pay for it.
      Reply
  • Jake Blanton
    Jake Blanton 29.08.2019 13:36 #
    Can you create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows installation on a Mac computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 29.08.2019 14:05 #
      Yes, you can create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows installation on a Mac computer. You will need to use a third-party tool such as Apple's Boot Camp Assistant, or a tool such as UNetbootin or Rufus.
      Reply
  • Emo Findley
    Emo Findley 29.08.2019 11:17 #
    What are the steps to create a bootable USB flash drive using the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 29.08.2019 11:47 #
      1. Download the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool from Microsoft's website.
      2. Insert the USB drive into your computer.
      3. Open the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and click “Browse” to locate the Windows ISO file.
      4. Select the USB drive from the drop-down list and click “Begin Copying”.
      5. Wait for the process to complete and then safely eject the USB drive from your computer.
      6. Insert the USB drive into the computer you want to install Windows on and boot from it.
      Reply
  • Sebastian Delahaye
    Sebastian Delahaye 29.08.2019 09:34 #
    What is the difference between UEFI and Legacy BIOS boot modes, and which one should you use for your bootable USB flash drive?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 29.08.2019 09:51 #
      UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is the newer boot mode, designed to replace the legacy BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). UEFI provides more advanced options for booting and managing a computer system, including support for larger hard drives, faster boot times, and a more secure boot process. UEFI also supports a wider range of hardware and software. Legacy BIOS is the older boot mode, which is limited to using a 2.2TB hard drive size limit and a maximum of four partitions. It also has a slower boot time and less secure boot process. For bootable USB flash drives, you should use UEFI boot mode. This will provide the most advanced options for booting and managing your computer system.
      Reply
  • Hetman Software: Data Recovery
    Hetman Software: Data Recovery 27.08.2019 15:22 #
    If you still have any questions about creating a bootable flash drive and using it to install Windows 10, 8 or 7 - post a comment to get a personalized answer.
    Reply
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