Booting Windows 10 off a USB

USB for many users is the easiest option to boot Windows. For one, a USB is mobile and cheap; to reinstall Windows, you only need a 8 GB USB. Secondly, the USB installs a Windows system quickly; it can be made to boot faster than an optical drive, and can install the operating system quicker than other methods.

Before you begin, you must format the USB drive. Insert the USB into your machine. If your USB already has files on it, move them off! To reformat the USB, we will have to clear off any existing files.

Once the USB is inserted, find the USB, and right click on it. Select “Format”, and convert the USB to “FAT” or “FAT32” format. This will allow you to house a file as large as an operating system.

Now, you are ready to install Windows. Follow these easy steps:

1. Download the Windows Media Creation Tool. It can be found here.
   
2. Open the tool, and save it on your computer.
3. Launch the tool.
4. Choose “create installation media.”
5. A prompt will come up, asking you to select your language, edition, and architecture. If you’re unsure, select the checkbox “use the recommended options for this PC.”
6. When choosing what media to use, select “USB flash drive.”
7. After a few moments, your USB drive will be bootable and capable of installing Windows 10.

If that method is too cumbersome, or you’re having any other issue, there is another way! You can use Rufus, which makes creating bootable USB drives even easier. Rufus can be downloaded here.

Note: You will need a copy of Windows 10 iso image which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website.

Once you have Rufus installed, open it, and select the USB you want to turn into bootable media. Select the “GPT partition scheme for UEFI.” You can leave the rest of the settings as default. At the bottom of the window, select the checkbox at the stating “Create a bootable disk” and choose “ISO Image” from the drop down. Name the drive, and click “Start.”

Both systems are effective, allowing you to boot Windows 10 off a standard USB drive!

Any questions, difficulties ?  Feel free to drop a comment