Ultimate Step-by-Step Tutorial for Making Bootable Windows 10 USB Installation Media

Key Notes

• You can create a bootable USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool.
• Rufus is a user-friendly alternative for creating bootable USB drives.
• Ventoy allows for quick deployment of multiple ISO files from a single USB.

Creating a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10: A Step-by-Step Guide

For anyone looking to upgrade or reinstall Windows 10, creating a bootable USB drive is a practical first step. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or an IT professional, this guide provides comprehensive methods to create your installation media using various tools.

How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 using Media Creation Tool

Follow these detailed steps to create your Windows 10 bootable USB:

1. Visit the Microsoft website to access the Media Creation Tool.

2. Find the “Create Windows 10 installation media” section and click the “Download Now” button.

3. Run the MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe file once it has been downloaded.

4. Accept the license terms by clicking the Accept button.

5. Choose the option for “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC”.

6. Click Next to proceed.

7. Select language, architecture, and edition according to your needs. If you’re creating for a different device, be sure to uncheck the “ Use the recommended options for this PC ” box.

8. Choose the “USB flash drive” option for installation media type.

9. Click on the flash drive’s name when prompted to select it, and ensure any important data on it is backed up, as this process will erase it.

10. Click Next to confirm.

11. Finish the process by clicking on Finish.

Upon completion, you can utilize the USB drive on any compatible computer to proceed with the Windows 10 installation process.

How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 using Rufus

Rufus is an intuitive tool for creating a bootable USB drive that supports both UEFI and BIOS. Follow these steps:

1. Access the Rufus website to download the latest version.

2. Launch Rufus by double-clicking the downloaded file.

3. Select the USB drive from the Device dropdown list.

4. In the Boot selection section, choose Disk or ISO image.

5. Next, click the down arrow and choose the Download option to get the Windows 10 ISO directly.

6. Choose the Windows 10 option and specify the version to download.

7. Select your desired version and then click Continue.

8. Set your language and edition settings, then click Download to fetch the ISO.

9. With the ISO downloaded, click Start to begin creating the bootable USB drive.

10. Confirm that you want to overwrite existing data by clicking OK when prompted.

Your bootable USB drive is now ready for installing Windows 10 on any compatible machine.

How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 from ISO

This method allows you to create a bootable USB from an existing ISO file:

1. Visit Rufus’ website to download the tool.

2. Launch Rufus after downloading the executable.

3. Select the USB drive by using the Device menu.

4. In the Boot selection section, select Disk or ISO image.

5. Click the Select option to locate your Windows 10 ISO file.

6. Proceed with the default settings and confirm the drive name under Volume label if necessary.

7. Click Start to initiate the creation of the bootable USB drive.

After following these instructions, you will have a USB flash drive ready for installing Windows 10 using the ISO provided.

How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 using Ventoy

Ventoy is a unique tool that simplifies the process of creating bootable USB drives with multiple ISO files. Here’s how to use it:

1. Download the latest ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip file from the Ventoy GitHub page.

2. Unzip the files and double-click on Ventoy2Disk.exe

3. Select your USB drive under the Device option and click Install.

4. Confirm the action by clicking OK.

5. Copy the Windows 10 ISO file to the USB flash drive to make it bootable.

Your Ventoy USB is now set up for booting multiple ISO files, including Windows 10.

How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 by Copying Files to USB

This method utilizes Command Prompt to manually prepare your USB drive for booting:

1. Open Start and search for Command Prompt, then select Run as Administrator.

2. Type diskpart and press Enter to launch the DiskPart utility.

3. Execute list disk to identify your USB drive.

4. Type clean to erase all data on the selected drive.

5. Run create partition primary to make a new partition.

6. Select the new partition using select partition 1.

7. Make the partition active with active.

8. Assign a drive letter by using assign letter=X.

9. Exit DiskPart by typing exit.

10. Mount the ISO image with PowerShell using the command: PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "C:\path\to\Windows10.iso".

11. Relaunch DiskPart and identify the mounted drive letter using list volume.

12. Exit again with exit command.

13. Navigate to the mounted ISO drive by typing its letter.

14. Move into the boot directory using cd boot.

15. Run bootsect /nt60 X: to update the boot code on the USB drive.

16. Type xcopy E:\*.* X:\ /E /F /H to copy all necessary files to the USB drive.

With these steps completed, you have created a bootable USB flash drive capable of installing Windows 10.

Additional Tips

• Always verify the integrity of your USB drive after creating the bootable media.
• For better performance, use a USB 3.0 drive if your computer supports it.
• Make sure to back up any important data before formatting the USB drive.

Summary

This guide detailed various methods to create a bootable USB drive for Windows 10, including tools like the Media Creation Tool, Rufus, Ventoy, and even Command Prompt. By following these instructions, you can easily install or upgrade Windows 10 on any compatible device.

Conclusion

Whether you choose the Media Creation Tool for its convenience or Rufus for its versatile options, creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 10 has never been easier. Take the next step in your upgrade process today!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)