Windows 10 is installed from a USB stick by default these days. But how do you get the installation files on it? We’ll show you.
Rufus as an alternative
- Create a Windows 10 USB stick with Rufus
A completely new installation of Windows 10 is best done with a bootable USB stick. Many computers no longer have a CD or DVD drive anyway. To install Windows 10 from a USB stick, you need an ISO file with Windows 10 and a tool that can be used to create a bootable USB stick. Fortunately, Microsoft provides a free tool for both with the Media Creation Tool.
This allows you to download the installation files from the Internet and then turn a USB stick into a bootable installation medium. If you already have an ISO file for the Windows installation, you can also use the freeware Rufus to create a bootable USB stick. We’ll show you both variants.
Before you can create the Windows 10 USB stick, you need to make sure that you have the following: A computer with enough storage space – it should be at least ten gigabytes (GB). An empty USB memory stick with at least eight GB of storage space. All files on the stick will be deleted during the copying process. You can then use the following steps to create a bootable USB stick for installing Windows.
- 1
First you have to accept Microsoft’s license terms.
- 2
The media creation tool will then ask you whether you want to upgrade the existing system or an installation medium. Here you have to choose the second option.
- 3
In the next window you can select the language, edition and architecture. In most cases 64-bit (x64) should be suitable here. If you are unsure, you can also choose both.
- 4
Then select USB memory stick as medium. For this to work, you must have a USB stick with at least 8 GB of space already inserted.
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In the next window you have to confirm this again. This is for security. If you see several USB sticks here, make sure you choose the right one, because all data will be deleted later.
- 6
The media creation tool then downloads a current version of Windows 10 from the Internet and writes the data to the USB stick.
- 7
If the message “The USB memory stick is ready” appears, you can remove it and use it to install on any computer.
Rufus as an alternative
If you already have an ISO file with the installation data for Windows 10, you can also use the freeware Rufus.
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