Have you ever had to install Windows from a USB? Do you know what steps you must take to get it right? Believe it or not, it's no more difficult than doing it from a cd.
If you ever have to do it, then we are going to help you do it and make it as easy as possible for you to do it without fear that something will happen. Shall we start?
Create an installation USB
Unless you already have it, the first step you should take is to create your own Windows installation USB, that is, something similar to the CD to install it, only that we change the CD format to USB.
And how is that done? You are going to need a tool that Windows gives you on its official page. You just have to hit the blue button "Download the tool now" and You will have a program that will be the one you have to run to get the installation USB. Of course, as you remember in the photo, it is necessary to have a license to install Windows, otherwise it will not let you.
Once you have downloaded the file, you must open it. You will get a box letting you know that preparations are being made and then, before proceeding, it will give you the applicable License Terms and notices. You have to accept them in order to continue; otherwise the program will be closed.
The next screen is the important one, because here you will have two options: update the equipment or “create installation media”. That is where you should click since what we want is to install Windows from a USB.
From that moment on, the screens that will appear will configure the entire media file. In it you will choose the language, edition, architecture. And then it will tell you what you want to do, whether to get an ISO file (for a CD or DVD), or a USB flash drive (which is the pendrive). Of course, as we have been told, You must have at least 8 GB of free space, so make sure that your flash drive has more than that capacity (the 8 GB ones never have exactly 8).
Select the USB drive (that means you must have it inserted in the computer) and click next. The tool itself will begin to download the Windows program and will take care of putting it on the USB. This can take several hours, so be patient.
How to install Windows from USB
You already have the USB with the program. And now you need to install it. But, as you know, when you start the computer, by default it is that the cd and dvd drive is read first, and then the hard drive. That implies that the USB is not read at first, which is just what we would like.
Fortunately, changing that is easy, although getting to the screen we want is not so easy. You see, when you boot up your computer, you need to press an exact key (which you can change on every computer). The key that we tell you allows us to choose which units have to boot first. That is, instead of first reading if there is something in the cd or dvd drive and then on the hard drive; to do it via USB. Once you get it, it will reboot itself and then, when reading the USB, the Windows installation screen will appear.
In this case, the steps are the same as with any other installation of this operating system. That is, it will ask you to choose the system language, the keyboard language and click Install.
Before you get down to it, Windows will ask you to license the program. You can not put it (and it will ask you for it later) but whether you want it or not you must have one for it to work.
Next, it will ask you for the version of Windows to install. Obviously it must be the same one you have for your license. Accept the applicable license terms and notices and the last screen will be to choose the type of installation. In this case it will give you the standard or advanced installation (from scratch).
All that remains is for you to give your computer time. And it is that the installation can take between one and two hours to complete. And it will require, especially at the end, that you be a little aware of the screens that are going to appear.
Common problems when installing
When installed with a USB (as you can with a DVD), you are not without problems. The most common are the following:
- Internet loss. The USB, like the DVD and the installation on the computer, needs an Internet connection and being cut off in the middle of the process is not the best. Fortunately if that happens and it doesn't come back quickly, Windows would reverse the process.
- USB problems. Specifically, that the port and the USB do not fit well or that it gives you a notice that it has been disconnected. This can happen with older USBs, so try installing it on a new USB and make sure you don't move the computer from where it is so this failure does not occur. There may also be problems reading USB (because it was not recorded well).
What to do next with the USB?
Once you have installed Windows, the USB with the program is usually no longer needed, although our recommendation is that you keep it in case there is a failure in the installation and you have to reinstall (or repair).
In fact, it would be the same except that, when the Windows screen shows you to install, at the bottom you can see that it also gives you the option to repair the operating system. To do this, it carries out a scan through the USB to see if there are deleted, corrupt or bad files and changes them with new ones.
In general this should not affect the files you have on your computer; that is to say, it will not rewrite any of your files, only those of the installation and of the Windows program, but your documents should leave them intact.
Still, if you don't trust it, you can always make a backup copy (if it lets you) for peace of mind.
Is it clearer to you now how to install Windows from a USB?