Bootable Windows 8.1 Usb Flash Drive

0 views

Skip to first unread message

Favio Cassidy

unread,

Aug 3, 2024, 5:12:52 PM8/3/24

to styltaimaros

You can create a bootable USB flash drive to use to deploy Windows Server Essentials. The first step is to prepare the USB flash drive by using DiskPart, which is a command-line utility. For information about DiskPart, see DiskPart Command-Line Options.

In the new command line window that opens, to determine the USB flash drive number or drive letter, at the command prompt, type list disk, and then click ENTER. The list disk command displays all the disks on the computer. Note the drive number or drive letter of the USB flash drive.

If your server platform supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), you should format the USB flash drive as FAT32 rather than as NTFS. To format the partition as FAT32, type format fs=fat32 quick, and then click ENTER.

This topic covers how to manually create a Windows installation flash drive from Windows installation ISO disc image file or DVD, and is intended for manufacturers looking into creating media that they can use to manufacture Windows devices.

The steps described on this page assume you have Windows installation media and access to a Windows technician PC. If you're looking for an easy, automated way to create a bootable Windows installation flash drive, see:

For those curious, it's possible to use a Mac to create a Windows 10 boot drive, but the process is fairly involved and requires familiarity with Terminal, the Mac's command-line tool. It's not a process that I'd recommend for the average user. I recently built my first gaming PC, and despite my mild comfort level with Terminal, I still found using a Windows computer to be a safer and easier process.

2. Once the download finishes, double-click the file called MediaCreationToolxxxx to run it. (The last four digits of the file name indicate the version number of Windows 10. Right now, the filename is MediaCreationTool21H1, but that will change as newer versions are released.) The file should be in your Downloads folder.

4. You'll be asked to select the language, edition and architecture you want to use. By default, the tool will use the best options for the PC you're creating the boot drive on. You can change any of the options by unchecking the box next to Use the recommended options for this PC and using the drop-down options. If you're unsure about whether you need a 64-bit or a 32-bit architecture, select Both from the Architecture drop-down.

Note, that according to Microsoft's support page, if you plan on using this tool to flash a different edition of Windows 10, such as Windows 10 Pro (or vice versa) on a different PC, it will be included when you select Windows 10 as the Edition. In fact, basic Windows 10 is the only option, so don't stress yourself looking for a Pro option.

6. Finally, select the USB drive from the list. If you have more than one drive connected to your computer and are unsure which one to pick, disconnect the extra drives. Picking the wrong drive could be catastrophic, as this process erases everything on the drive during the process. With the right drive selected, click Next.

Microsoft's tool will take care of the rest from there. Go get a drink, take a walk or browse the internet while the tool does its job. The process should take about 30 minutes, give or take, depending on your internet speed.

When the tool is done, click Finish and remove the USB drive from your computer. Going forward, if you need to install or reinstall Windows, you can connect the drive to your computer and reboot it. Your PC should boot to the drive, giving you the option to install Windows.

If it doesn't automatically boot to the drive, you'll need to reboot your computer into its BIOS firmware -- usually done by pressing Esc, F2, or a similar key while the computer is starting up -- and change the boot drive or "bootmenu" to your flash drive. The process for each computer (or motherboard if you're building a gaming PC) will be different. When you first turn on your computer, there'll be a small line of text telling you which button to press to enter BIOS. If you don't see it, or it goes away too fast, I suggest consulting your manual for instructions.

You can also use the media tool to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, following these instructions. After getting Windows 10 installed, here are some tips to help get you started. If reinstalling Windows 10 feels like too much, use these tips to troubleshoot and speed it up.

So my PC crashed a couple days ago and I need to run a clean install of windows 10 from a bootable USB. The only other computer I have to work with is a Chrome OS, and I can't seem to find clear instructions on how to create a bootable USB from Chrome OS. Most of my search results are pulling up how to create a bootable USB to use within the Chromebook itself, whereas I want it to be used on a PC. Any ideas on how to do this?

Download the ISO file for Windows 10 from the Microsoft website here. Add the Chrome extension "Chromebook Recovery Utility." (Click here) Rename the downloaded file from filename.iso to filename.bin(The file name is usually called "Win10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso"). Launch Chromebook Recovery Utility and click the settings button in the top right corner, select "Use local image". Select the filename.bin that you downloaded and renamed. Insert and select the USB drive you are putting the iso on, wait for it to load, your done!

If your PC has the capacity to connect two USB devices, and you dohave two large-enough USB disks, then use one disk for booting anoperating system that can create on the other diskthe required Windows installation from the ISO.

I can't boot from USB even though the BIOS is set to boot from USB first. Windows Boot manager somehow seems to be taking precedence. I have Windows 7, Linux Mint and Ubuntu installed on my hard-drive. When I boot-up those are the only options, despite having a USB stick plugged in then going into the BIOS and setting the UEFI USB stick as the primary boot device.

The USB device is fine as I can see it in Windows/Linux and can read the files. I made it bootable (in theory) by using linuxlive and/or pendrive with no success (though I've had success with both in the past).

You need to enable booting from non-EFI devices. This option can be found in most BIOSs called the Compatibility Support Module or CSM. This option is sometimes hidden until you disable Secure Boot. I've also seen it hidden until Fast Boot is disabled. Once you enable the CSM module and set it to boot EFI + Legacy boot devices you shouldn't have any trouble booting your USB device.

Your USB must have UEFI boot enabled. To do so, burn your ISO image to stick using Rufus (download here: . Select 'Rufus V1.3.4'and download it. Open the tool and under partitioning Options select 'GPT Partition Scheme for UEFI computer'. Select your ISO from the small CD Drive Icon under format options. Click start. When finished reboot your computer and select the UEFI USB options from the manufacturer's boot options.

I came across this post since I had a similar problem. i.e. my boot sequence in the BIOS was set to: Removable device, CD and HDD. I had my Windows 7 installation on a bootable USB sticked in, (no CD), but still it would boot in the OS from the hard disk drive.

The 16 GB USB stick I was using was not considered as a removable device. In the BIOS settings, I found that the problem was in the hard drive setting sections, so I changed the HDD setting from SATA to Sandisk. The BIOS setting was still Removable, CD and HDD, and this time it booted from the USB.

When you can't find the Compatibility Support Module (CSM), the legacy, and if Rufus seems too complicated and none of the other options in the answers listed here suites you, try a reset of your BIOS to "Optimized Defaults".

As soon as I reset the BIOS, it could identify my USB in a whole different way. Already as the first boot option and even the brand of the USB was there. So I pressed F10 and Enter to save and when rebooting it worked as predicted this time.

I just had that problem and my solution was different. Nothing was working and it's not like i am a novice to this. After a lot of tries with a 2022 win10 build, which was working on other similar PCs, i just installed a 2019 version via rufus, for a sanity check, and voila it worked no problem.

Some BIOSes only re-enumerate USB drive 'types' on a cold boot. This means that if you change the partition\format structure of the USB drive, on some systems you must power them off and on again. If the system always stays on and you use crtl-alt-del or restart to begin a USB boot session, the BIOS may not 'notice' that you have changed the 'type' of partition.For instance, Windows will format a raw, unformatted USB flash drive as a floppy drive (no MBR). This won't MBR-boot correctly. If you use a new partition/format tool to change the partitions to a HDD MBR type of drive, the BIOS will still treat the USB drive as a USB:FDD drive and not a USB:HDD drive unless you reset the CPU or power-off and in again.This type of BIOS is rarely found these days, but it is worth remembering this 'gotcha'!

In you bios menu, when you pick the boot priority, you have the option to chose between USB, HDD and FDD drives. However, additionally, you can select the HDD to boot from in a separate menu on the boot menu page. Go into that menu, and check if your USB stick is listed next to the HDD drives in your system.

I encountered a similar problem where the F12 boot selection menu would not display the USB boot option. @SSi's solution worked for me. I powered down the PC, removed the USB drive, reinserted it and powered back on. That worked, and the USB drive showed up in the F12 boot menu. I was able to successfully install the OS.

Plug in the USB before entering the BIOS menu, and check whether the USB is listed under "Hard Drives" instead of "Removable Devices" (the exact wording may be slightly different). If it is listed with the hard-drives, move the USB to the top of the list of hard-drives. Then, in the "boot priority" menu, select "Hard Drive" and not "Removable Drive".