How to Boot Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 from SD Card?

Scenario

Can you boot an OS from SD card?

I want to boot my familiar OS from another computer. I know it can boot from a USB flash drive, but is it possible to boot an OS from SD card?

- Question from Techspot.com

In order to run their own familiar system or other purposes, many users will create a bootable USB drive, but what about the SD card? Can we create a bootable SD card and boot from it?

Choose a Windows media creation tool

Yes, you can boot your system from an SD card. Like booting from USB drive, you can turn to a powerful Windows media creation tool named AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Its “Windows To Go Creator” feature can help you to install Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 on an SD card, as well as USB flash drive. So you can run a system you installed on any other PC. And it owns several highlights to meet your different demands.

● Better compatibility: AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to create a bootable SD card from all versions of Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7 and other Windows OS.
● Less limitation: Other traditional tools only support a few certified USB, while AOMEI Partition Assistant create a bootable SD card without brand limit as long as it has enough space to contain the system.
● Comprehensive features: This tool abounds with features for your PC. For example, it helps yout to make a WinPE bootable USB if your PC can't boot up one day. You can enter a fixing program to repair the boot issue or perform other tasks, like format and wipe a disk with this Windows PE USB.

Now you can download the demo version beforehand to see how it works.

Two steps to boot Windows from SD card

Next, connect sd to a PC via an adapter and we demonstrate to you how to create a bootable SD card and boot from the SD card.

Content:

• Create a bootable SD card with ISO file

• Create a bootable SD card with the current OS

• Boot system from SD card

Step 1. Create a bootable SD card

✍Before starting, you should know:

• If your system is Windows Server, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Server Edition.

• you can use the Windows ISO file to make you SD card bootable. If you don't have it, AOMEI Partition Assistant can also create bootable SD with the current OS.

• Because the SD card needs to be formatted, please backup the SD card before the operation.

● Create a bootable SD card with ISO file

1. Install and open AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Click “Tools” in the top toolbar, and choose “Windows To Go Creator”.

2. Choose “Create Windows To Go with system disc/ISO”, and click “Next”.

3. And select the SD card and click “Browse” to choose the ISO file.

4. Then click "Proceed", and it will note you that the program will delete all data on this SD card. Make sure you have had a backup, and click "Yes".

● Create a bootable SD card with the current system

1. The first step is the same with creating a bootable SD card with installation ISO file, you click “All Tools” > “Windows To Go Creator”.

2. And choose “Create Windows To Go with the current system” and click “Next”.

3. Then the current OS information will be demonstration on a pop-up window. And click “Next”.

4. Then select SD card, and click “Proceed”, and the program will note you the Windows will be restart and all data on the SD card will be wiped, read it and click “Yes”.

✍ Tip: you can choose the type of created system and startup mode by click “Advanced”.

When the process is over, you can plug this bootable SD card to another computer, if you have a USB flash drive, you can also create a bootable USB drive with the same steps.

Step 2. Boot OS from SD card

BIOS is the program that makes the computer system started after you turn it on. So you have to enter it to “tell” BIOS you want to boot the system from SD card, and your computer can boot from SD card. Let’s see how to do it.

Step 1. Plug the SD card into another computer, power on the computer, once you see the first screen, press functional key (F2, F3, F4, F5, ESC), and enter BIOS.

Step 2. In the BIOS menu, choose “Enter setup”

Step 3. Choose “Change boot order” in the “setup” utility

Step 4. To give the SD card a boot priority, you need to move it to the top of the boot sequence list.

Step 5. Press “Enter” or follow the instruction on the right side of window to save the operation.

Step 6. Restart the computer, and it can boot from SD card successfully.

Conclusion

This is how to make your OS boot from SD card. AOMEI Partition Assistant provides easier and more flexible solutions than Microsoft Windows To Go. The same methods are also applicable to boot OS from SD card in HP, Lenovo, Acer, and other computers. More importantly, you don’t need to buy other Windows versions and prepare installation ISO files.

Besides, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional provides many other features like high-level formatting hard drive, allocating free space between different partitions, changing SD card serial number.