Installing Windows on an External Hard Drive Made Easy

Now with tools like the AOMEI Partition Assistant, installing Windows on an external hard drive is easier than ever. The AOMEI Partition Assistant has several ways to create a start-up USB drive. Each method has a different purpose. In this manual, we'll give you simple steps to build your Windows 11 with the AomeI Partitions Assistant. To turn on the USB, the following are the descriptions and how to use each type:

How to put Windows OS on USB drive?

Considering that most users tend to use MediaCreationTool, so here we also illustrate how to use this tool to create bootable USB in Windows 10.

Step 1. Download MediaCreationTool and run it as an administrator.

Step 2. Select ”Accept” in the license terms screen.

Step 3. Select “Create installation media for another PC”, and then select Next.

Step 4. Choose the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10.

Step 5. Choose ”USB flash drive” and click “Next”.

Step 6. Choose your prepared USB drive from the list, then ”Next”.

Step 7. Once done, the tool will start to download the latest Windows 10 installation files to your device.

When it is over, this data is written to your flash drive and the USB is made bootable with the newest Windows 10 setup.

Create bootable USB to run Windows from flash drive anywhere

That was all there is to it on how to make a bootable USB stick to load OS. You can run Windows 10 straight from a bootable USB drive if you do that to run Windows 10 on a computer that has an older operating system. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a free partition tool that you can use for this. It works with all versions of Windows 10, 8, and 7. It lets you use ISO files to make a Windows working USB drive. Here are the full instructions:

Step 1. Download the freeware, install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Step 2. Click “Tools” > “Windows To Go Creator” on the main interface.

Step 3. Tick “Create Windows ToGo for personal computer”, and then click “Next”.

Step 4. Choose “Create Windows To Go with system disc/ISO” and select the prepared ISO file. Click “Next”.

Step 5. Select the USB drive you have prepared and click “Proceed”.

After it is done, you can insert the bootable USB to the target computer, change boot order in BIOS and boot PC from it.

If you want to create bootable USB drive with current operating system installed on your computer, you can upgrade to Professional. That also enables you to run Windows from USB on Mac.

Conclusion

A useful way to fix problems and run Windows on computers without optical drives is to make a bootable USB drive with the operating system on it. It's easy to carry around, works with most devices, and can be installed faster than DVDs or CDs. The process is made easier by tools like MediaCreationTool and AOMEI Partition Assistant. These tools make sure you always have a safe way to install or run Windows from a USB drive.

FAQs

1. Why would I need to put the Windows OS on a USB drive? Installing the Windows OS on a USB drive is useful for troubleshooting, faster installations, and providing a portable solution for devices without optical drives.

2. What are the advantages of using a USB drive over a DVD or CD for OS installation? A USB drive offers faster installation speeds, greater portability, and compatibility with modern computers that may lack optical drives.

3. How can I create a bootable USB drive using MediaCreationTool? Download and run MediaCreationTool as an administrator, accept the license terms, select "Create installation media for another PC," choose the desired Windows version and architecture, select "USB flash drive," and follow the prompts to complete the process.

4. What is AOMEI Partition Assistant, and how does it help with creating a bootable USB drive? AOMEI Partition Assistant is a free partition management tool that can create a bootable USB drive using an ISO file. It supports all versions of Windows 10, 8, and 7, and offers an easy-to-follow process for setting up a portable Windows installation.

5. Can I use the bootable USB drive on any computer? Yes, as long as the computer meets the hardware requirements and supports booting from a USB drive, you can use the bootable USB drive to install or run Windows on it.