How to Run Windows OS on a USB Drive?

Why do you need to put Windows OS on USB Drive?

In most cases, when the Windows operating system is in trouble and your computer starts to work slowly or stops working normally. Your first response is to search for solutions online. If you're lucky, you can find a solution effectively. Otherwise, the last way is to install the OS from a DVD or CD. What am I going to do if your computer doesn't have an optical drive or can't install a DVD? In this case, launching the USB installer is a good option, which will allow you to install Windows from a USB drive. It has a USB memory bar.

It is easy to portable and compatible with almost all desktop or laptop computers after every computer has an USB port. In addition, the installation of the operating system from USB drive is even faster than installing from DVD or CD, so increasing users want to build a USB install that can be run to prepare in case of need.

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.

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.

Summary

Creating a bootable USB drive with a Windows operating system is a practical solution for troubleshooting and installing Windows on computers without optical drives. It offers portability, compatibility with most devices, and faster installation compared to DVDs or CDs. Tools like MediaCreationTool and AOMEI Partition Assistant simplify the process, ensuring you have a reliable way to install or run Windows from a USB drive whenever needed.

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.