02-05-2021

Windows 10 Install Usb Stick

What’s even better is that you can now use a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 product key to install Windows 10 on a machine too. So if you have a Windows 7 or 8.1 PC and you want to perform a clean install, you can now download the Windows 10 ISO image and use your current product key to activate Windows 10 after it is installed. How to write a USB stick with Windows. How to write a USB stick with Windows.

Usually, when you have to install a clean copy of Windows 10, you'll need a USB bootable media to start your device and continue with the setup wizard. However, if you're using a computer with a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), instead of the legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), you have to make sure that the media will work with your firmware type.

If you're using a newer firmware type, there are multiple methods that you can use to create a media to install Windows 10 from USB. Although it's not advertised, you can use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to download the installation files onto a removable drive with support for both, UEFI and legacy BIOS. Alternatively, you can also use Rufus, which is a third-party tool that makes it easy to create an installation boot media with support for UEFI.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to create a USB flash drive that includes UEFI support using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool and Rufus.

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Media Creation Tool

If you have a system using UEFI, you can use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB media to perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10.

To create a bootable media, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and then use these steps:

  1. Open Windows 10 download page.

  2. Under the 'Create Windows 10 installation media' section, click the Download tool now button to save the file on your device.

  3. Double-click the MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe file to launch the tool.
  4. Click the Accept button to agree to the Microsoft terms.

  5. Select the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC option.

  6. Click the Next button.
  7. Clear the Use the recommended options for this PC option (if applicable).

  8. Select the correct language, architecture, and edition of Windows 10.

    Quick tip: If you'll be installing Windows 10 on multiple devices running 32-bit or 64-bit architecture, then use the 'Architecture' drop-down menu and select the Both option.

  9. Click the Next button.

  10. Select the USB flash drive option.

  11. Click the Next button

  12. Select the removable drive from the list. (If you don't see the drive, click the Refresh drive list option.)

  13. Click the Next button.
  14. Click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will download the required files and create a bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 10 installation files with support for UEFI and BIOS.

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Rufus tool

If the Media Creation Tool isn't working, you can use Rufus to create an installation media with UEFI support using an existing ISO file. Or you can also use the tool to download the Windows 10 files and create the bootable flash media.

Creating boot media with Windows 10 ISO

To create a bootable media using a Windows 10 ISO file that you already have, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and use these steps:

  1. Open Rufus download page.

  2. Under the 'Download' section, click the latest release of the tool to save the file on your device.

  3. Double-click the Rufus-x.x.exe file to launch the tool.
  4. Under the 'Device' section, select the USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space.
  5. Under the 'Boot selection' section, click the Select button on the right.
  6. Select the Windows 10 ISO file from its folder location.
  7. Click the Open button.
  8. Use the 'Image option' drop-down menu to select the Standard Windows installation option.
  9. Use the 'Partition scheme' drop-down menu to select the GPT option.

  10. Use the 'Target system' drop-down menu to select the UEFI (non CSM) option.

  11. Under the 'Show Advanced drive properties' section, leave the default settings.
  12. Under the 'Volume label' field, enter a descriptive name for the drive — for example, 'win10_1903_usb.'
  13. Under the 'File system' and 'Cluster size' section, leave the default settings.
  14. Click the Show advanced format options button.
  15. Select the 'Quick format' and 'Create extended label and icon files' options.
  16. Click the Start button.
  17. Click the OK button to confirm.
  18. Click the Close button.

After you complete the steps, Rufus will create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 10 with the image that you provided.

Windows 10 Install Usb Stick

Creating boot media downloading Windows 10 ISO

If you don't have a Windows 10 ISO file, you can use Rufus to download the ISO from the Microsoft servers and create the bootable USB flash media. Connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space, and use these steps:

  1. Open Rufus download page.

  2. Under the 'Download' section, click the latest release of the tool to save the file on your device.

  3. Double-click the Rufus-x.x.exe file to launch the tool.
  4. Under the 'Device' section, select the USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space.

  5. Under the 'Boot selection' section, click the arrow button next to the 'Select' option on the right and choose the Download option.

  6. Click the Download button.
  7. Use the 'Version' drop-down menu and select Windows 10.
  8. Click the Continue button.
  9. Select the 19H1 (Build 18362.30 - 2019.05) option to download the Windows 10 May 2019 Update.
  10. Click the Continue button.
  11. Use the 'Edition' drop-down menu and select the Windows 10 Home/Pro option.
  12. Click the Continue button.
  13. Use the 'Language' drop-down menu and select your installation language.
  14. Click the Continue button.
  15. Use the 'Architecture' drop-down menu and select the 32-bit or 64-bit (recommended).

  16. Click the Download button.

  17. Select a folder location to temporarily download the ISO file from the Microsoft servers.

  18. Click the Save button.

  19. Use the 'Image option' drop-down menu to select the Standard Windows installation option.
  20. Use the 'Partition scheme' drop-down menu to select the GPT option.

  21. Use the 'Target system' drop-down menu to select the UEFI (non CSM) option.

  22. Under the 'Show Advanced drive properties' section, leave the default settings.
  23. Under the 'Volume label' field, enter a descriptive name for the drive — for example, 'win10_1903_usb.'
  24. Under the 'File system' and 'Cluster size' section, leave the default settings.
  25. Click the Show advanced format options button.
  26. Select the 'Quick format' and 'Create extended label and icon files' options.
  27. Click the Start button.
  28. Click the OK button to confirm.
  29. Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will run the script to download the Windows 10 ISO file from the Microsoft servers, and then, it'll use that file to create a bootable media, which you can then use to install Windows 10 on devices using UEFI.

Now that you have a USB bootable media with support for UEFI, you can start your computer to perform an in-place upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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After you upgrade your computer to Windows 10, if your Microsoft USB Drivers are not working, you can fix the problem by updating the drivers. It is possible that your USB driver is not compatible with the newer version of Windows.

Find Microsoft USB Device Drivers by Model Name or Number

How to Update Device Drivers

There are two ways to update drivers.

Make Windows 10 Install Usb Stick

Option 1 (Recommended): Update drivers automatically - Novice computer users can update drivers using trusted software in just a few mouse clicks. Automatic driver updates are fast, efficient and elimate all the guesswork. Your old drivers can even be backed up and restored in case any problems occur.

OR

Option 2: Update drivers manually - Find the correct driver for your USB and operating system, then install it by following the step by step instructions below. You’ll need some computer skills to use this method.

Option 1: Update drivers automatically

The Driver Update Utility for Microsoft devices is intelligent software which automatically recognizes your computer’s operating system and USB model and finds the most up-to-date drivers for it. There is no risk of installing the wrong driver. The Driver Update Utility downloads and installs your drivers quickly and easily.

You can scan for driver updates automatically with the FREE version of the Driver Update Utility for Microsoft, and complete all necessary driver updates using the premium version.

Tech Tip: The Driver Update Utility for Microsoft will back up your current drivers for you. If you encounter any problems while updating your drivers, you can use this feature to restore your previous drivers and configuration settings.

  1. Download the Driver Update Utility for Microsoft.

  2. Double-click on the program to run it. It will then scan your computer and identify any problem drivers. You will see a results page similar to the one below:

  3. Click the Update Driver button next to your driver. The correct version will be downloaded and installed automatically. Or, you can click the Update Drivers button at the bottom to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out-of-date on your system.

Option 2: Update drivers manually

To find the latest driver, including Windows 10 drivers, choose from our list of most popular Microsoft USB downloads or search our driver archive for the driver that fits your specific USB model and your PC’s operating system.

If you cannot find the right driver for your device, you can request the driver. We will find it for you. Or, try the automatic option instead.

Tech Tip: If you are having trouble finding the right driver update, use the Microsoft USB Driver Update Utility. It is software which finds, downloads and istalls the correct driver for you - automatically.

After downloading your driver update, you will need to install it. Driver updates come in a variety of file formats with different file extensions. For example, you may have downloaded an EXE, INF, ZIP, or SYS file. Each file type has a slighty different installation procedure to follow. Visit our Driver Support Page to watch helpful step-by-step videos on how to install drivers based on their file extension.

How to Install Drivers

After you have found the right driver, follow these simple instructions to install it.

Windows 10 Install Usb Stick

  1. Power off your device.
  2. Disconnect the device from your computer.
  3. Reconnect the device and power it on.
  4. Double click the driver download to extract it.
  5. If a language option is given, select your language.
  6. Follow the directions on the installation program screen.
  7. Reboot your computer.