With the development of digital data transfer and copying technologies, more PCs and laptops are produced without optical drives. When it comes time to reinstall or update Windows, there may be a problem in the form of finding the system and loading it onto portable media.
For a long time, Microsoft did not sell Windows installation media in the form of bootable USB drives. Instead, DVDs were always on sale, although many laptops today are thin enough to have a drive. Therefore, the user is increasingly faced with the question of how to create an image on a USB flash drive. Initially, the process was quite complicated. Now, thanks to modern software, you can record the system in just 20-30 minutes.
Advantages of installing the system via a flash card
Even if the target PC or laptop has an optical drive, there are several reasons to consider creating the USB installer for the first time.
A USB drive is more reliable than a disk drive. Disks can be easily scratched, nothing will happen to the flash card, even if it falls. In addition, the size of the USB stick is much smaller than that of a DVD.
Performance and reliability are key reasons that make it possible to use USB-based installers instead of drives. Even if the DVD was recorded at the highest speed, it will not be able to compete with flash memory, which provides significantly improved IOPS performance (operations per second). This is the same reason that SSDs load OS and applications much faster than a mechanical hard drive.
Selection of programs for recording an image
If you consider the question of how to create an image on a USB flash drive, it is necessary to take into account various nuances. The main one will be the bit depth and OS version. This is an important point on which to pay attention before creating an image. Five different applications that can record USB-based Windows Installer can be considered.
You can integrate the image onto the media starting with version XP. Below we will describe examples and procedures for successfully launching a flash drive from the OS. However, there are many nuances that can interfere with installation. They will also be discussed in the article below.
Vista, like Windows 7, 8, and 10, can also be installed from a USB drive using the methods described below. If you are interested in the question of how to create a disk image on a USB flash drive of older versions of the system, it should be understood that even with a successful installation of Windows 2000 it is unlikely to start, since the hardware components in the PC were released much later.
Rufus
Most users prefer this program because the download process even of a large image is fast. How to create an image on a flash drive using this software is an interesting question. But there is nothing complicated about it.
Through rufus loaded up, you need to select the appropriate device that you need to turn into a boot disk, and also make sure that the file system is: NTFS (not FAT32). Other parameters are not used, although if you plan to install Windows 8 as the official EFI OS, you can familiarize yourself with the parameters in the "Partition Scheme and System Type" menu. For Windows XP, only the MBR partition should be selected.
To download an ISO image, you need to click on the small icon of the CD to the right of the option "Create a boot disk with." After selecting the desired file in the file manager and accepting it, click on the "Start" button. After that, the program will automatically start writing data to the USB flash drive. More details about the process can be found in the video.
UNetbootin
UNetbootin is a well-known tool, as it was used in Linux live flash. Few people know, but the program can also record images of Windows-systems.
In order to create an image of an iso flash drive, you need to perform several actions. As with Rufus, the appropriate drive must be selected from the Drive: menu. In the new window, click the "..." button to the right of the large text field to search for and accept the required ISO. At this point, you can click OK and the process will begin.
Unlike Rufus, UNetbootin does not erase the flash drive, so the data remains intact. However, if new images were repeatedly written to the disk using the tool, it is recommended to format the USB so that the data that is present cannot interfere with the OS installation.
Microsoft diskpart
To create a Windows image on a USB flash drive, you will need to use the command line, but this is not too difficult. The method deletes all data on the drive, so it is better to backup personal information before recording the image.
To use diskpart correctly, you will need to open a section with a command line (“Start”, enter cmd in the search line, right-click and click on “Open as administrator”). After the window starts, enter the diskpart command to load the tool, and then open the “Disk List” to mark the flash drive. External storage should appear at the end of the list. After the corresponding disk is determined, it can be selected using the select disk # command.
At this point, the Windows installation DVD must be inserted in the drive, and its files will be copied to the root folder of the flash drive. After the process of starting the flash drive is completed, the contents of the Windows DVD / ISO should be reflected in the file manager. The question of how to create an image of a bootable USB flash drive in case of an error is resolved using full media formatting. It is because of it that recording errors may occur.
Microsoft Windows 7 USB / DVD Tool
Users are often interested in how to create an image on a USB flash drive if there is no suitable software. Following the release of Windows 7, Microsoft released its own USB creation tool that supported its official ISOs. Although the company no longer promotes the tool, it supports at least versions 7 and 8 just fine.
Having launched the software, you must select the ISO image. Next, open the USB device section. All active drives will be displayed in it. On the last screen, you need to select the appropriate drive from the menu and click on the inscription “Start copying”, the whole process will be completed in a couple of minutes. Using this method to create an iso disk image on a USB flash drive is much faster and easier. But there are limitations on system versions.
Media creation tool
If you plan to install Windows 10 on a new system, use it to restore an existing OS, or upgrade a previous installation of Windows 7 or 8, selecting an image and transferring it to a portable drive is the first step. Windows 10 was the first Microsoft OS, which not only initially supports USB installation, but also offers to make an image on a flash drive at startup.
The recording process of Windows 10 is not much different from Windows 7 and 8 / 8.1, but it is simplified by the fact that you do not even need a disk image, since it can be downloaded directly from Microsoft, complete with all the latest service packs. It is possible to create a bootable USB flash drive from a Windows image, having only an Internet connection.
After the recording tool has been loaded, it must be started. Depending on where you should install Windows 10, you need to check which version and bit depth is required. After choosing the necessary installation options and marking the drive on which the image will be written, click the "Start" button. After that, the OS will be transferred to the flash card within 20-25 minutes.
Notes for Windows XP
If you want to use Windows XP on a USB drive, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, it is recommended to record via Rufus (32-bit) for installation on XP, as its functionality is much better. If installation through Rufus fails, change the partition mode from MBR to BIOS.
As you know, the 32-bit ISO-image of XP is the only compatible version that can be put on a bootable flash drive. One of the key points, however, is that you cannot use the USB 3.0 port during installation, even with EHCI enabled.
Common problems
There may be a problem installing or booting the system from a flash card. The reason for this can be both software and hardware malfunctions. It is highly recommended that you do not stop or interrupt the process when recording an image to a card. It is advisable that in addition to installing files on a PC during this period of time, no more active windows and programs are launched.
No boot device detected
The most common reason for this is because the system is not configured to detect or boot from USB devices. You will need to go into BIOS / EFI and check if a USB drive is detected at all. If so, you should make sure that it is accessible from the boot menu. If this is not the case, then some security settings in the system can be enabled, which prevents booting from USB devices.
Since each BIOS / EFI is different, you will have to check various security and boot menus yourself to make sure USB support is enabled. If all changes to the systems have been made, but the flash drive is still not detected, it is worth trying to turn on USB legacy support or another USB port, for example, a USB 2.0 port instead of USB 3.0.
It is also possible that the installation media or ISO image that was recorded does not have available download information. Then you need a different ISO image for recording. The problem only occurs with older systems. Starting from version 8, all necessary information is already integrated by default.
Windows Installer starts but cannot detect media
If the program starts and allows you to select installation parameters, but then an error occurs that says that the system cannot detect the DVD, or you are prompted to insert an optical media drive with additional drivers, then use the USB 2.0 port.
Windows XP, Vista, and 7 do not have built-in support for USB 3.0 ports. Attempting to install a USB 3.0 port connected to a USB flash drive will result in the above error. Disconnect the USB flash drive and insert it into the USB 2.0 port, then start the process again. If there are no USB 2.0 ports (for example, a laptop of the latest model), you should go into BIOS / EFI and enable legacy forced mode or enable EHCI on USB ports. The latest versions of the installer when recording the image on a flash drive offer to immediately integrate the driver to support the connection protocol 3.0.
Flash Drive does not use all available space
If you are using a Windows 10 image and only 32 GB is displayed on a 64 GB flash drive, you will have to change the recording type. If such a problem has arisen, the question of how to create a Windows image on a USB flash drive is resolved quickly. It will be necessary to install the image through the Rufus program. The default media creation tool in the OS only supports drives up to 32 GB, and if there is more space, a second partition will be created that Windows cannot usually find during installation.
Creating a bootable flash drive from an iso image from the above examples and programs will not be difficult. The main thing is to do everything in accordance with the described actions and not select those parameters that are not required during installation. Settings experiments can cause serious errors.