Take Your Operating System Anywhere: How to Install Windows 8 on USB Flash Drive

Sometimes when you install your Windows often, you might want to make your life easier. Here, in this article, we are going to tell you how to Install Windows 8 on USB flash drive. Thus, don’t worry if you don’t know how to install Windows 8 on USB flash drive. Follow this guide for more information.

How to Install Windows 8 from USB Flash Drive

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Download the Windows 7 USB DVD Tool and Run the program as Administrator.
2. Follow the procedures of the installation.
3. After finishing the installation, a Windows 7 USB DVD Tool Icon will be appeared on the Desktop screen. Right-click on the icon and select Run as Administrator.
4. Choose the.ISO image file from Browse.
5. Select Next.
6. Select USB Drive as a media type.
7. Select Begin Copying.
8. In this part, the process of making a bootable drive will start. Just you should wait a few minutes.
9. When the process finishes, close this window and use your USB Flash Drive as a bootable drive to install Windows 8 with USB Flash Drive.

How to Install Windows 8.1 from a USB Flash Drive

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Microsoft part and select Install Windows 8.1.
2. It will download a smaller installer file that you run on your PC.
3. After downloading it, Run WindowsSetupBox.exe.

Note: Remember that you will need Windows 8 running on your computer. You should install the update on.

• The Windows 8.1 Setup wizard will launch, so the first thing you need to do is type in your Product Key.
• Wait while Windows 8.1 is downloading. You can continue to use your system while it is downloading in the background.
• You should decide if you want to install now, create media, or install later from your desktop.
• Click on Install by Creating Media.
• Click on Next.

• Now choose the Media to use.

Note: It is a USB Flash Drive in this example. Ensure that you have a flash drive of 4 GB or more.

1. Click the USB Flash Drive you want to use.
2. Hit Next.
3. You will get a message to confirm that all files on the flash drive will be deleted, so select Yes.
4. You should wait until the flash drive installer is created.
5. Your USB flash drive installer for Windows 8.1 has been created.
6. Select Finish to close out of the wizard.
7. Insert the USB Flash Drive you made on the system and run setup.exe.
8. After starting the setup wizard, you will have the option to get important updates during the install.
9. Here, you should agree to the EULA or License Terms.
10. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation of Windows 8.1.

Note: Tick the option to keep your settings, personal files, and apps if you want to have a seamless update.

How to Create a Windows 8 ISO?

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Install a free burning program. As there are some of free burning utilities available on websites, you need to install the one that create ISO files.

Note: You may receive the copy of your Windows 8 as a downloadable ISO file from Microsoft, so you can skip to the next section.

• Insert your Windows 8 DVD.
• Open the new burning program.
• Search an option like Copy to Image or Create Image.
• Choose your DVD drive as the source.
• Save your ISO file.
•  Select an easy name and location for the file to remember.

Note: The ISO you create will be equal in size to the disk you are copying, which means that it takes several gigabytes of space on your hard drive, so you should ensure that you have enough space for it.

Note: Making the ISO can take a long time based on the speed of your computer and DVD drive.

How to Create a Bootable Drive?

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Download the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool which is available free from Microsoft.

Note: Although the name is for 7, but it works for Windows 8 ISO as well. You can run this on any version of the Windows.

• Choose the Source File, which is the ISO that you created or downloaded in the first section.
• Select Browse to navigate to the file.
• Hit Next.
• Choose USB Device.

Note: The tool that you downloaded will allow you to make either a DVD or USB install.

• Select the USB Device.
• Click on the USB drive from the list of your attached devices.

Note: Be careful that your flash drive is connected properly. To copy over the Windows Installation, you need at least 4GB space on your flash drive.

• Wait while program works that it will format your USB drive to boot and then copy the ISO file onto the drive, which takes 15 minutes to complete. The speed of it depends on the machine.

How to Set the Computer to Boot from USB?

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. If you want to boot from the USB drive, you should set the BIOS. Open the BIOS. To do so, reset your computer and select the Displayed Key to enter Setup.

Note: The key is different by the manufacturer, but it is usually F2, F10, F12, or Del.

• Go to the Boot Menu in your BIOS.
• Change the first Boot Device to your USB drive.

Note: Make sure that the Boot Device is inserted.

Note: You may not be given an option to choose it, thus, depending on the manufacturer, the option may be Removable Device or list your flash drive’s model.

• Save changes and reboot. Your Windows 8 installation will load if you set the boot order correctly.

How to Install Windows 8?

To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Choose your language. After the installation begin, you will be asked to choose a language, time, format, and keyboard layout.
2. Hit Next.
3. Select Install now to begin the installation process. You can choose the other option to repair an existing Windows installation.
4. Go to the Product Key which is a 25-character key that come with your purchased copy of your Windows 8. You may find it on a sticker on your computer or it may be located under your laptop.

Note: You should enter the dashed between the groups of characters.

Note: This part is not optional. Old versions of Windows let you to register your product up to 60 days after installation. Thus, you must enter the key before beginning of the installation.

• You should accept the license agreement. After reading the agreement check the box that you accept the rules.
• Hit Next.
• Select Custom Install. In this part, you have 2 options to install windows that you should choose Custom that allow you to do the complete installation of Windows 8. If you choose Upgrade, it can cause problems in performance in the long run. This is a highly recommended to do a clean Custom Install.
• Delete the partition. In this Part, a window will open and ask you Where You Would Like to Install Windows 8. To have a clean install, you should delete the old partition and start with a clean slate.

Note: Select Drive Options (Advanced), which gives you the ability to delete and create partitions.

Note: You can choose the partition of your existing operating system and select Delete.

Note: If an operating system is installed for the first time on the hard drive, there will be no partition to delete it.

Note: You should delete the correct partition if the hard drive has multiple partitions.

• Confirm the deletion process.
• Click on the Unallocated Space.
• Hit Next.

Note: It is not necessary to make a partition before you install Windows 8 since it will be done automatically.

1. Now wait until Windows installs files. Next to the Expanding Windows files will steadily increase, which can take around 30 minutes.

Note: Your system will be restarted automatically when the process finished.

1. Here, you should wait until the Windows gathers information. After restarting the Windows, you can see the logo of Windows 8. Under the logo, there is a text Getting Device Ready, which is followed by a percentage. In this section, Windows collects the information on the hardware installed in your system.

Note: When this is done, the text will change to Getting Ready.

Note: Your computer will restart one more time.

1. Personalize your Windows 8. After finishing rebooting, you will be asked to pick the color scheme for your Windows 8 installation.

Note: Change the color at any time in the Windows 8 settings.

1. Input a computer name that the computer displays on the network.

Note: Any other device on the network will see your computer listed this name.

1. Select your wireless network. If you have a wireless-enable computer or device, you can see a menu that ask you to select a network. If you haven’t installed the driver for your wireless card, this step will be skipped automatically.
2. Choose your settings. The most common option is Express Setting. This option enables automatic updates, error reporting to Microsoft, and Windows Defender.

Note: If you prefer to set these options yourself, select Customize instead of Express Settings.

1. Make an Account. If you want to log in to Windows, you need an account. It is recommended by Microsoft to use a Microsoft account; thus, you can buy in the Windows store. If you don’t have account, you can enter a valid email address to make a new one for free.

Note: In the case that you don’t have an email address, select the Sign Up for a New Email Address link to make one, which needs an internet connection.

1. You can watch the tutorial while Windows loads. Windows in this part goes through one final setup process that you can see several screens to explain how to use the new Windows. After completion of loading, you be presented with your Start Screen. You are ready to use Windows 8.

Conclusion:

Some users sometimes want to install Windows 8 on a USB Flash Drive. Here, in this article, we presented all the instructions to guide to install Windows 8 on a USB Flash Drive. Have you ever used these ways? What other methods do you know to do so?