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How to Create Windows 8 Bootable USB Drive

March 14, 2013 by 16 Comments
windows-8-usb-drives

If you want to install Windows 8 and don’t have a  DVD drive then don’t despair. Windows 8 can be installed from a USB drive. You just have to create a Windows 8 bootable USB drive. There are many ways to do it. You can even do it from command line without any software. But here I’m going to tell the easiest method that requires only a few clicks of mouse.

Note: This method works for both Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Step 1:

Download Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool and install it. This tool is designed for windows 7 but works well for Windows 8. For some reasons they have chosen a weird name for this tool. I always  forget the name of this tool.

step1

Step 2:

Click Browse and select the Windows 8 ISO file.

select-iso

Step 3:

Click Next.

step3

Step 4:

Click USB device and select your USB drive from the list. You will need at least 4GB or larger drive.

step4

Step 5:

Finally click Begin copying and files will begin to copy. Now wait and relax till the files are copied. When it’s finished boot the computer from USB and start installation.

step5

 

Note:

If you are running a 32-bit OS you can only make 32-bit bootable Windows 8 USB drive. 64-bit users can make both 32-bit and 64-bit bootable windows 8 USB drive.

Install Windows 8 without product key

Unlike windows 7, Windows 8 does not offer a 30 day trial and you have to enter product key at the time of installation. This can be problematic if you do not have key ready. You can bypass this while installation. But you have to enter the key later.

Step 1:
Create a file in notepad with the following content:

[EditionID]
Professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

Step 2:
Save it as “ei.cfg” in sources folder of the USB drive created above. Make sure file name is inside double quotes while saving.

save ei.cfg file

Addition tip:
If you wan’t the choice of version( Professional or Core) during setup use following “ei.cfg”

[EditionID]
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

Tell us how this method worked for you in comments

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Filed Under: Windows 8 Tagged With: ,
About Aamir Rizwan

Aamir Rizwan is a passionate blogger and the founder of TechAnger.com. He likes staying at the top of latest technology. In his free time he enjoys listening music, watching House MD and playing third person shooters.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002505231679 Anurag Janbandhu

    Nice. Thanks for sharing :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002505231679 Anurag Janbandhu

    Nice. Thanks for Sharing :)

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      You are welcome.

  • Yash Sahay

    Ya its nice thx Amaan :)

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      Welcome to TA.

  • http://www.cricketpatches.com/ Ayush^

    That’s a good tutorial. have you tried Win2USB anyway? It’s a great tool too, and easier than this, it can even add the .ISO file into the USB and make it bootable.

    Also, a suggestion: Add 5 Posts in the “You May Also Like”. It does blend in well with the theme, the blank space looks a little awkward (to me.). Good Luck.

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      Thanks for sharing. Win2USb is also a good tool that has many more options . The tool we have used has very few options. Therefore fewer ways to go wrong.

      Regarding your suggestion: Duly noted. You will see 5 posts soon.

      • http://www.cricketpatches.com/ Ayush^

        Thank you for considering my suggestion.

        But Win2USB gives you more options and less of risk, because Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool does not provide you the option to choose FAT32 or FAT16, which is the major problem caused by people on Boot. I had chosen FAT32, and ended up ruining my computer but somehow managed to login and then realised it was FAT32 to be done. There are lot more features of this tool that may not be compatible with the platform you’re using (compatible in the sense, the software will work, but the usb won’t be recognized by the boot screen and etc.).

        • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

          I not sure whether you are talking about file system of pen-drive or system partition. I will talk about both. Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool will automatically format your pendrive to NTFS, no questions asked. So no problem here. FAT16 is obsolete. It doesn’t support drives greater than 4GB. So I don’t advice using it.

          Regarding system partition, as a rule of thumb use NTFS if it is larger than 10GB (which is true for all modern systems) otherwise use FAT32. NTFS is a new file system designed for larger partitions and has better error correction and security than FAT32. Moreover Fat32 does’t support files larger than 4GB. There is no reason to use Fat32 unless your hard drive is very small.

          I don’t think there is any absolute best tool for anything. The tool we use depends more on personal preference :) . I will soon release a post on making bootable USB without any additional tools.

  • Shriya Shria

    Good one,Just now installed
    Now I’m from newly installed Windows 8 :)
    Thanks !

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      Glad you liked it :)

  • Mutahar Zahid

    i have downloaded windows 8 pro from torrents it is not in the iso file. Does using winrar to cnvert the cntnts into the iso file will make it work for me?

    • Amaan

      It is actually ISO file,but Winrar is self-sufficient to open it !
      Do the above steps :)
      If you encounter any problem,then come back for asking !

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      Sorry for late reply. I was busy in a project. Yes, you can convert to ISO using winrar. Make sure that in root of ISO there following Folders: boot, efi, sources and support and Files: bootmgr, boormr.efi and setup.exe. Alternatively you can use tools like WinToFlash which can directly use windows setup files. But be warned this tools is an adware and tries to install many unwanted things during setup.
      On a side note I suggest you to use genuine Windows 8. The upgrade is very cheap. You will get all the security updates and most important peace of mind.

  • http://www.facebook.com/satya.singh.3762584 Satya Singh

    Dear Rizman, I have purchased new laptop with Windows 8. I was asked to take backup of operating system in 16 GB Pen Drive. Please, guide me how to make bootable OS.
    Thanks
    Satya

    • http://www.techanger.com/ Aamir Rizwan

      Hi Satya, your laptop should have pre installed utility to take backup on DVD/pen drive. I have seen this on HP and Asus laptops. Can’t comment on others. Please tell the company and model of your laptop so I can help you further.