Now that Windows 10 is available for download, many of you are probably planning to install Microsoft’s new desktop operating system on your computer. There are many reasons to install Windows, and there are different versions to choose from. You can upgrade to Windows 10 automatically, or make a startup disk to quickly install Windows 10 on one or more computers.
(See also: How to disable automatic updates in Windows 10)
You can choose to make a Windows 10 bootable USB disk or DVD, although USB has some advantages, such as faster read/write speeds. You may also have a USB drive, or your computer may not have a DVD drive, in which case we’ve made the decision for you.
(See also: How to make a bootable USB disk for Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP)
Make sure there is no important data on the USB or DVD (if rewritable) that you choose as your Windows 10 bootable media, as this process will format the drive, which means you will lose everything on it. Also make sure the drive is at least 4GB, as this process requires 3GB of space. With that in mind, here is a list of steps you need to follow to make a bootable Windows 10 drive:
1) Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Below are links to download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) Windows. To find out what type of Windows you are running, visit starttype control Panelchoose Systems and Securitythen, in systemcheck the value System typeor check out Microsoft’s step-by-step guide.
(See also: How can I tell if my computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows? )
2) After installing the media creation tool, launch the application. When asked what do you want to do? choose Create installation media for another computerthen click Next.
3) On the next screen, select your preferred language and architecture determined in step 1. Also select the version as described below and click Next.
Select if you are currently running Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 with Bing, or Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Home Edition as version.
If you are currently running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows 8 Professional, Windows 8.1 Professional with Media Center, or Windows 10 Pro, select Windows 10 Pro as version.
If you are currently running Windows 8 Single Language, Windows 8.1 Single Language, or Windows 8 Single Language with Bing, select Windows 10 Home Single Language as version.
If you are currently running Windows 8 Chinese Edition, Windows 8.1 Chinese Edition, or Windows 8 Chinese Edition with Bing, select Windows 10 Home Edition (China) as version.
4) If you want to create a bootable Windows 10 USB drive, select USB flash drive then click Next Follow the remaining steps. Again, you will be reminded that you will lose all data on the selected drive.
If you want to create a bootable Windows 10 USB DVD, select ISO file. Make sure you have the ISO file of the Windows 10 version you selected in step 3 handy. ISO files are basically images of installation files, Windows 10 ISO files are available from Microsoft
After the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool has done its job, you should have a Windows 10 bootable USB disk/DVD drive, depending on the options you selected.
If you have trouble performing any of the above steps, try using the Windows USB/DVD Tool, which is designed for Windows 7 but works well with Windows 10. If you need any help, you can use this guide, just use the Windows 10 ISO file.
