We have already published instructions for creating bootable usb-flash drives by using special utility - Microsoft Windows 8 USB/DVD Download Tool. This program is very simple, but now an even easier to use utility has appeared - even a schoolchild can figure it out.
How to create a bootable USB
Sequence of steps to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 using the program Windows 8 USB Installer Maker next:
- Prepare a flash drive with a capacity of at least 4GB.
- Download the distribution kit to any folder on the disk latest version Windows 8, for example, test Windows 8 Developer Preview:
- Download the program itself Windows 8 USB Installer Maker. To do this, go to the program download page using the link below and click the "Download now" button on the right:
- Run the program Windows 8 USB Installer Maker with administrator rights:
This program has only one window.
- To start recording, you just need to select the previously downloaded Windows image 8 via button Search ISO, tick Format drive and press the button Create.
- Format the disk to NTFS format;
- Copies all Windows 8 distribution files to a USB flash drive. Please note that this step will take a long time depending on the power of the computer - maybe even one to two hours;
- Will create on USB partition boot area (MBR).
Installing Windows 8 from a USB flash drive
- To install Windows from a USB flash drive, simply insert it into the computer on which you want to install the OS.
- Then go into BIOS and configure to boot from USB.
- Restart your PC. After this, booting should start automatically Windows installation 8 from a flash drive.
Most modern laptops and computers are produced without DVD drive ov. This means that if you are going to reinstall the operating system, you will first have to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 on board, and boot from it to start installing the OS.
This article is primarily aimed at those who are new to creating a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows. For everyone else, we just note that the described technique is similar to the creation technique.
What do we need to create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 8?
- Windows 8 image in iso format
- Actually a USB flash drive (preferably USB 3.0). The size of the flash drive must be at least 4 GB, it is ideal to have an 8 GB flash drive, because... it is guaranteed to accommodate any Windows 8 distribution.
- Any program for creating a virtual CD/DVD drive (Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc.
Format a USB flash drive
Connect the flash drive to a free USB port computer. and run the following commands:
Please note that all information on the flash drive will be erased, so do not forget to copy important information from it.
After all the operations performed, the reformatted USB flash drive should appear in Windows Explorer with the assigned letter (in my case G:).
Mount the Windows 8 ISO image to a virtual DVD-ROM
Using any mounting utility virtual images“insert” the installation disc with Windows 8 virtual DVD drive. Let us remind you that without using third-party software. Let's say that this drive has drive letter F:.
Let's make a USB flash drive bootable
Before copying installation files to a USB flash drive, you need to make it bootable. To do this we need the Boot Sector Registration Tool utility bootsect.exe– which can be found in the boot directory on the mounted Win 8 ISO image.
IN command line With administrator rights, run the commands:
F: cd boot bootsect.exe /nt60 g:
When successful implementation commands the command will appear: Bootcode was successfully updated on all target volume.
If you are working on a 32-bit version of Windows and have mounted an image of 64-bit Windows 8, you will not be able to run bootsect, because The version of bootsect in this image is 64 bit.
Copy the installation Windows files 8 per flash drive
Next, you need to copy the Windows 8 installation files to a USB flash drive. On the same command line, run the command
Xcopy f:\*.* g: /e /f /h
This command will copy all files from the virtual DVD image (F:) to the flash drive (G:).
It is advisable to disable the antivirus before starting the transfer, since all modern antiviruses, as part of the fight against autorun, block access to the autorun.inf file on removable media. If the antivirus is not disabled, access errors may occur.
This completes the procedure for creating a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8, all that remains is to change the boot order in the BIOS, specifying boot from a USB drive and begin installing Windows 8.
Experienced Windows users may object, the same thing can be done using a special Microsoft utility - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, which allows you to create a bootable USB disk to install Windows 8 or Windows 7. That's right, all these operations can be performed (it will be easier and faster) using this utility. However, the above technique allows you to thoroughly understand the procedure for creating a bootable USB flash drive without using third-party software.
Creating a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8.1. Three different 100% working ways to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1
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So, first you will need a flash drive with a capacity of 4 gigabytes (or more) for the 32 bit version and for the 64 bit version (with Metro style). Of course, if your computer supports 64 bit and has a 4 GB flash drive, then without a doubt install Windows 8 64 bit. So we decided on the version and found the flash drive. Let's get started! There are 2 ways to create. The 2nd one does not always work, sometimes there are errors. The first one works like clockwork and today, December 30, 2012, before the new year 2013, I decided to write it too. [Method 1] [Method 2]
Bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8. Method 1
First, we must have an ISO image of our Windows 8 or a DVD (for example, a licensed one)
If you have an iso image, mount it from using daemon-tools. If you have a licensed disc, then insert it into the DVD-rom.
Attention! All files on the flash drive will be deleted after the next step! Be careful and take care of the safety of your data! Step No. 1 First, we need a program that will format our flash drive. We download it below, launch it using the administrator (right mouse button, run with administrator). Select our flash drive from the list, set the format to NTFS and click Start
1. Download Hpusbdisk.exe
Step #2. Now download grub4dos in the archive below, unzip it and run the file (as administrator) grubinst_gui.exe. In the program, select our flash drive (by capacity) in the Disk field and click Install. If a black window appears (below the photo) with the inscription the MBR/BS has been successfully installed… that means everything is great and we move on (close the black window by pressing Enter)
2. Download grub4dos.zip 
Step #3. The penultimate step of creating our Bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8
Download WinSetup_1_0_beta6.7z in the archive below and unzip it. With the help of the administrator (right mouse button – “ Run as administrator") WinSetupFromUSB_1-0-beta6.exe. Select our flash drive from above, check the Vista / 7 / Server 2008 box, click on the 3 dots and indicate either the unzipped folder with Windows 8, or the mounted image, or the licensed disk in dvd-rom -> Click OK -> GO
3. Download WinSetupFromUSB-1-7.zip 
We wait 10-12 minutes before the end of recording to the flash drive. The program may hang, it is better not to touch it. Drink some coffee, for example, or step away from the computer.
After the window, select I Agree and click OK on Job done. We close the program.
Step #4. The very last step will be to download bootmgr-only-win8-itbc.zip and unzip the archive and copy the files from it (with replacement) to the root of the flash drive.
4. Download bootmgr-only-win8-itbc.zip 
Our Bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 ready! All that remains is to set booting the flash drive first in the priorities of our BIOS and begin installing Windows 8. 
Bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8. Method 2
Step #1. Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool. Yes, yes, exactly Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool =)
Download the utility with which we will make a bootable USB flash drive
Windows USB DVD Tool
Attention: for this program to work, you need the Microsoft .NET Framework and if the program does not start, download it by selecting Install .NetFramework and running the downloaded application. Run the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool itself and install it on your computer 
Step #2 to create a bootable USB flash drive. Launch Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool and make the flash drive bootable
Now after Windows 8 has loaded, insert the USB flash drive and launch the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool.
Click Browse and indicate the location of our iso image Windows 8, then click Open and Next
If there is an error We were unable to copy your files Please check your usb device selected iso file and try again. Special thanks to Plexstor 
Select USB device 
Attention: At this stage, all data from the flash drive will be deleted! Select Begin copying 
We wait 5-30 minutes until the Windows 8 files are copied to the flash drive 
After backup completed appears, click on the cross and remove the flash drive 
Ready! It remains to prioritize hard drives and boot from the flash drive and then proceed to install Windows 8!!
Today, USB flash drives and portable hard disks compared to several years earlier, they have become much cheaper, their characteristics have improved significantly. As a result, they have become much more common. In the not too distant past, CDs and DVDs, but they are naturally being replaced by portable hard drives and flash drives. And this is quite logical - optical discs fragile, quickly deteriorate, operate noisily, take up space, may not be readable at the most crucial moment... in general, they are a lot of headaches.
In addition to the role of a regular drive, a flash drive can serve as a disk from which you can “clean” install an operating system on your computer. In this post, we will look at several ways to turn a regular flash drive into an installation disk.
The first utility that will be described today will be freely distributed by Microsoft utility Windows USB/DVD Download Tool. In order for you to use it, your computer must have a “fresh” operating system installed (Windows XP with the second or third service pack or older), it must have a processor older than the first generation Pentium and at least 50 MB of unallocated space on the internal hard drive . You can make a bootable flash drive or portable disk with a capacity of 4 GB or more. To use the utility, do the following:
- Download from the corporation's website Microsoft platform Net Framework
- Run the downloaded file, when prompted, click on “Download and install this component”
. - The following screenshot shows that Net installation Framework passed correctly.
- The preparatory stage is completed, now you can proceed to the actual installation Windows utilities USB/DVD Download Tool. Download the installation package from the manufacturer's official website
- Run the downloaded file and go through the necessary installation steps
- Find in the list installed programs Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and launch it. On the first screen, specify the path to the system image in Explorer, then press the “Next” key
- On the next screen, select “USB device”
- Next, select the letter that your flash drive is designated in the system and click on the “Begin copying” button
The copying process can take up to 3-4 hours (depending on the speed of the media). Upon completion, you will receive a bootable USB flash drive from which you can install a full-fledged operating system.
Ultra ISO
Second software package, which we will look at today is the popular UltraISO “combine”. Compared to the previously described utility, its undeniable advantage is that in addition to creating bootable media, it allows you to edit disk images, supports a large number of their formats. To do bootable media using UltraISO, you need to follow the specified path:
- Download the archive containing the utility and unpack it in any writable location
- Run unpacked installation file, then press the “Next” button
- Select the program location directory
- Specify whether to create program shortcuts and install a virtual optical drive
- On the next screen, you will only need to finally confirm the installation by clicking the appropriate button
. - After installation is complete, you can immediately launch the program
- In the first step of creating a bootable USB flash drive, open the pre-loaded Windows image
- IN top menu select “Bootboot”, in the menu that appears, click on “Burn image” hard drive»
- Select your flash drive, make sure that the “Recording method” field is set to “USB-HDD+” and click the “Burn” button
. - After final agreement that absolutely all data on the media will be irretrievably erased, the recording process will begin.
- Upon completion, you will receive a ready-made bootable USB flash drive.
WinSetupFromUSB
The last way to write a bootable USB flash drive, which we will consider today, will be a specialized program called WinSetupFromUSB. The utility has beta status, but works quite stably. All its advantages also include the fact that it is “portable”; it does not need to be installed in the system to use it. To use this method you need to do the following.
In this article we will look at two methods for installing the eighth version of the Microsoft OS on a USB drive. For this operation we will need a distribution kit on a CD, or an image with Windows 8 and the flash drive itself. Please note that the capacity of the USB drive must be at least 8 gigabytes, and if you are installing a 64-bit OS, you will need even more capacity. It would be better if it was a 16 GB flash drive.
First option
In both methods additional software will be used; in the first option we will create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 using free utility called PWBoot (Works only on Windows 7 and 8).Download the program from the link - (1.19 MB)
The utility works in portable mode, so we immediately launch the exe file and in the first window put a marker next to the item “ Install Windows", which means a fresh installation of the OS on a blank disk:
Next, you need to prepare an installation disk with Win 8, or an ISO image. Let's move on to next step by pressing the button " Next" In the second window you will see a field to select a file “ install.wim", as a rule, it is located in the "sources" directory installation disk. If you only have an iso image, you need to unpack it using and also go to the sources folder.
Having specified the path to the file, in the next field select Windows edition 8:
Let's move on, here you need to select the USB drive where you want to install the OS:
Now select the OS bootloader section and decide on the name of the boot menu line. Press the button " Install" (Please note that when new installation The flash drive will be formatted and all data from it will be deleted.):
The next step will begin installing the operating system on the flash drive. I note that this is a very lengthy process and will require quite a lot of time.
When the utility completes the installation, the flash drive will be ready for use. Now for Windows startup 8 on the computer you need to select USB as the boot device.
Second option
Another program for running Windows 8 on a computer using a flash drive is called Windows 8 USB Installer Maker (works on any Windows versions). When using it, the operating system will be installed not on the flash drive itself, but on HDD computer, and the USB device will be used as an installation distribution.The sequence of actions is very simple - download the iso image from operating system, prepare a flash drive with a capacity of at least 4 GB, download the program from the link - (1.58 MB)
Then we run it with administrator rights:
First, select the drive letter (flash drive), then use the button Search ISO find the downloaded image, put a check mark on Format drive(format disk) and press the button Create. The installation process will begin.
During this time, the program will format the disk in file system NTFS, will write everything necessary files and will create the main one on the flash drive boot entry MBR. All these actions can take a lot of time - up to an hour or two, depending on the configuration of your computer.
As a result, the flash drive will contain the following content:
Next, you need to go into the BIOS settings and select USB as the boot device. After saving the settings and rebooting, Windows 8 installation should begin automatically as usual.
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