Windows 8 Usb free download - PDF Reader for Windows 8, Windows 8 Codecs Pack, Windows 8 Transformation Pack, and many more programs.
- Preparations for installing Windows 8.1/8 on External HDD or USB Drive. Current host OS should be Windows 7 or Windows 8. An external hard drive formatted with NTFS and has at least 16GB storage, because Windows 8 installation files require more than 14GB space. And for better performance, USB 3.0 is strongly recommended.
- Earlier it was hard to install windows 8 or other versions of windows using USB drive, generally, people uses third party software or make their USB drive bootable using command prompt, now these days Installing windows from DVD is old idea, normally you have to buy DVD for windows or if you have Windows downloaded then you have to write the iso images into DVD, if by any chance DVD writing.
- Fixes an issue in which a computer that is running Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8, or Windows Server 2012 does not detect a USB device that is connected to a USB port. This issue occurs after you safely remove a USB device from the same UBS port.
- Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Enterprise versions prior to the May 2020 update, that allows the system to boot and run from certain USB mass storage devices such as USB flash drives and external hard disk drives which have been certified by Microsoft as compatible.
Physical DVD drives are becoming a thing of the past as the size of our PCs continue shrink and new form factors are emerging. Microsoft distributes Windows Windows 8 on physical discs or images of DVDs called ISO files that are typically burned to physical media. This has become problem as a number of laptops and tablet PCs no longer ship with DVD drives. The best way to install Windows on these devices is to use a USB flash drive that contains the Windows installation files. As an extra benefit, modern USB flash drives are typically much faster than DVDs resulting in a quick install.
Before we get started you will need:
- Windows 8 ISO file.
- 4 GB USB flash drive.
Microsoft has a free utility that will automatically make a bootable USB flash drive from a Windows 8 ISO image file. First, download and install the utility. Don't worry that it says for Windows 7, it works fine for Windows 8 as well. Craftsman riding lawn mower manuals.
Download the Microsoft Store Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, Alternate Link.
Once installed, launch the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool from the start menu.
Hit Browse, select your ISO file and then click Next.
Plug in your USB flash drive.
On the Choose media type screen select USB device.
Select your USB drive from the list and click Begin Copying.
This process can take several minutes depending on the speed of your USB flash drive.
We saw yesterday how you can install and test the latest Windows 8 build on your system as a virtual operating system using Oracle VirtualBox. For those who haven't heard, the consumer preview of Windows 8 is now available for everyone to test. It's like what Microsoft did during Windows 7 launch. They first released a preview build for free to get feedback from the users before shipping the final version of the product. And the big news that the Windows 8 consumer preview has already crossed 1 million downloads.
UPDATE:
After few hours of testing I was convinced that the build is stable enough, and I can take it to next level by installing it parallel to Windows 7 via dual boot. If you too are looking forward to install Windows 8 on your computer, I would prefer you create a bootable USB drive instead of a bootable DVD.
Note: This is a consumer preview of Windows 8 and not the final stable version. So keep in mind that you are always on your own if you mess up your computer while installing or using this Windows 8 build.A USB drive is always faster than DVDs and the chances of failed or corrupt installation are very low as compared to optical media. So lets see how you can create the bootable USB of Windows 8 in the easiest way possible.
Necessary Prerequisites
- Download the ISO file of Windows 8 on your system.
- A minimum of 4 GB removable drive for 32-bit Windows and 8 GB for 64-bit Windows 8 operating system.
- Backup all the data (if any) from your removable drive. Better, backup important data on your PC too.
Creating the Windows 8 Bootable USB Drive
Step 1:Download and extract WinUSB Maker on your computer. WinUSB maker is a portable application and thus does not require installation of any kind. You only need to run the .exe file.
Step 2: Run the WinUSB Maker tool with administrative privileges to start creating your bootable USB drive. (right-click on the file, and click Run as Administrator)
Step 3: In the tool, select the option ISO image bootable disk under the Functions section. Select Normal Detection Mode and browse for the Windows 8 bootable ISO (Image file) you have already downloaded on your system.
Step 4: Finally, select the USB drive and drive MBR system (if you have a single one plugged in, it will be selected by default, if you have more than one, click on the dropdown menu and make a selection from the list) and click on the button Make it Bootable .
Win 8.1 To Usb
That's all, the tool will now format the USB drive and copy all the Windows installation files to it and make it bootable.
You can now plug in the device into your system and select removable drive as your first boot selection preference in your BIOS and install Windows 8.
My Verdict
Although there's an official Microsoft tool to create bootable USB drive from an ISO image, WinUSB maker's portable nature and ease of use drew my attention. Furthermore, WinUSB gives a bit of an extra control to the user than the official tool for the same.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
Read Next
Download the Microsoft Store Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, Alternate Link.
Once installed, launch the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool from the start menu.
Hit Browse, select your ISO file and then click Next.
Plug in your USB flash drive.
On the Choose media type screen select USB device.
Select your USB drive from the list and click Begin Copying.
This process can take several minutes depending on the speed of your USB flash drive.
We saw yesterday how you can install and test the latest Windows 8 build on your system as a virtual operating system using Oracle VirtualBox. For those who haven't heard, the consumer preview of Windows 8 is now available for everyone to test. It's like what Microsoft did during Windows 7 launch. They first released a preview build for free to get feedback from the users before shipping the final version of the product. And the big news that the Windows 8 consumer preview has already crossed 1 million downloads.
UPDATE: You would be happy to know that we recently compared the Top 5 Tools to Create Bootable ISO in Windows. Do check that out to know more about better tools to get this job done.After few hours of testing I was convinced that the build is stable enough, and I can take it to next level by installing it parallel to Windows 7 via dual boot. If you too are looking forward to install Windows 8 on your computer, I would prefer you create a bootable USB drive instead of a bootable DVD.
Note: This is a consumer preview of Windows 8 and not the final stable version. So keep in mind that you are always on your own if you mess up your computer while installing or using this Windows 8 build.A USB drive is always faster than DVDs and the chances of failed or corrupt installation are very low as compared to optical media. So lets see how you can create the bootable USB of Windows 8 in the easiest way possible.
Necessary Prerequisites
- Download the ISO file of Windows 8 on your system.
- A minimum of 4 GB removable drive for 32-bit Windows and 8 GB for 64-bit Windows 8 operating system.
- Backup all the data (if any) from your removable drive. Better, backup important data on your PC too.
Creating the Windows 8 Bootable USB Drive
Step 1:Download and extract WinUSB Maker on your computer. WinUSB maker is a portable application and thus does not require installation of any kind. You only need to run the .exe file.
Step 2: Run the WinUSB Maker tool with administrative privileges to start creating your bootable USB drive. (right-click on the file, and click Run as Administrator)
Step 3: In the tool, select the option ISO image bootable disk under the Functions section. Select Normal Detection Mode and browse for the Windows 8 bootable ISO (Image file) you have already downloaded on your system.
Step 4: Finally, select the USB drive and drive MBR system (if you have a single one plugged in, it will be selected by default, if you have more than one, click on the dropdown menu and make a selection from the list) and click on the button Make it Bootable .
Win 8.1 To Usb
That's all, the tool will now format the USB drive and copy all the Windows installation files to it and make it bootable.
You can now plug in the device into your system and select removable drive as your first boot selection preference in your BIOS and install Windows 8.
My Verdict
Although there's an official Microsoft tool to create bootable USB drive from an ISO image, WinUSB maker's portable nature and ease of use drew my attention. Furthermore, WinUSB gives a bit of an extra control to the user than the official tool for the same.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
Read Next
Windows 8 Usb Installer
How to Use VirtualBox to Install & Run Windows 8 Inside Windows 7 (Consumer Preview)
Win 8.1 Iso To Usb
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