How to install Windows 10 using a pen drive

There are various multiple methods to install Windows 10 on your PC like Dual Boot or using a Virtual Machine. However, using a pen drive is one of the easiest and the most widely used methods to install Windows 10. It is especially useful if your secondary PC doesn’t have an optical drive, or you don’t have a disk with Windows 10 software. Here is the break-down of the method to install Windows 10 in your PC using a pen drive.

What all you need to install Windows 10 using a pen drive?

1. A) Windows 10 install .iso or DVD
2. B) USB flash drive with at least 5GB free space. This drive will be formatted, so make sure it doesn’t have any important files on it.
3. C) Technician PC – Windows PC that you’ll use to format the USB flash drive
4. D) Destination PC – A PC that you’ll install Windows on

Step 1 – Format the drive and set the primary partition as active

1. A) Connect the USB flash drive to your PC.
2. B) Right-click on Startand choose Disk Management.
3. C) Right-click the USB drive partition and choose Format. Select the FAT32file system to boot either BIOS-based or UEFI-based PCs.
4. D) Right-click the USB drive partition and click Mark Partition as Active.

Step 2 – Copy Windows Setup to the USB flash drive

Use File Explorer to copy and paste the entire contents of the Windows product ISO to your pen drive.

Step 3 – Install Windows to the new PC

1. A) Insert the USB flash drive into a new PC.
2. B) Turn on the PC and open the boot-device selection menu for the computer by pressing the Esc/F10/F12 keys. Pick the option that boots the PC from the USB flash drive.
3. C) Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows.
4. D) Remove the pen drive.

Remember: You might need to select boot from USB drive when the PC starts, by hitting the F8, F10, or F12 button depending upon the make of your PC/Laptop. Sometime the delete button shows boot options.

How to troubleshoot if file copy fails?

The Windows file copy fails when the image file is beyond the FAT32 file size limit of 4GB. You can troubleshoot in the following two ways.

1. A) Copy everything except the Windows image file
2. B) Divide the Windows image file into smaller files and keep the smaller files onto the USB drive.

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