Creating a Windows 10 system image on a USB flash drive. Without using third party software

The use of DVDs in the process of creating installation media is now becoming a thing of the past. More and more often, users are using flash drives for such purposes, which is quite justified, because the latter are more convenient to use, compact and fast. Based on this, the question of how bootable media is created and what methods to do this is quite relevant.

An installation flash drive with the Windows 10 operating system can be created using several methods, including methods that use OS tools from Microsoft, and methods that require the use of additional software. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

It is worth noting that before you begin the media creation process, you must have a downloaded image of the Windows 10 operating system. You also need to make sure that you have a blank USB drive with a capacity of at least 4 GB and free space on the PC disk.

Method 1: UltraISO

To create an installation flash drive, you can use a powerful program with a paid license. But the Russian-language interface and the ability to use the trial version of the product allow the user to evaluate all the advantages of the application.
So, to solve the problem using UltraISO you need to complete just a few steps.

Method 2: WinToFlash

Creating an installation flash drive using WinToFlash works like this.

Method 3: Rufus

Follow the instructions below to create bootable media.

Using these methods, you can create a bootable USB flash drive in just a few minutes. Moreover, it is obvious that using third-party programs is more effective, since it allows you to reduce the time spent answering numerous questions that you need to go through using a utility from Microsoft.

Friends, hello everyone! In this article we will continue the topic of computer security and data preservation. Therefore, now I will tell you about creating a Windows 10 system image using standard tools. And we’ll try to copy it even to a flash drive.

By the way, the method described below is quite suitable for Win 7, since the whole procedure is done in complete analogy. Now a few words about the essence of the image being created. Its difference is that it can contain a complete copy of a PC disk.

That is, you catch, in this way a reserve is made not only of system files, but also of all user files: films, videos, pictures, and so on. And if you consider that all this can be done using the operating system, then it would be a sin not to protect yourself once again.

So, let's go. Remember, our task is to copy the system partition to a USB drive. To do this, first of all we go to the Control Panel and follow the path “Small icons-backup copy and restore (Windows 7)":

And look, it says here that this recovery archive can be used even if your hard drive or computer fails. I wonder if it’s really possible to upgrade the system on new hardware using standard means? If so, then respect and respect to the guys from Microsoft. But to be honest, I seriously doubt it. Although…

Now about saving to a flash drive. As you can see in the picture below, it is available in the device selection list. But there is one caveat - it must be formatted in NTFS:

And one moment. In this way, only standard system directories necessary to restore the functionality of Windows and programs are copied. Arbitrary user folders and files are not taken into account. At least that's how I understand it. But below we will still consider the option of a full backup.

So, since I didn’t know about such requirements for the file system, we will copy the archive to the second partition of the hard drive. In my case it is called "Multimedia":

Well, click the “Archive” button and wait for the Windows 10 image to be created. I must say that here everything depends on the amount of information being saved, but in any case you will need to wait a while.

Upon completion of the process, a folder will appear on the disk we specified WindowsImageBackup with fallback image:

Now a few words about how such an archive can be used in practice, for example, in a critical situation. It's very easy. If the system is crooked, but boots, use the “Recovery” function of the Win 7 backup partition:

Now let's look at another section of this panel, which is called “Configure backup”:

Please note that here copying to a flash drive is not available at all. You can only select external or internal hard drive:

But the user is given a choice. It is possible to archive not only the system partition, but also absolutely any user data. By the way, about the last one. note to the one highlighted in the picture Below is a fragment.

It says that the program will back up only those files that are stored in the user's libraries (Pictures, Music, Videos folders, etc.), desktop and standard system directories:

Therefore, by clicking “Give me a choice,” you should specify either the entire C drive, so to speak, with all the available stuff, or only the necessary directories:

I hope you can see the difference now? But keep one more thing in mind. If yours is divided into only two sections, for example, like mine is now, then you won’t be able to copy the second one in this way, since it will be selected as the save location.

Go ahead. At the next step, another nice option awaits us. You can configure the creation of images on a schedule. Agree, this is very convenient. Therefore, all that remains is to click on the “Save parameters and start archiving” button:

That's it, friends, now you know everything about creating a Windows 10 system image on a flash drive using standard tools. Do you think this function is conveniently implemented in the top ten?

Share your opinion in the comments and also ask questions if you have any. And finally, as always, I suggest you watch another interesting video.

Hooray! It's finished! Finally, Microsoft is concerned about the convenience of users. Finally, creating installation flash drives has become as easy as copying files from disk to disk. You no longer need to rack your brain with complicated programs and incomprehensible instructions: the “ten” has learned to do everything itself.

Read how to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 10 in three of the simplest ways: two new ones and one inherited from Windows 7.

The method couldn’t be simpler: Ctrl+C – Ctrl+V

Who is it suitable for?: users of PCs and laptops of the latest generation - based on UEFI (motherboard firmware that replaced BIOS), the drive of which has a GPT layout style or is not mapped at all (new).

What you need:

Windows 10 x64 distribution in any form - on an optical disk or in iso image format. Since UEFI only supports booting 64-bit OSes, Windows 10 x86 (32-bit) will not work.
Flash drive with a capacity of 4 Gb.
Optical disc drive (if the data source is DVD).

Preliminary preparation:

Erase all contents from the flash drive and, using any suitable tool, format it to FAT32. For example, using Windows tools (command " Format" is located in the context menu of the flash drive).

Open the distribution. Images in iso format can be opened directly in Windows Explorer 8 and 10 by selecting “ To open with» – « Conductor" If you are using earlier releases of Windows, you will need a program that can mount a disk image into a virtual CD drive. Such as UltraISO or DAEMON Tools.

Main part of the work:

Now... (drum roll) copy the distribution files (Ctrl+C) and paste them onto the flash drive (Ctrl+V). Bootable media is ready! You can proceed with the installation.

A more complicated option (but also very simple): without distribution

Suitable for: everyone.

What you will need:

Utility MediaCreationTool(download from Microsoft website). On the download page, click " Download the tool now».

Flash drive from 4 Gb.
Internet (the higher the speed, the faster the result).

No Windows 10 distribution required!

Preliminary preparation:

Delete all data from the flash drive. If you skip this step, they will be erased during the recording process.

Main part of the work:

Launch MediaCreationTool (it does not require installation). Accept the license agreement. When asked what you are going to do, check " Create installation media for another PC" and click " Further».

In the next window, specify the desired parameters of the new OS: language; version – “Windows 10” (not specified in the program, but it means professional) or “Windows 10 home for one language”; bit depth – x64, x86 or both. If you leave this to the discretion of the program, put a checkmark next to “ Use recommended settings for this computer", the selection options will become inactive.

Next, select the media. In our case, this is a USB device.

If several USB flash drives are connected to your computer, mark the one you need.

Observe, if you wish, the progress of downloading the “dozens” files. This concludes your active participation.

After downloading the distribution kit of the new system, MediaCreationTool will begin creating the installation media. You can continue to use your computer.

When the utility informs you that recording is complete, click " Ready».

At average Internet speed, creating an installation flash drive using MediaCreationTool takes 30-40 minutes.

The most “labor-intensive” option: 4 simple steps

Suitable for: everyone.

What you will need:

Utility MicrosoftWindowsUSB/DVDDownloadTool. Back in 2009, it was developed. But, as it turned out in practice, it can also be used to record “ten” bootable media.
USB flash drive from 4 GB.
Windows 10 distribution – iso image or DVD with files.

Preliminary preparation:

Install the utility on your computer.
Free the flash drive from information.

Main part of the work:

Launch Windows USB/DVD Download Tool. The first step is to select the source distribution (“ Sourcefile"). Click the button Browse"and point the program to the path to the iso or disk with Windows 10 files.

The second step is choosing a “receiver” (flash drive). Click " USBdevice».

At the next stage, indicate the desired media (select from the list) and click “ Begincoping"(start copying).

The fourth step does not require any of your participation - you can simply watch the progress.

Good day!

To install Windows, many users are increasingly resorting to flash drives. This is understandable, because installing an OS using a flash drive has a number of advantages:

Files are copied from it faster, which means the installation will be completed in less time;
You can put the flash drive in any of your pockets and always have it at hand;
it can be connected to a laptop, PC, netbook - to any device with a USB port (and many modern laptops do not have a CD/DVD drive at all...).

In this article I will look at several current ways to create a bootable one (it is also sometimes called installation) flash drives with Windows 10.

Advice!

Method 1: Through a tool from Microsoft

Pros: suitable even for those who do not have an ISO image with Windows (we will officially download it); normal Windows without hard-wired problems; you can simply update your old OS (without a classic reinstallation); official method from Microsoft.

Minus: you need a fast and good Internet channel to Microsoft servers.

We are talking, of course, about the instrument - . To download this utility, you need to go to the official website of the program.

Microsoft Media Creation Tool

Short description: special a utility from Microsoft that allows you to download an ISO image from an official site. company server and use it to create bootable media (flash drives, external drives, etc.). The tool is intended for Windows 10 OS only.

After downloading and launching the program, you will first be asked to accept the license agreement (I do not provide it here). If you accept, then you need to do the following:

Basically, there is nothing more to comment here: now you either have an ISO image with Windows 10 - and you can burn it to a DVD (or on a flash drive, I’ll talk about this later in the article), or you already have a bootable USB flash drive (it all depends on what you chose in step 3, see description above).

In general, in my opinion, this tool from Microsoft is very convenient and effective for preparing installation media (what was missing for so long before...).

To help!

You might find this article useful on how to burn an ISO image to a USB flash drive. - (there are a couple more ways listed there).

Method 2: Using Rufus utility (BIOS, UEFI)

To run the program, you need an ISO image (for example, the one we created in the previous step).

Utility for work - Rufus

One of the best utilities for burning bootable USB flash drives. Despite its small size, the utility is very multifunctional. The most important thing: it allows you to burn flash drives both for classic installation (from BIOS) and on new PCs with UEFI support. For “contrast”, I will consider both options.

How to create a bootable USB flash drive in Rufus (Important! All data on the flash drive will be deleted when performing this task) :

insert the flash drive into the USB port and run the program as administrator (just right-click on the utility icon and select it from the context menu);
Device: specify a USB drive (special attention - if you have several flash drives/disks connected to your PC);
Partition layout and system interface type: MBR for computers with BIOS or UEFI-CSM; (if for UEFI - indicate GPT for UEFI computers);
File system: NTFS (for UEFI - FAT 32);
Cluster size: 4096/8192 bytes (default);
New volume label: custom field;
Quick formatting – Yes;
Create an extended label and device icon – Yes;
Create a boot disk - ISO image. Click the button and specify the path to the Windows 10 image(for UEFI, specify the Windows 10 64-bit image). Check the Standard Windows installation option;
The last step is pressing the button "Start", the program will ask you again about formatting the media. We just agree and wait for the operation to complete (all setup steps are shown in the screenshots below).

Method 3: Using UltraISO

Ultra ISO

One of the best programs for working with ISO images: it allows you to create them, burn them to flash drives and CD/DVD discs, edit them, modify them, extract files from them, etc. In general, an indispensable tool if you work with ISO images...

To create an installation flash drive in UltraISO, you need to do the following (we'll look at it step by step).

1) First you need to download and install UltraISO (this is standard, I don’t consider it), and run the program as administrator (to do this, right-click on the program icon and select this option in the context menu)!

2) Then you need to open the ISO image - click File/open, or you can press a combination of buttons Ctrl+O .

Opening an ISO image // UltraISO

2) If the image opened and there are no errors, then click menu (see screenshot below).

Burn UltraISO hard drive image

3) In the next step you need to set the basic recording settings:

disk drive - specify the letter of the flash drive (Attention! If you have 2-3 flash drives connected to your PC, you can easily make a mistake. All information from the flash drive will be deleted during the recording process!);
recording method: USB-HDD+ (if the flash drive won’t boot into anything, try specifying the option USB-HDD no pros/cons);
then click the button "Record" .

Recording Settings // Ultra ISO

4) Actually, all you have to do is wait until the information is written to the flash drive. The recording time depends on the speed of your USB port, the ISO image (the number and size of files on it), and the PC load.

The recording is completed successfully - the installation flash drive is ready!

Method 4: Direct recording to a flash drive

Important! Such a flash drive will only work on modern computers/laptops with UEFI support (if you created a flash drive using this material, but the computer does not see it, most likely you do not have UEFI, but BIOS. Just rewrite it using the first three programs/methods: Microsoft Media Creation Tool, UltraISO, Rufus).

An excellent free archiver that supports dozens of formats: 7z, rar, zip, etc. It can extract files from an ISO image (which is what is needed for this task).

Probably the most famous archivist in Russia. In general, it is in no way inferior to the first, and also allows you to extract files from ISO.

1) First you need to format the USB flash drive. To do this, go to "This computer", right-click on the flash drive and select "Format" (as in the screenshot below).

2) Specify the file system FAT 32! It is also recommended to do quick formatting (cleaning the table of contents).

Important! All data from the flash drive will be deleted when formatted.

Note: to do this, simply right-click on the ISO image and select 7-Zip/open from the context menu (as in the screenshot below).

4) Then simply extract all the files from the image to your flash drive. For this purpose in 7-Zip click the button "Extract", and then select your drive. In general, everything is quite simple. Similar actions will be carried out in WinRar.

After all the files have been extracted to the flash drive, you can proceed.

That's all, successful and quick installation of Windows 10.

This article discusses in detail how to install Windows 10 from a flash drive. A flash drive means not only a removable flash drive, but also a DVD disk, but due to the fact that CDs are going out of use, we will focus on a flash drive.

At the end of the instructions, typical problems that the user is likely to encounter at the stage of creating a bootable drive and installing the operating system from it through the boot menu are discussed.

Please note that when using a licensed edition of Windows 10, which was obtained through a free update, before performing a clean installation of Windows 10, you must upgrade from the old system to Windows 10, and only then reinstall the operating system.

This maneuver is necessary so that the license of the previous OS is “captured” and tied to your computer and Microsoft account, so that after reinstalling Windows 10, it can be automatically activated the first time you connect to the global network. It became possible thanks to the release of a large-scale update package for the “ten”, released in early August 2016.

In this regard, some messages for activation or performing operations to skip entering a key during installation of the operating system may be invalid, but are noted just in case.

The first step in preparing to reinstall the system is to create a bootable digital media (in this case, a USB flash drive) with a distribution kit (compressed installation files of the operating system). To carry out the action, we will resort to the official application from Microsoft, which can be downloaded at https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/software-download/windows10.

Please note that the bitness of the downloaded utility must match the bitness of the installed edition of Windows 10. Information about the current OS edition can be obtained from the properties of My Computer.

When the application is downloaded, click on the “Create an installation drive for another computer” icon, then select the “tens” interface language and its version (you should select the one for which there is a license, because when switching to another edition of the OS, the license is not transferred). This does not apply to bit depth; when moving from x64 to x86 and vice versa, the license remains the same.

Then we connect the drive to a free USB port, check the “USB flash memory device” option and wait for the installation files to finish downloading to the computer and copying them to the media.

This official utility from Microsoft will allow you to acquire a flash drive with the original image of Windows 10. In this case, you will be offered to download the distribution kit of the specific edition of the OS to which you can upgrade on the current computer (the box with the recommended operating system will be checked by default).

Please note that after updating the application, it does not offer to select the edition of Windows 10 (professional, home). This is already done during the installation process.

If you have an ISO image that makes sense to store on your hard drive, you can create a flash drive at any time to reinstall the system using any convenient method:

by simply deploying the image to a portable digital media, if you are using a computer with UEFI, but the flash drive must be formatted in FAT32 in advance;
using the command line;
using specialized applications (Rufus, UltraISO).

For more information on methods for preparing a flash drive, see the adjacent article in the section.

Before installation

The most important thing that beginners forget about before formatting the system partition before copying files of the new operating system onto it is saving the files stored on it.

All data from the desktop, “Downloads” and “My Documents” directories should be copied/moved to another logical or physical drive.

We set the computer to boot from a flash drive. There are two ways you can go here:
Visit the BIOS/UEFI, find the menu or options responsible for the priority of bootable devices and set the USB device on which the installation files are located (ideally, other USB devices should be disabled) in first place. But after the first reboot of the computer (it will be done automatically during the OS reinstallation process), the priority will have to be changed back in order to allow the computer to boot from the hard drive and continue installing Windows 10. How to enter the BIOS and where to find the boot menu in it, look in the manual for laptop or motherboard, or on the Internet.

Use the quick access function to the boot-menu and boot from any drive without changing BIOS settings.

After this, an inscription will appear on a black background, requiring you to click on any keyboard key. Press any button and wait for the installer program to appear.

In the first window of the installer, you must select the version of the language to be installed from the list of supported packages, as well as the time format and input method. In principle, the default language should be Russian.

In the next interface, click “Install”.

Further, the windows in different situations (using an outdated image, for example, or the state of the license), the windows may differ. In one case, a dialog for selecting a "tens" release may appear, but most likely, if you downloaded a new ISO file, there will be one of the following:

If there is a key for the “ten”, it must be entered in the text form that appears;
When there is no license key, for example, you became the owner of a free update to Windows 10, skip this action by clicking “No key” or “Skip”. In this case, the system will be installed, but will not be activated, which will entail the appearance of offers to purchase a key and will impose some restrictions on the functionality of the OS.
When upgrading to "ten" without first installing it in order to transfer the license key to your computer (the key will be linked to the unique hardware ID and Microsoft account, if you have one). Here you should abandon the following steps, upgrade from Windows 7-8, and only then take the opportunity to perform a clean installation of the new operating system.

Then we will read the new license agreement, where you should pay attention to the clauses on the collection of user data for their subsequent processing and the rest regarding confidentiality and data protection. Click “Next” if you agree with all the points.

We decide on the installation option:

An update is actually the same as an update if you switch to Windows 10 from older versions of the OS - in this case, all system files along with programs, settings for them and user data will be copied to the Windows.old directory. The process is similar to a regular update, so we won’t consider it.
Custom installation - will make it possible to install a new operating system, deleting all user and system files and will allow you to change the logical structure of the drive. We will focus on this option, because it is more expedient.

By clicking on the custom installation option (for experienced users), we find ourselves in the interface for selecting the future system volume with the ability to change the disk structure (re-partitioning).

Here you should not be alarmed if the number of disks is several more than you are used to seeing in Explorer or the file manager. Let's briefly look at the proposed options, their consequences and cases of application.

If the operating system has already been installed (you are using a purchased computer without an OS, which is practically impossible to encounter now), in addition to the partitions created by the user, several additional volumes with a capacity of hundreds of megabytes will be shown, as well as disks reserved by the system. It is better not to touch these partitions, unknown to a beginner: one of them stores the bootloader, the second contains a copy of the “ten”, which allows you to reset the OS to its original state.
Select the current system partition or volume to which you want to copy the Windows 10 installation files. To format it (clear the table of contents in order to get rid of all files), select the disk and call the “Format” command by clicking on the corresponding button. Then click on the “Next” icon to continue the installation without changing the structure of the logical volumes. If there is another version of Windows on the disk that will be the system one (it doesn’t matter whether it was “seven” or XP), you should delete the system volume and create it again in an unallocated area to automatically form the missing volumes with a bootloader or a future image to perform a “ten” reset. .
If you choose the option without formatting and deleting, the operating system will be installed on the current system partition, if there is the necessary free space on it. The old OS will completely fit into the Windows.old directory, as discussed above, thus saving all the user’s files.
If you use a separate drive for Windows 10, for example, an SSD, or there is no important data on it, you can delete all partitions, format the disk, and then recreate its structure (or format each partition separately) and select the desired volume as the system one .
By selecting a partition that does not have an operating system, you can install two versions of Windows on your computer that will work properly, and a window for selecting them will appear when the computer starts. All user data will be saved in this case.

It may happen that when you select a volume to install Windows 10 on it, a window will appear with information that it is impossible to install the operating system on the selected partition or something like that. In this case, you will have to convert partitions from MBR to a new one - GPT. There is a separate instruction for solving such a problem, and there is no point in repeating it.

After you have decided on the option and solved the problem that arose, click “Next”. As a result, the installer will start the process of copying files to the system disk, and then restart the computer.

If a message appears asking you to click on a key, you should not do this. The next time you restart your PC, you will have to go into the BIOS and change the priority of boot devices, selecting the HDD with the new operating system first. If you wish, you can restart your computer using Reset and perform the suggested actions now, but it is not recommended to interrupt the system in this way.

After this, the installer will prepare files for installing the operating system, as well as configure system components. At this stage, the screen may flicker and the computer may restart. No action should be taken in such cases, just wait.

After unpacking the system files and other operations with them, you will be prompted to connect to the Internet via a radio interface using WiFi technology. If you have and subsequently use a Microsoft account, it is recommended to connect, otherwise it is optional.

Next, we carry out the initial setup of Windows 10. To use the proposed configuration, click “Use standard settings”, which is strongly not recommended. To make all settings manually, click “Settings”.

How to make the correct settings is also described in one of the articles, but you can confidently disable most of the parameters, nothing bad will happen in this case. Almost all of them are responsible for Windows 10's privacy and user tracking. If you have any questions or doubts, it is better not to touch the option.

After this, the installer will offer to log in using an existing Microsoft account or add and configure a local account on the current computer. If there is no Internet connection yet or it is not active, you can only use a local account. This will not affect the status of the license in any way.

Here is the final stage - configuring and installing classic applications and preparing the “ten” for the first start. As a rule, the process takes no more than or about 10 minutes, but with older PCs it can take half an hour. Make sure that during this time period the computer’s power supply is stable and nothing interrupts its operation.

After some time, the login animation will appear and the desktop will load.

Additional information for beginners

After installing Windows 10, you should ensure that drivers for all devices are up to date. Although “Ten” copes with their installation, the automation of the process is far from ideal, which is associated with many problems: the latest version of the driver is not installed, the most suitable product is not installed, the OS uses an unofficial version of the driver, the device is not detected or does not work correctly, and etc.

First of all, you should get drivers for the motherboard, chipset and video card by downloading them from official resources. No driver packs should be used. For laptops, you can visit the support site and download all the necessary programs; computer owners will have a more difficult time. If you encounter problems updating your video adapter software, use the Display Driver Uninstaller application.

If everything is in order, we install the necessary software, customize the system for ourselves and create an image to restore it, for example, using True Image, although Windows 10 offers a simple tool for this. Thus, installing Windows 10 from a flash drive next time will turn into simply deploying the created image to the system partition.