That’s it. Your USB is now bootable.

Installing an operating system involves formatting drives. Always back up your data before starting this process to ensure no important files are lost.

Standard USB 2.0 or slow USB 3.0 drives will be painfully slow. For a usable experience, you must use a high-speed USB 3.0 or USB 3.2 drive (like a SanDisk Extreme or Samsung FIT Plus) or an external SSD.

Type each command, pressing Enter after each:

This process requires a high-quality USB drive. A standard USB 2.0 drive will be too slow. You need a USB 3.0, 3.1, or 3.2 drive with at least 32GB of storage (64GB or more recommended).

This takes 15–30 minutes. Grab a coffee.

Type list disk – identify your USB drive by its size. Type select disk X (replace X with your USB’s number).

Whether you are building a new PC or rescuing a laptop that won't boot, knowing is a fundamental tech skill. This guide covers the two main ways to use a USB: creating "Installation Media" to install Windows onto a computer's hard drive, and creating a "Windows To Go" drive to run the OS directly from the USB. 1. Preparation & Requirements Before you begin, ensure you have the following essentials: