For a clean installation of Windows you need a bootable USB stick. There are two proven routes: the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, which handles the download and the stick in one step, and the program Rufus, which writes an ISO file you have already downloaded to the stick and offers more settings while doing so.
What you need
- A USB stick with at least 8 GB. Everything on it will be erased.
- A Windows computer with an internet connection.
- Around 10 GB of free space on the hard drive for temporary files.
- Time: the download is around 5 GB.
Route 1: Media Creation Tool
- Open the official download page: microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 for Windows 11 or microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 for Windows 10.
- In the section about creating installation media, download the Media Creation Tool and run it.
- Accept the licence terms and choose Create installation media for another PC.
- Choose the language and architecture. In most cases the pre-selection is right; for a different computer, clear the tick next to Use the recommended options for this PC.
- Choose USB flash drive and then the correct stick from the list.
- The tool downloads Windows and writes it to the stick. Leave the computer alone while it does so.
- When Your USB flash drive is ready appears, you can unplug it.
Route 2: Rufus with an ISO file
Rufus is a small, free program you will find at rufus.ie. This route suits you if you already have an ISO file or want to set the partition scheme yourself.
- Download the ISO file from the Microsoft download page mentioned above. Alongside the Media Creation Tool, there is also a direct ISO download there.
- Start Rufus. The program does not need to be installed.
- At the top, under Device, select your USB stick. Check the name carefully.
- Click Select and choose the ISO file.
- Set Partition scheme to GPT and Target system to UEFI if you are installing on a modern computer. For very old computers with a classic BIOS, choose MBR.
- Click Start and confirm the warning that the stick will be erased.
- Wait until the bar shows Ready.
Starting from the stick
Plug the stick into the target computer and restart it. During start-up, open the boot menu – depending on the manufacturer, with F12, F11, F9, F8 or Esc. Select the USB stick there. If the stick does not appear, switch off Fast Boot in the UEFI and check that the boot mode is set to UEFI.
If something goes wrong
- The stick is not recognised: Try another port, ideally USB 2.0 directly on the motherboard rather than on a hub or a front port.
- The Media Creation Tool stops with an error code: Often there is not enough space, or a virus scanner is blocking it. Free up space and switch the scanner off briefly.
- An error message about install.wim: On sticks formatted as FAT32 the file size is limited. Rufus solves this automatically by splitting the file – in this case, use Rufus rather than copying by hand.
- The stick boots, but setup does not start: Check that Secure Boot and the partition scheme match. GPT goes with UEFI, MBR with the classic BIOS.
- The stick can no longer be used normally afterwards: Reformat it using Windows Disk Management.
If the stick simply refuses to boot, get in touch via our contact page and tell us the device model and Windows version.