How to create a portable USB Win10 Tech Preview drive

[NumLock21]

Windows Portable also known as Windows to Go is a Windows 8 Enterprise exclusive feature that lets users run a portable version of the OS right from the USB drive. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to prepare a USB drive and setup your very own portable drive running Windows 10 Tech Preview

 

What you need

A computer with a USB 3.0 Port. USB 2.0 might work, but it will be slow. Add on USB ports are not supported

A USB 3.0 flash drive with at least 32GB. The flash drive needs to have a high read and write. The higher the better

Windows 10 Tech Preview ISO

Back up any data on the USB flash drive you want to use for this tutorial. This tutorial will wipe out the data from your USB flash drive

 

Sign up and Join Windows Insider Program to download Windows 10 Tech Preview ISO

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso

 

Download and Install Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)

For Win8/8.1/8.1 w Update: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39982

For Win7: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5753

For Win Vista: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10333

 

Preparing the USB flash drive

1. Connect the USB drive you want to use to your computer

2. Open up command prompt with Administrator

3. In command prompt, type in the following commands follow by Enter (Hyphen not needed "-")

-Diskpart

-List Disk

-Select disk #

# = the number your flash drive is assign to

-Clean

-Create Partition Primary

-Format FS=NTFS Quick

-Assign Letter X [any letter that is not in use, except drive letter A and B]

X = the letter you wish to assign to your USB flash drive

-Active

4. When it's done, type exit to exit from DiskPart and then click the X to close off command Prompt

5. Open your C drive, create a new folder and name is as "wim" without quotes

6. Go to the location where you have download the Windows 10 Tech Preview ISO. If you are running Windows 8 and newer, then right click on the ISO and mount it. For other OS use a ISO mounting utility of your choice. If you don't have any, then burn the ISO to a actual DVD

7. Inside the Windows 10 Tech Preview ISO, go to Source folder and find Install.wim

8. Copy Install.wim to the wim folder you had just created in the C drive

9. Open up WAIK's command prompt (not the standard command prompt)

10. Type in (without quotes) "imagex /apply c:\wim\install.wim 1 x:" (It's bolded so it's easier to read)

X = the letter you had assigned to your USB flash drive

This will take some time to complete, so be patient

11. When it's done, still in WAIK's command prompt, navigate to C:\Windows\System32

Type in the following, follow by enter (no need to type in the hyphen "-")

-CD\

-CD Windows

-CD System 32

Alternative method

-CD\

-CD Windows\System32

12. Inside C:\Windows\System32. Type in bcdboot x:\windows /f all /s X:

X = the letter for your USB flash drive

And that completes the tutorial on how to create your very own portable Win10 Tech Preview USB drive.

This method can also be used for Windows 7 and 8 as well as 8.1. Just copy the install.wim file from the OS you want

use. Note that 8.1 does not have Install.wim but uses a encrypted version call Install.esd. You will have to decrypt that file by converting it to Install.wim in order to deploy onto a USB drive.

[mrsimplycrazy]

Wow! Nice, this is helpful

[cesrai]

Nice.

[Aniallation]

How is this any different from making a bootable drive for 7 or 8.x?

 

You can just use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool or Rufus and avoid all this. 

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/239026-how-to-create-a-bootable-usb-drive/

[NumLock21]

How is this any different from making a bootable drive for 7 or 8.x?

 

You can just use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool or Rufus and avoid all this. 

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/239026-how-to-create-a-bootable-usb-drive/

Rufus creates a bootable USB with the Win7 or 8 setup files for installation to a computer. This lets you run the OS directly from the USB drive and does not do any sort of installation. Also Rufus isn't even needed if you want to create a bootable USB. In this tutorial, just follow steps 1-4. When done, copy the entire contents from your Windows DVD to the USB flash drive and viola! Your bootable USB drive is complete. Rufus is needed if you want to create a UEFI bootable USB flash drive, since doing the manual way is a bit complicated.

[Gamerfanatic]

Hey,

 

I don't know if you know anything about that, but I just installed build 9926 (Was the only .iso I had) on my SanDisk Extreme and when I try to start it just shows the Windows boot animation. (I let the PC sit for 15 - 20 Minutes but nothing is happening)...

 

Thanks 

Joe

[Hanleo]

I'm using WinToUSB,it is more simple and easy to use and my SanDisk Extreme works perfectly.