Making a bootable Windows USB stick with Rufus

[Aniallation]

I've noticed that plenty of people have been saying that the Windows "7" USB/DVD Download Tool hasn't been working for them, spitting an invalid ISO error when using official Windows 8.x or Windows 10 Technical Preview ISOs, or copies of Windows 7/8 obtained from.... "third parties". Or going through the process fine but booting from the USB doesn't work.

 

Well, the solution to most of these problems is to try using an awesome piece of software called Rufus. Same concept as the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool, but uses it's own method of creating a bootable drive that in my experience has had a much higher success rate (in fact, 100% in my usage). 

 

*** This guide is NOT guaranteed to work if you have a computer with native UEFI boot or Secure Boot. This means many OEM desktops and laptops that come preinstalled with Windows 8.x ****

 

First off, download Rufus from the official site here: https://rufus.akeo.ie/

 

Secondly, make sure you have the Windows ISO. I've tried Rufus with the following ISOs and they've all worked perfectly:

 

-Windows XP

-Windows Vista

-Windows 7 

-Windows 8

-Windows 8.1 

-Windows 10 Technical Preview

 

Thirdly of course, you'll need your USB stick. A 2GB or larger stick will be needed for XP, 4GB or larger for Vista and 7, 8GB and larger for Windows 8.x and 10

 

Now, let's get started.

 

1. Select ISO

 

Rufus is a portable program. It does not need to be installed, so just launch it, and plug in your USB stick.

 

If you only have one storage device plugged into your computer aside from the hard drive, Rufus will select it automatically. However it's still a good idea to look at the top and make sure the drive selected is correct, the easiest way to tell is by capacity. My USB stick is 32GB, so the entry in this case is correct.

 

Select your ISO by clicking the small button with a picture of a CD, then browsing to the file and double clicking it

 

 

 

2. Make USB

 

Click the "Start" button to make your USB. It's always recommended to have Rufus format your USB to NTFS for you, and it's enabled by default, so like the warning says, YOUR DRIVE WILL BE FORMATTED AND ALL THE DATA ON IT WILL BE DELETED. If it's a blank drive or you've saved what you need off of the drive, click OK and the process will begin.

 

 

After the USB is done, you CAN still use it to put files on!!! More info at the bottom

 

3. Boot from USB

 

Once the drive is done, remove it from the PC, and insert it into the PC that you want to install Windows on. Make sure it's off, then power it on.

 

You'll need to look for an indication to get to a "boot menu" or startup options. 

 

On this Gigabyte motherboard for example, it's displayed at the bottom when the splash screen is displayed, so keep repeatedly pressing the F12 key until the boot menu appears. For Asus this is often the F8 key instead.

 

 

On my laptop, when booting in the corner it says press ESC to get to startup options, so I keep pressing ESC until the startup menu appears.

 

 

Then press F9 to get into the boot menu.

 

 

 

 

Once in the boot menu, simply use the arrow keys to select your USB drive, and then press Enter.

 

 

A prompt will come up saying "Press any key to boot from USB", press any key.

 

 

Wait a bit for everything to load into RAM, and you'll be at the Windows installation screen!

 

 

 

 

FAQ: Can I put other files, such as drivers, on the USB after Rufus does it's thing?

Answer: Yes!

 

The drive can still be used normally after Windows installation files are copied over, HOWEVER make sure that you do NOT move or delete any of the files created by Rufus, as they are needed to install Windows properly.

 

If you want to put drivers, your music, your sex tapes, or whatever on your USB alongside Windows, I would make a single new folder in the root of the USB, and then put everything you need in that folder, so you're not accidentally touching the Windows install files.

 

 

 

*** of course, once you are done installing Windows, you may delete the files, and/or format the drive back to FAT32/exFAT if it wasn't NTFS before***

 

[TheSLSAMG]

I just use WinRAR to extract the ISO files to the USB drive and it always works. I can have it as NTFS or FAT32, it doesn't make a difference.

[Aniallation]

I just use WinRAR to extract the ISO files to the USB drive and it always works. I can have it as NTFS or FAT32, it doesn't make a difference.

That used to work for me as well until my HP laptop, which no longer accepts doing it that way. My friend's Asus laptop doesn't either. 

[wyattzx]

This needs to be stickied and renamed to "How to install Windows with an ISO."

[shujin]

This needs to be stickied and renamed to "How to install Windows with an ISO."

well you can do it with a cd (don't kill me people)

[Syntaxvgm]

this is much, much easier to do with command prompt. You know DISKPART works for this right? It's a windows function. 

[Master Disaster]

I just use WinRAR to extract the ISO files to the USB drive and it always works. I can have it as NTFS or FAT32, it doesn't make a difference.

  

That used to work for me as well until my HP laptop, which no longer accepts doing it that way. My friend's Asus laptop doesn't either.

This method does work and is the easiest way to get a bootable USB drive.

As for the whole format question, its really simple. If you have a legacy BIOS then you will need a drive formatted in either NTFS or FAT32, if you have a UEFI then your drive must be formatted to FAT32 otherwise it won't work.

[slightlyjaded]

Video on how to convert a windows installer usb boot drive to a native uefi boot drive

 

 

Had to use this when I setup my xp941

1:22 and easier to watch than to explain it. the guy does a good job

[ItsFTP]

Or not format the drive and just copy the windows 10 files unziped and run the following as admin.

E:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 E: /force

E:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 E: /force /mbr

[Guest]

Quality tutorial, common knowledge but I respect the effort and think it should be stickied. 

[Satlen]

I just use WinRAR to extract the ISO files to the USB drive and it always works. I can have it as NTFS or FAT32, it doesn't make a difference.

 

^^^This^^^ I don't know why people keep using tools to create there USB drives when you can extract it lol. Maybe it is some UEFI thing that needs to saved into the usb, but extracting always works for me.

[Syntaxvgm]

^^^This^^^ I don't know why people keep using tools to create there USB drives when you can extract it lol. Maybe it is some UEFI thing that needs to saved into the usb, but extracting always works for me.

You don't even need to do that. You can mount an ISO in windows without any extra tools. 

[Satlen]

You don't even need to do that. You can mount an ISO in windows without any extra tools. 

 

Yeah, with windows 8+ but with 7 or lower you need virtual clone drive.

[Syntaxvgm]

Yeah, with windows 8+ but with 7 or lower you need virtual clone drive.

worth a mention, don't use daemon tools anymore. Last time I checked it included malware. Search conduit and shit like that. A lot of people were pretty shocked at their decision to do that. 

[Satlen]

worth a mention, don't use daemon tools anymore. Last time I checked it included malware. Search conduit and shit like that. A lot of people were pretty shocked at their decision to do that. 

 

Have no idea what you are talking about. I have used VCD for years and never had a single problem.

 

Edit: Just realized you meant daemon tools the program. Yes, that software is crap, I don't know why anyone uses it.

 

Edit again: Just completely opened your sig in like 20 seconds using tab+enter

[RyomaSJibenG]

worth a mention, don't use daemon tools anymore. Last time I checked it included malware. Search conduit and shit like that. A lot of people were pretty shocked at their decision to do that. 

so what's a good alternative aside from Daemon? and no not using CD/DVD

[Syntaxvgm]

Have no idea what you are talking about. I have used VCD for years and never had a single problem.

 

Edit: Just realized you meant daemon tools the program. Yes, that software is crap, I don't know why anyone uses it.

 

Edit again: Just completely opened your sig in like 20 seconds using tab+enter

ssssssssssssssssshhhhh

and if you are on firefox, you didn't see it all.

And it was quite nice, the lite version at least, back when windows had no mounting tool. 

[Syntaxvgm]

so what's a good alternative aside from Daemon? and no not using CD/DVD

the built in windows tool.

If not, I see this suggested a lot 

http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/

or you could find a really old version of daemon tools lite on oldversion.com or somehting, but note the old versions are not windows 8 compatible. 

[RyomaSJibenG]

the built in windows tool.

If not, I see this suggested a lot 

http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/

or you could find a really old version of daemon tools lite on oldversion.com or somehting, but note the old versions are not windows 8 compatible. 

so does this compatible with windows 8?

what about magicISO, do people still use them?

[Syntaxvgm]

so does this compatible with windows 8?

what about magicISO, do people still use them?

I don't really know since I've used the windows mount tool myself. 

[RyomaSJibenG]

@Syntaxvgm ok then, where can i find this windows mount tool in windows 7 or 8.1?, a specific name should do great so i can find it

[Syntaxvgm]

@Syntaxvgm ok then, where can i find this windows mount tool in windows 7 or 8.1?, a specific name should do great so i can find it

right click on an iso and click mount.

[RyomaSJibenG]

that's it? like really? i never knew that

[Syntaxvgm]

that's it? like really? i never knew that

I have to admit I missed it's existence for a while. It's native to 8 I believe but I THINK it was added to 7 via an update. 

[SmokingCrop]

If you want to do Windows 8.1, you don't need any of this. Just use the official way:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

 

It lets you choose to download the iso or install the iso on your usb.

but otherwise a very handy guide indeed.