The process should take about 30 minutes, give or take, depending on your internet speed. Go get a drink, take a walk or browse the internet while the tool does its job. Microsoft's tool will take care of the rest from there. I recently built my first gaming PC, and despite my mild comfort level with Terminal, I still found using a Windows computer to be a safer and easier process. It's not a process that I'd recommend for the average user. 5.)īesides an empty 8GB USB drive and a Windows PC, you'll need to set aside about 30 minutes, maybe longer, depending on your internet speed.įor those curious, it's possible to use a Mac to create a Windows 10 boot drive, but the process is fairly involved and requires familiarity with Terminal, the Mac's command-line tool. (You can also create a boot drive for Windows 11, if you're wanting to test out the newest version of Windows before it's released on Oct.

And if you're building a gaming PC, this is one of the last things you'll need to finalize your build. The backup media can save you both time and a headache if you ever need to reinstall Windows. I promise.Ĭreating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive is something you should definitely do if you own a Windows computer.

Creating the drive is a task that sounds complicated and something that requires plenty of tech savvy, but in reality, it only takes a few clicks of the mouse and a solid internet connection to complete. The first time I heard the term 'bootable USB,' I felt a tinge of panic. In addition to common issues to look for, there's another task you should take on - create a bootable USB drive. Troubleshooting an old and slow PC isn't a fun experience, but it's also something you can do on your own at home.

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