Software

Install Windows 8 From A USB Stick

Many netbooks and low-profile laptops are ditching the optical drive in favour of portability, which means that installing Windows 8 via a burned DVD is inconvenient at best. Luckily you can easily do it with an 8GB or larger USB stick.

Ghacks points out that Microsoft’s own Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool works perfectly fine for Windows 8, so grab it and use that to image the Win 8 ISO file you downloaded onto your USB drive. The site has more detailed instructions and screenshots, but the utility is pretty straightforward.

How To Install Windows 8 From USB Key [Ghacks]

Originally published on Lifehacker

More:
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- Windows 8 Blue Screen Of Death: Like A Sad Girl Texting You
- Windows 8 Slate (Tablet) Hands On: It’s Pretty Fantastic
- Everything You Need To Know About This Week’s Windows 8 News

Discuss

(12 Comments)
  • [–]

    warcroft

    Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    Can you run an article on Windows 8 being able to boot from USB?
    I dont mean install from USB, but being able to boot Windows 8 from a USB stick on any PC. A portable OS.
    Then, once booted, accessing all your files on Skydrive.
    Skydrive now has 25GB free storage and unlimited storage for images and Office documents.

    Reply
    • [–]

      warcroft

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 9:40 AM

      And so, on that, with USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt combined with USB sticks being muuuch cheaper than solid state drives. . . could this be the way to go?

      Reply
    • [–]

      Drew

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 2:42 PM

      Good luck with drivers etc etc

      Reply
    • [–]

      Mike

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 2:45 PM

      Agree. Article on running Windows 8 from USB.
      (or on Virtual Box)

      Reply
  • [–]

    Joel

    Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Sounds familiar…

    Reply
  • [–]

    Harvz

    Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    what about people on XP?

    Reply
    • [–]

      MotorMouth

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 10:58 AM

      They are to be pitied.

      Reply
      • [–]

        Steve

        Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 12:46 PM

        Bahaha gold!

        Reply
    • [–]

      warcroft

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 11:28 AM

      XP? You serious? People still clinging to that old relic?

      Reply
    • [–]

      Sicarius123

      Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 12:13 PM

      Upgrade to an OS that isn’t at EOL support.

      Reply
  • [–]

    adrian

    Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    XP will only install if it thinks it’s on a CD/DVD. If you can find a Scandisk pen drive, an old one, you can get a utility that increases the size of the “CD” install that’s on it, and you can slipstream the xp install into it… (i have all the gear, just no inclination to do it anymore)

    you know, you can make a USB installer for a vista/win7/win8 i guess using xcopy :\*.* /e/f/s :\ onto a clean active partition.

    Reply
  • [–]

    Wok

    Friday, September 16, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    /Me thinks this is nothing new. Win 7 would with no hacking whatsoever.

    Reply

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