How to Create a Windows 10 Bootable USB Drive using DiskPart | Computer Systems Servicing Guide

Teacher Mej TV

21 Oct 202004:57

Summary

TLDRThis video tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on creating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive using the DiskPart utility. The video explains what a bootable device is and highlights the importance of storing necessary boot files for a successful boot process. It then walks through 12 easy steps, starting from opening the command prompt to using DiskPart commands for partitioning, formatting, and setting up the USB drive. The final step involves copying Windows 10 files onto the USB drive, making it bootable and ready for installation.

Takeaways

💻 A bootable device contains special files needed to boot a computer into an operating system.
🖥️ Common bootable devices include hard drives, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVD drives, and USB drives.
💾 Diskpart utility is used to create a bootable USB drive and manage partitions, formatting, and drive letters.
⚙️ Diskpart commands allow partitioning, formatting, assigning/removing drive letters, and converting disks from basic to dynamic.
🛠️ Step 1: Open a command prompt window as an administrator.
🔍 Step 2: Use the 'list disk' command to display all disks on the computer and identify the USB flash drive.
📂 Step 3: Use the 'clean' command to remove all data from the USB drive.
🔧 Step 4: Create a new primary partition on the USB flash drive using 'create partition primary'.
📝 Step 5: Format the partition using the 'format fs=ntfs' command and set a desired label for the drive.
🚀 Step 6: After copying Windows 10 ISO files to the USB, the drive becomes bootable and ready for installation.

Q & A

What is a bootable device?
-A bootable device contains special files required for the computer to boot into an operating system, such as a hard drive, floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, or USB drive.
Why can't a computer boot from a device unless it has boot files?
-Without the necessary boot files stored on the device, the computer cannot recognize it as bootable, meaning the device won't be able to initiate the boot process.
What is DiskPart, and why is it used in this process?
-DiskPart is a command-line utility that allows users to manage disk partitions, format drives, assign or remove drive letters, and create bootable devices. In this case, it’s used to create a Windows 10 bootable USB drive.
What is the first step in creating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive using DiskPart?
-The first step is to open a Command Prompt window as an administrator.
How can you identify the USB flash drive in DiskPart?
-You can identify the USB flash drive by typing the command 'list disk,' which displays all disks connected to the computer. You need to note the drive number or letter of the USB flash drive.
What does the 'clean' command do in DiskPart?
-The 'clean' command deletes all data from the USB flash drive, so it should be used with caution, ensuring the drive is ready to be reformatted.
How do you create a new partition on the USB flash drive using DiskPart?
-To create a new partition, you type 'create partition primary' after selecting the USB drive. This creates a primary partition on the drive.
Why is it necessary to format the partition, and how is it done in DiskPart?
-Formatting the partition is necessary to prepare the USB drive for data storage. In DiskPart, you format it using the command 'format fs=ntfs label=your_desired_label' where you specify the file system and label for the drive.
What is the purpose of the 'active' command in the DiskPart process?
-The 'active' command marks the partition as bootable, making it ready to boot an operating system.
How do you transfer the Windows 10 installation files to the USB drive?
-You mount the Windows 10 ISO file by right-clicking and selecting 'mount,' then copy all the files from the ISO and paste them to the root of the USB flash drive.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Introduction and Overview of Bootable Devices

The video introduces the concept of bootable devices, explaining that these are essential for a computer to boot into an operating system. Examples of bootable devices include hard drives, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and USB drives. However, without necessary boot files, the device cannot function as bootable. The focus of this video is on creating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive using the DiskPart utility, which allows users to manage and manipulate storage devices at a low level.

💻 What is DiskPart and Its Functions

DiskPart is introduced as a command-line utility that allows users to manage disk partitions and storage. It can perform various tasks such as partitioning, removing partitions, assigning and removing drive letters, converting disks between basic and dynamic types, and creating or extending volumes. Most of the actions that can be performed in Disk Management (GUI) are also available in DiskPart, making it a powerful tool for advanced users.

🛠️ Steps to Create a Windows 10 Bootable USB

The video begins detailing the 12 steps required to create a Windows 10 bootable USB using DiskPart. Step 1 is to open a Command Prompt window as an administrator, and step 2 involves typing 'diskpart' and pressing Enter, which may open a new command line window in certain versions. The utility will be used to manage the USB drive for bootable setup.

🔍 Identify USB Flash Drive and Clean It

In steps 3 to 5, the user identifies the correct USB flash drive by typing 'list disk' to display all disks connected to the computer. The user should then select the correct drive by typing 'select disk X' (where X is the USB drive number or letter), followed by the 'clean' command, which erases all data on the USB flash drive in preparation for reformatting.

📂 Partitioning and Formatting the USB Drive

Steps 6 to 8 guide the user through creating and formatting a new partition on the USB drive. First, the 'create partition primary' command is used to create the partition, and then the partition is selected with 'select partition 1'. Afterward, the partition is formatted using the 'format fs=ntfs' command, allowing the user to assign a label for the drive.

🚦 Activating and Preparing the USB Drive

In steps 9 to 12, the user completes the process by making the partition active using the 'active' command, exiting DiskPart with 'exit', and mounting the Windows 10 ISO file. The final step involves copying all the Windows 10 installation files to the root of the USB flash drive. At this point, the USB drive is ready to be used as a bootable Windows 10 installer.

🎉 Conclusion and Final Remarks

The video concludes by confirming that the USB flash drive is now bootable and can be used to install Windows 10. The speaker thanks the viewers for watching and leaves the audience ready to use their newly created bootable USB device for future Windows installations.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Bootable Device

A bootable device contains special files required to start a computer's operating system. In the video, examples of bootable devices include hard drives, USB drives, and DVD drives. These devices must have the necessary boot files stored to allow the computer to boot from them, which is the main theme of the video as it teaches how to make a USB drive bootable.

💡DiskPart Utility

DiskPart is a command-line utility in Windows that allows users to manage disk partitions. In the video, it is used to create a bootable USB drive by performing operations such as partitioning, formatting, and assigning drive letters. DiskPart provides control over many disk-related tasks, much like the Disk Management tool in Windows but through a command-line interface.

💡Partition

A partition is a division of a hard drive or other storage devices into separate, isolated sections. In the video, a primary partition is created on the USB drive to store bootable files. Partitioning helps organize data, and in this context, it is essential to create a primary partition so that the USB drive can be used to boot an operating system.

💡Command Prompt

Command Prompt is a command-line interface in Windows used to execute text-based commands. The video instructs users to open Command Prompt as an administrator to run DiskPart commands. Command Prompt is critical in this process because DiskPart operates through it, providing direct control over disk-related commands.

💡USB Flash Drive

A USB flash drive is a portable storage device that can be used to store data or, as shown in the video, to create a bootable device. The video focuses on converting a USB flash drive into a Windows 10 bootable drive using the DiskPart utility. The drive is cleaned, partitioned, formatted, and filled with the necessary boot files.

💡Format

Formatting prepares a storage device by erasing all data and setting up a file system. In the video, the USB flash drive is formatted to NTFS (New Technology File System) so it can store Windows installation files. Formatting is essential in creating a bootable device because it sets up the drive to properly organize and access files required for the boot process.

💡Primary Partition

A primary partition is a type of disk partition that can contain a bootable operating system. In the video, a primary partition is created on the USB flash drive to store the bootable Windows 10 files. Without creating a primary partition, the USB drive would not be able to function as a bootable device.

💡Mount ISO

Mounting an ISO file means making the ISO’s contents accessible as if they were on a physical disk. In the video, the Windows 10 ISO file is mounted so its files can be copied onto the USB drive. This step is critical because the ISO contains the necessary Windows installation files that will be transferred to the bootable USB drive.

💡NTFS

NTFS (New Technology File System) is a file system used by Windows for organizing and managing files on a hard drive or storage device. In the video, the USB flash drive is formatted to NTFS, which is necessary for it to store the Windows 10 installation files. NTFS supports larger file sizes and advanced data structures, making it ideal for bootable drives.

💡Active Partition

An active partition is the partition that the computer looks for when starting up. In the video, after creating and formatting the USB partition, the user marks it as 'active' using the DiskPart command. This step is crucial because it tells the computer that the USB drive contains the necessary files to boot the operating system.

Highlights

Introduction to creating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive using Disk Part utility.

Explanation of what a bootable device is and examples including hard drives, CD-ROMs, and USB drives.

Clarification that necessary boot files must be stored in a drive for it to be bootable.

Use of software, utilities, or applications is required to store boot files and make a device bootable.

Disk Part utility allows various disk management operations, such as partitioning, formatting, and creating volumes.

Most disk management operations available via Disk Management can also be performed in Disk Part as it is a command line utility.

Step 1: Open a command prompt window as an administrator to use Disk Part.

Step 3: Use the 'list disk' command to view all disks connected to the computer and identify the USB drive.

Step 4: Select the USB flash drive by its drive number or letter using the 'select disk' command.

Step 5: Clean the USB flash drive using the 'clean' command, which deletes all data from the drive.

Step 6: Create a new primary partition on the USB flash drive using the 'create partition primary' command.

Step 8: Format the partition using the 'format fs=ntfs label=yourLabel' command to prepare it for use.

Step 12: Copy the Windows 10 ISO files to the USB drive to complete the bootable setup process.

End result: The USB drive is now bootable and can be used as a Windows 10 installer.

Emphasis on using Disk Part utility in a command line interface for advanced disk management.