How to Create a Windows 10 Installation USB with Rufus (Tutorial)

Summary

This guide demonstrates how to create a Windows 10 bootable USB using Rufus. It starts by requiring an 8GB USB drive and downloading Rufus from its official site. The tutorial then instructs on selecting the ISO file for Windows 10, choosing between GPT or MBR partition schemes, and customizing the installation. The process includes downloading the ISO file through Rufus or uploading it manually, setting the volume label, and initiating the creation of the bootable drive. The guide concludes with verifying the USB's contents and booting into the Windows 10 installation, with additional resources provided for further assistance.

Takeaways

• 📂 To create a Windows 10 bootable USB with Rufus, you need a blank USB flash drive of at least 8GB.
• 🌐 Download Rufus by searching 'Rufus USB' on Google and selecting the standard Rufus from the official page.
• ✅ Ensure to check for updates when Rufus is launched by clicking 'yes' on the prompt.
• 🔍 For the boot selection, you can either use a pre-downloaded Windows 10 ISO file or download one directly through Rufus.
• 💿 If downloading through Rufus, choose the version, release, edition, language, and bit type of Windows 10.
• 🖥️ For newer computers, select GPT partition scheme which is compatible with UEFI BIOS, while MBR is for older computers with legacy BIOS.
• 🔄 Rename the volume label of the USB to something descriptive like 'Windows 10' for easy identification.
• 🔧 Customize the installation options in Rufus if needed before proceeding with the creation of the bootable drive.
• ⏲️ The process of creating the bootable USB typically takes about five minutes to complete.
• 💡 Once done, the USB flash drive will contain the necessary files to boot into the Windows 10 installation, and you can use it to upgrade your computer.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the guide?

The guide is to show users how to create a Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive using Rufus.

What is the minimum size requirement for the USB flash drive?

The USB flash drive should be at least 8 gigs in size.

How do you find Rufus on the internet?

You can search for 'Rufus USB' on Google, and the best match should be the official Rufus webpage.

What version of Rufus is recommended to download?

The standard Rufus is recommended for downloading.

How do you check for updates in Rufus?

After opening Rufus, you can click on 'yes' to check for updates.

What is the source for the Windows 10 ISO file?

The Windows 10 ISO file can be downloaded from the official Microsoft webpage.

How does Rufus assist in downloading the Windows 10 ISO file?

Rufus has an option to download the ISO file directly from within the application by selecting the 'download' option.

What are the two partition schemes available in Rufus?

The two partition schemes are GPT and MBR.

Which partition scheme should be used for newer computers?

For newer computers, GPT is recommended as it uses a UEFI BIOS.

What should you name the volume label of the USB flash drive?

You can name it something descriptive like 'Windows 10'.

How long does it usually take to create the bootable USB flash drive with Rufus?

It normally takes about five minutes to complete the process.

What happens after Rufus finishes creating the bootable USB?

Once finished, Rufus will show 'ready' status, and the USB flash drive will be renamed to the volume label you chose.

How can you use the created bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 10?

You can shut down your computer, set the USB flash drive as the boot device, and it will boot into the Windows 10 installation.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Setting Up a Windows 10 Bootable USB with Rufus

This paragraph provides a step-by-step guide on creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 10 using Rufus. It starts with the requirement of a blank or formattable USB drive of at least 8GB. The user is then instructed to visit the Rufus website to download the software, ensuring to select the standard Rufus option. Upon launching Rufus, the user selects the USB drive from the device list and proceeds to choose either a disk or an ISO image for boot selection. The guide offers two methods for obtaining the Windows 10 ISO file: downloading it manually from the Microsoft website or using Rufus to download it directly. It details the process of selecting the Windows version, edition, and language, and choosing between a 64-bit or 32-bit version. The guide also covers selecting the partition scheme (GPT for newer computers or MBR for older ones), customizing the volume label, and initiating the creation of the bootable drive. The process concludes with a confirmation of successful creation and a prompt to check the USB in File Explorer.

05:01

🚀 Booting from the Windows 10 USB and Further Assistance

The second paragraph discusses the outcome of successfully creating a Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive. It describes the appearance of the files on the USB drive, including the setup application that can be used to upgrade a computer to Windows 10. The guide also explains how to boot from the USB by selecting it as the boot device in the computer's shutdown menu, which leads to the Windows 10 installation process. The author references other guides on his channel that provide further instructions on installing Windows 10 and offers to link them for additional help. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to like the video if they found it valuable and a promise of future communication.

Keywords

💡Windows 10

Windows 10 is an operating system developed by Microsoft, representing the latest version at the time of the video. It is the main subject of the video as the guide is focused on creating a bootable USB flash drive for installing this operating system. The script mentions downloading a Windows 10 ISO file from the official Microsoft webpage, which is a disk image file used for the installation.

💡Bootable USB flash drive

A bootable USB flash drive is a portable storage device that contains an operating system which can be used to boot a computer. In the context of the video, the host is teaching viewers how to create such a device with Windows 10 using Rufus, so that they can use the USB to install the OS on a computer.

💡Rufus

Rufus is a free and open-source portable application for Microsoft Windows that is used for formatting and creating bootable USB flash drives. In the video, Rufus is the tool of choice for creating a Windows 10 bootable USB, with the script detailing the steps to download, install, and use it for this purpose.

💡ISO file

An ISO file is a disk image file format that contains an exact copy of data which can be written to a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive. In the script, the ISO file for Windows 10 is either downloaded manually or via Rufus, and it is essential for creating the bootable USB drive.

💡Partition scheme

The partition scheme refers to the method used by a computer's BIOS to organize its storage devices. The script mentions two types: GPT (GUID Partition Table), which is used with UEFI BIOS for newer computers, and MBR (Master Boot Record), which is used with legacy BIOS systems for older computers. The choice between GPT and MBR is important when creating a bootable USB.

💡UEFI BIOS

UEFI BIOS (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Basic Input/Output System) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. It is mentioned in the script as the type of BIOS that would typically be used with the GPT partition scheme on newer computers.

💡Legacy BIOS system

A legacy BIOS system refers to the older type of BIOS that was used in computers before the introduction of UEFI. The script suggests that if a user has an older computer, they might need to use the MBR partition scheme, which is compatible with the legacy BIOS system.

💡Volume label

The volume label is a user-defined name for a storage device, such as a USB flash drive. In the video, the host instructs viewers to change the volume label of the USB flash drive to 'Windows 10' for easy identification, enhancing the user experience during the boot process.

💡Installation

Installation in the context of the video refers to the process of setting up and preparing the Windows 10 operating system to run on a computer. The script details the steps to create a bootable USB that will initiate the installation process when the computer is booted from this device.

💡Setup application

The setup application is the executable file that runs the installation process of an operating system. In the script, it is mentioned that after creating the bootable USB, the setup application file can be found on the USB drive and used to initiate the Windows 10 installation.

Highlights

Introduction to creating a Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive using Rufus.

Need for a blank USB flash drive of at least 8GB or one that can be formatted.

Instructions to plug the USB into the computer.

How to access the Rufus webpage and download the standard Rufus.

Launching Rufus and checking for updates.

Selecting the USB device in Rufus.

Choosing between disk or ISO image for boot selection.

Downloading Windows 10 ISO file from Microsoft's official webpage or via Rufus.

Guidance on selecting the Windows 10 version to download.

Choosing the edition and language for the Windows 10 ISO file.

Selecting between 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows.

Downloading the ISO file using Rufus and saving it.

Setting the image option to standard Windows installation in Rufus.

Selecting the partition scheme: GPT for UEFI or MBR for legacy BIOS.

Customizing the volume label for the USB flash drive.

Starting the process of creating the bootable USB and formatting the flash drive.

Monitoring the status of the bootable USB creation process.

Completion of the bootable USB creation and verification in File Explorer.

Using the bootable USB to upgrade or install Windows 10.

Transcripts

Welcome to this quick guide where I'm going to show you how to create a Windows 10 bootable

USB flash drive with Rufus. And if you get any value out of this video, please click the like

button and subscribe to the channel. But to get started with the guide, if you want to create a

Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive with Rufus, the first thing that you're going to need is a

blank USB flash drive that's at least 8 gigs in size or just a flash drive that you don't mind

formatting. So you can go ahead and get that and then you can just plug that into your computer.

And once you've done that, you can go ahead and open up the browser on your computer.

And then you can do a search on Google for a Rufus USB. The best match should be the Rufus

webpage. So you can go ahead and click on that to go to the Rufus webpage. And then once you're here,

you can just scroll down all the way until you get to the downloads. And I just recommend that

you choose this first option, which is the standard Rufus. Once it's downloaded, you can

just click on open file. It's going to launch it. You can just click on yes so it can check for

updates. And then it's going to open Rufus on your computer. Now the first thing you'll see here

is the device. And if you only have one USB flash drive plugged in, which you should have only one

plugged in, you'll see it here listed in the device tab. And you can just go ahead and select

that make sure the correct one is selected. Now next you'll see the boot selection, which is disk

or ISO image. Here you have two options. You can either go and you can do a search on Google for

download Windows 10. And you should get the Microsoft webpage to download the Windows 10 ISO file.

And you can get it from the official Microsoft webpage. And I've got a separate guide on how to

download this. But the point is you can choose to download this ISO file and then save it on

your computer. And if you click on select, you can then select that ISO file and click on open.

And it's going to use that ISO file. Or you can click on this little arrow next to the select

button. Then you can select download, then you can click on this download button.

Then Rufus will prompt you for what version of Windows you want to download. And here you can

also choose Windows 10. You can select that, then you can click on continue. Then it's going to

prompt you which release of Windows 10 you want to download. You should only be able to download

the latest release. So you can just select that and then click on continue. Then you can choose

the edition and right here I only have one selection anyway. So it's going to be home pro

education. And then next you can click on continue. Then you can choose the language that you want to

download. For most of us, it should be English international or English US. I'm just going to

select English US because that's what I normally use. Then you can click on continue. And next you

need to select if you want a 64 bit or a 32 bit version of Windows x86 means 32 bit and that's

64 bit. So I'm going to stick with 64 bit. And then you have the option to download this using

a browser or you can just click on download. And it's going to prompt you where you want to save

that ISO file. You can just give it a name and then click on Save. And it's then going to start

downloading the Windows 10 ISO file via Rufus to your computer. Now I've already downloaded this.

So I'm just going to click on cancel and then click on close. And like I showed you before,

I'm just going to use the select option, then click on select and then choose the Windows 10

ISO file that I downloaded manually. But the image option, you can leave that on standard

Windows installation. Now for the partition scheme, you've got two options, which is GPT

and MBR. If you have a newer computer, you'll most probably use GPT, which uses a UEFI BIOS.

And if you have an older computer where you want to install Windows 2, you'll most probably be

using MBR, which uses a legacy BIOS system. Now I'm going to be selecting GPT because most of you

will use GPT. But if you find that you create this USB flash drive and you're unable to boot from it,

you can always come back and recreate it and then just choose the MBR option. But once you've done

that, you can just change this volume label to something like Windows 10, because that's going

to be the name of this USB flash drive. And then the rest you can just leave on default. Then you

can click on start. You can also customize the installation. I'm just going to select all of

these and then click on OK. You'll be prompted if you want to format the flash drive. Just click on

yes and click on OK. And then it's going to start creating that Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive.

And you can have a look at the status of it down here. And you'll just need to wait for it to

finish, which normally takes about five minutes. And once Rufus is finished, you'll see the status

turned to ready. And then you can go ahead and close it. And now if you go ahead and open up a

file explorer window and go to this PC, you should see that flash drive is now called Windows 10 or

whatever you renamed it to. And if you double click on that to open the files, you should see

all of the files look like this. And you'll also have this setup application file. And you can also

use this to upgrade your computer to Windows 10. But if you go ahead and you shut down your computer

and you choose this USB flash drive as the boot device, it's going to boot into the Windows 10

installation. And I've got some other guides on my channel showing you how to install Windows 10.

And I'll link those on the screen now. But this has been my guide on how to create a bootable USB

flash drive with Windows 10 on it using Rufus. And if you got any value out of this video,

please give it a like and I'll talk to you guys soon.