Windows 10 is just around the corner, and a lot of users are now ready to upgrade free to the latest and greatest. However, there will be users who are still skeptical about Windows 10 and those who need more time to upgrade.
Many of those users who won't be upgrading immediately may opt to create a dual-boot system to start using Windows 10 alongside Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. After all, this could be considered one of the safest method to test an operating system.
Typically before beginning with a dual-boot setup (instructions that you can check from my previous guide), users will first need to download the Windows 10 ISO file for either 32-bit or 64-bit architecture from the Microsoft servers. Then they will try to create a bootable media using the "Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool", which for a good period worked pretty well.
However, most computers sold today, such as Surface Pro 3, Surface 3, Dell XPS systems, and others, use a new BIOS called UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), which is a standard firmware designed to replace the old BIOS standard.
When you plug in the USB drive with the Windows 10 installation files and boot your computer, you'll probably notice that either (1) the bootable media won't be recognized or (2) you might even get some other errors, as many user have reported in the Microsoft community. If you try to do a clean installation using the "Custom" install you'll get a message that you cannot install Windows 10 because the partition you're trying to use is GPT (GUID Partition Table). .
This error could be the case if you use the "Windows USB/DVD tool", which creates a bootable USB drive using MBR (Master Boot Record) partition and not a GPT partition.
You can also try configuring the BIOS to use the "Legacy Support" to boot with the USB installation media if it wasn't detected before. However, you will probably get the error "no OS found" when rebooting your PC, so this isn't the solution.
Now, how you do solve the issue? While it will be a good idea for Microsoft to update its USB/DVD tool to let users customize the creation of installation media, the company wants you to update from Windows Update. But we know many there are many users who prefer to upgrade the old fashion way.
Using Rufus to solve the problem
Lucky there is an easier way, you only need the right tool. You need Rufus, a utility designed to create bootable USB drive for systems using MBR or GPT partitions.
Rufus is also a standalone utility, meaning that installation isn't required, just download, double-click the executable file, and you're ready to go:
Once you have Rufus open, the first thing you have to do is to choose from Device the USB you want to use to copy the Windows 10 installation files.
Then select GPT partition scheme for UEFI, leave the "File system" and "Cluster size" on the default settings, and remember to enter a label for the drive.
Make sure that Create a bootable disk using is checked and ISO Image is selected from the drop-down menu.
Next click the drive icon and open the Windows 10 ISO file you want to write to the USB drive, and click Start to finish.
Download the Windows 10 ISO files
That's all.
Now, try to boot your computer with the new Windows 10 USB installation drive and you should be able to install the operating system normally alongside your previous version of the operating system.
Thanks for the tip @Swizzlerz!
Reader comments
How to create a Windows 10 USB installation media with UEFI support
Thanks for this! I had to do a clean install after an error ruined my previous install of Widows 10. After using the Microsoft ISO burner tool I couldn't instal using UEFI and GPT. 4 installs later and I found this article, and was sorted within an hour!
I read about ntfs and fat32 and almost reading about almost the same probelm with other people should fat32 i chose when i rufus win 10 iso?? I used ntfs does it make any difference? Hope someone reads this.
Just tell me someone how can i find a solution to my problem. I just want install win 7 instead tof this sh*t win 10. I dont know what happen. I didnt install anything and my copy of Win 10 is certified. I think the OS itself broke my computer i installed win 8.1 and 7 on my laptop but nothing happened like this. (So i have experience installing using rufus) my hard drive have partition. Just cant reinstall or do anything. im really stuck! Ive research but nothing.
Someone plss hellp meee !!! I hate windows 10!
i had a problem with windows 10!
I installed it using rufus i leave all default settings. I was successfully installed the OS i used for a few minutes but when i restarted it. Im stuck at login screen.! My mouse is moving but cant click on the password box or any element on the screen. My keyboard freezes cant type. But when opening my computer, i can enter bios hitting F2. I tried to reinstall windows 10 (using bootable usb i used to install) and win 8.1 on CD drive on my lptop but somehow it cant be recognized i tried to rearrange boot priority but nothing happens it loads then im stuck in login screen. Cant use my lptop. plss someone help. Press any key to boot from "usb" or "cd" is not appearing its like any ports or drives cant b recognized im stuck at login screen and can enter bios setup only. What should i do???. Microsoft tell a solution to this. If you want video of the problem i can send it. Plsssss
I mean by cant recognize my ports and drives is in bios it detects the disk or bootabe usb with windows but cant run or go with the installtion its just load the win logo then im stuck in login screen.
This is all good and everything.... but riddle me this:
I have an asus vivotab smart with Win 8.1... I want to create a copy of its hdd(sdd or whatever) and save it on a usb stick or maybe an external hdd... just in case so I can copy it back and restore it, just in case... how do I do that?
Ive searched the forms from here to there and the info/steps are lacking... use this program that program (top programs from easus and others) ...UEFI problems..etc... is it impossible?
If i dual boot on my win8.1 tablet or win7 laptop then the win10 I install will always be the 'preview version' (?) since I did not install it from updating from win8.1 or win7?
Thank you. I used Rufus for exactly the same purpose 2 days ago.
I initially tried with ISO2USB to no avail. Rufus saved the day!
There is an easier way, in windows 8 (or 10) you can "mount" the iso...
(WinRAR from rarlabs.com can extract the iso to a folder. Copy the contents of the "virtual cd" or folder to a new virgin flash drive....
This will boot with uefi enabled
stevethenerd gives useful info here, the rest including the op should be ashamed of yourselves, such a simple task made so difficult, this is why we can't have nice things, just saying
"How to install Windows from USB using UEFI"
http://blogs.technet.com/b/home_is_where_i_lay_my_head/archive/2012/10/0...
You forgot to mention that if your PC/Tablet is bricked, and you are starting fresh, nothing will work when you first boot windows, there are no drivers installed - for instance, your wireless card will not work, and you have no internect connection to download the drivers in order to install them. I learned the hard way, and had to download on another PC, and then put them on the SD card in my Dell Venue 8 Pro. My device was completely bricked, wouldnt do a thing. Just make sure you have drivers from your OEM website first, and then your good.
On my Dell Inspiron it works like this:
- Format the USB drive to FAT32
- Extract the contents of the Windows 10 iso to the drive
- Reboot into boot device selection and voilà
Despite being a techie, I didn't get anything. LOL
Good on you Mauro. That is the tool I use to create them. Installing this new Windows build didn't bring back my touch screen functionality on my Asus tablet though. Not sure how to resolve that one. :(
Okey, where can I get this gorgeous wallpaper?
Here you go -http://www.wallpaperhi.com/Architecture/Bridges/golden_gate_bridge_1920x...
As always, excellent how-to Mauro!
just format your flash into fat32
Has anyone tried this on a Surface 3 (not pro 3). Up to now my S3 will not recognize any boot media for clean installs.
Several months ago, I did this to install the Tech Preview in a separate partition on my laptop's hard drive. Since then, they've started requiring Execute Disable Bit for installation, and there is no option to turn it on in my BIOS. I am unable to install the preview (and I'm afraid that this will affect my ability to install the RTM on July 29). I've posted in the Microsoft community, and in my OEM's forums (Lenovo forums) and haven't found a solution :(
I had to enable execute disable bit for build 10130 but disabled it for build 10162 and its been working fine.
I've tried 10162 but it didn't work... I'll try again though
Still didn't work :/
Sounds like a pretty old laptop
LOL. 2013... But what can I say -- it's Lenovo.
Are you using UEFI or legacy? If UEFI try legacy boot instead, had a similar problem with a lenovo yoga.
UEFI. I should have clarified -- I'm trying to upgrade, not fresh install. Would Legacy Boot still affect this? I'll change that and try again just in case. Here's a link to the thread btw http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_wintp-insider_i...
Installation still fails, thanks for the suggestion though.
Nooiicceee
Why not use Windows usb dvd tool.
Why not read?
You're very very late dear.. I use it from ages.. Good Article about explanation tough..
And before you, people may have been using it. Were you late, ahem, very very late, too? There are many who have never done this procedure and for them this is extremely helpful.
I had to use Rufus to get my bricked HP Stream 7 running after build 10049 left it without wifi, sound drivers and a bunch of other issues. I had even tried to install the drivers manually and they didn't work. I just recently got build 10162 to work then upgraded to build 10166 but the only peculiar thing is that the start menu doesn't stay open. It works for a second then crashes. I have no idea why.
Need that wallpaper!
http://feelgrafix.com/732787-amazing-golden-gate-wallpaper.html
In order to boot from both BIOS and UEFI you need FAT32. So exactly as MRGoodsmith described apart from the format command (fs=ntfs should be fs=fat32). Active and BOOTSECT.EXE are needed only for BIOS boot. FAT will not fit files that are larger then 2GB in size, which is insufficient for the install.wim. So FAT32.
The wallpaper looks gud .!! And a daring thing to do this stuff;)
I agree the wallpaper is really cool! Went to comment that before I read the article. It was very eye catching.
+720
Even I used Rufus. That's awesome sw
Been using Rufus for forever
For the file system, can I choose NTFS or do I have to select a FAT variant?
Try FAT first and it doesn't work, then use NTFS. Thanks,
If that doesn't work, try Phat
You will have to use fat32 for uefi boot.
My computer is complete unusable with this last build! I can't open start menu, notification center and modern apps. Nothing based on modern seems to work, only desktop apps. What should I do? I can't even open the settings app!
I can't connect to internet with my Nokia DNA internet stick...
I have revert back to win 7.. waiting for official release
Gee, I can't believe I'll have to go back to 8.1. 10162 was SO stable..
No problems here with 10162 or even 10166.
Yeah, I had no problems with 10162 neither. But now the only thing I can use is Spotify, it's the only desktop app pinned to my task bar. The other are in the start menu. Well :(
Spotify works if you do not use Facebook login, use the normal login. Or you Use Microsoft's new Groove Music service hehe.
I had a problem with the start menu in build 10166, after a few seconds it crashed, no matter what i did.
I just recovered it in settings to start all over (clean) and it seems to be working okay now. I think it had something to do with the Windows Store as the problem appeared after some app updates. I had this problem also on build 10162, just when i was about to upgrade to 10166.
Posted via the Windows Central App for Android with my Note 4.
But how can I get to the settings app if I can't use the start menu nor the Cortana search bar. The only thing I can do is Spotify, literally. If I have the ISO image from build 10162, can I go back using it?
Have you tried right clicking on the desktop and choosing personalize to open settings? It worked for me when the start menu and action center wouldn't open.
Yeah, nothing related to modern is working. Apps, Start Menu, Cortana, Notification. Only Destop apps.
Then create a bootable usb from build 10162 ISO. Once in setup choose the repair computer option go into troubleshooting and reset your PC from there.
Well, I will try that. Thank you!
While installing the latest ISO file with Windows 7 Tool in my Asus Vivotab NOTE 8 everything went well (IN TERMS OF FILES COPIED TO THE HARD DISK), but at 1st boot it took a long time to get to the desktop and when it did it was showing a message of a criticar error that "start and cortana are not working" and "log out to solve the issue". So I did but the problem keeps showing up. I manually turn off tablet and when booting it was showing "defaultuser0" then it took me to a screen to name the computer owner, password, etc. and later on Build 10162 was running.
I updated all drivers (cause touch and other features won't work) but I realize that everytime I want to open Start Menu, closes quickly, like crashing. This problem is still there since Tuesday and .EXE apps are not executing quite well.
Yesterday night I reinstalled ISO again with the previously mentioned method, but I haven't checked how the tablet behaves; perhabs it could be related to the installation method, so I'll try this method and see if it gets better.
Has anyone have this issue with tablets?
It is because of the phone Companion app. Not sure how in the world a bad app can crash what should just be a list of shortcuts but that is what does it. Just uninstall it or remove it from the start menu and Start menu will work again.
I had that problem. What I did was create a new user account, log in as that user, then log back into my account. It seemed to restore my start menu and notification center and has been working ever since.
Windows+R
Taskmgr
Then select More Details. In the File Menu, select Run New Task and type Powershell. Be sure to check the box to run it with administrative privileges.
Once in Powershell, copy this command first and hit enter:
Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + “\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml”)}You’ll see a Deployment Operation Progress popup. Wait for this to complete and it should fix the Start Menu and Action Center.
To get the Cortana Search and your Metro Apps to work, you’ll have to run this one from Powershell:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}This second command basically downloads and reinstalls all of your Metro Apps, including the built-in Windows ones like Cortana Search.
Source: http://www.rbrussell.com/2015/01/30/windows-10-build-9926-start-menu-cor...
I know it's for an older build, but it should still work.
I'm able to install Windows 10 from USB media with legacy booting. There is a way to create the USB media without third party tools. Here is how:
- Plug your USB drive into a machine with Windows 7 (or later) and run cmd as Administrator, then run these commands:
> diskpart
> list disk (find the USB drive number - say 2)
> select disk 2
> clean
> create partition primary
> list partition (find the main partition - say 1)
> select partition 1
> active
> format fs=ntfs quick
> assign
> exit
Then on the boot folder of the ISO run
> bootsect.exe /nt60 k:
(where k: is the USB drive)
the best way :), always create win7 usb similarly.
I was just thinking diskpart, however ntfs will not boot GPT. Fat32 will.
Windows 7 USB /DVD is still easier.
Windows 7 USB /DVD tool does not do fat32, therefore will not boot GPT. That's the whole poi t of the article, yeah?
To boot with UEFI add the following command between clean and create partiton primary
convert gpt
Then use fat32 as the filesystem rather then ntfs and skip the bootsect command completely.
You might also need to disable 'fast boot' and make sure legacy usb is enabled on some systems otherwise it won't start the UEFI loader correctly (Samsung and Lenovo laptops have this problem).
But how can you remember this? I always have to google/bing it :/
Planning on using gimagex or wds(from my home server)
These instructions are wrong. The format command needs to be
format fs=fat32 quick
This is the whole point of the article, as UEFI requires the boot media to be fat32... NTFS is not supported for external boot media under UEFI (and the old Windows7 usb creation tool formats as ntfs).
UEFI requires a FAT32 partition to boot.
-Format your USB storage device with FAT32 to a maximum of 32GB
-Mount the W10 ISO and copy its contents to the USB storage device
-Make sure the USB storage device is in a port supported for booting, BIOS/ USB2.0, UEFI USB2.0/3.0 port.
-Restart the computer and boot from the USB storage device. Note: You may have to set your firmware to Legacy BIOS/UEFI CSM for this to work. If you do, set it back to UEFI when you're done.