How to Create a Windows 10 Installation USB Drive or DVD

Microsoft has made the process of upgrading to Windows 10 extremely simple with the help of Media Creation Tool. The tool can be downloaded from Microsoft's official website. When executed, it allows you to upgrade your current operating system to Windows 10 right away, create an installation USB drive, or download the ISO image for the operating system to burn to a physical DVD and use the media for installation.

Using Media Creation Tool, the process of upgrading, downloading the ISO image or creating an installation USB drive is pretty simple. Here's how:

■Log on to your PC using an administrator account. (Windows 7 Ultimate x64 is used here.)

■Go to the http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 link and click the Download Tool Now (32-bit Version) or Download Tool Now (64-bit Version) button to download the Media Creation Tool according to the version of your current Windows.





■Once the download completes, double-click the downloaded file to initiate the process.

■On the What do you want to do box, click to select the Create installation media for another PC radio button.

Note: Alternatively you can also leave the Upgrade this PC now radio button selected to upgrade the current operating system to Windows 10.

■Connect a 4GB USB drive to the PC.

Note: The USB drive should be minimum of 4GB. Also, many users have reported issues with 8GB SanDisk USB drives, complaining that the Media Creation Tool doesn’t detect them.

■After the USB drive is connected to the PC, click Next to continue.





■On the Select language, architecture, and edition box, from the corresponding drop-down lists, choose your preferred language, the Windows 10 edition that you want to upgrade to, and the architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) depending on the architecture of the current operating system that you want to upgrade.

■Click Next to proceed.





■On the Choose which media to use box, click to select the USB flash drive radio button.

Note: Alternatively you can also choose the ISO file radio button if you wish to download the Windows 10 ISO file and burn the image to a DVD in order to use it as an installation media.

■Once done, click Next.





■On the Select a USB flash drive box, make sure that the USB drive that you want to use for Windows 10 installation is displayed under the Removable drives list and is selected.

Note: If the connected drive is not visible in the list, you can click the Refresh drive list link to get the drive.





■Click Next and wait till Media Creation Tool downloads the required Windows 10 files to the USB drive and makes the drive bootable.





■Once the process completes, you can use the regular method to install Windows 10 or upgrade the current operating system to it using the created USB installation drive.

View all of our Windows 10 Tutorials

Click to expand...