Tag Archives: create

Create USB installation media for Windows 8.1

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This video is for users that have purchased Windows 8.1 from the 123myIT.com Store or Microsoft and would like to create a USB installation media drive.

Hi All
This is a pretty cool one so I thought I would make a video on it to help people out. If you have purchased a copy of Windows 8.1 software through the 123myIT.com Store or directly through Microsoft, but didn’t buy the DVD or receive the ISO file as a download you will be able to follow this video and create USB installation media for Windows 8.1.
This process uses a tool called “Windows installation Media Creation Tool” and will allow you to download and create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB or ISO file. You can later on burn that ISO file to a DVD if you wish. And 123myIT has a few videos to show you how to burn ISO files to DVDs. See below.
On Windows
How to Burn an ISO to DVD Windows Bootable
Or a Mac.
How to Burn an ISO or DMG file to DVD on a Mac
The draw back to this process is you will need a legit product key to install the software. Also this process can only be done on a Windows computer. That can be a boot camp or VMware Mac or just another other Windows PC.

Windows 8.1 Product Key
If you are looking for the link the Windows installation Media Creation Tool, you can find it on the 123myIT Download page here. Or if you want the direct link to the Windows installation Media Creation Tool page you can click here.

You will need an internet connection to download the software and prepare for it to take some time as the 32bit version of the Windows software is around 3GB in size and the Windows 64bit version is around 4GB in size. If you are copying the files to DVD or USB make sure that that have 4GB or large capacity.

I hope that helps out.
Cheers
Matt

How to create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB

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Microsoft has released Windows 8 and 8.1 in digital and physical formats. You can install the new Windows operating system by either downloading the ISO file or by a DVD. But what can you do if none of these options are suitable for your situation? You can create a bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive.

The main benefits to using a bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive is that its compatible with every device that runs Windows. You don’t need to have a DVD drive on your hardware to install it, just a USB port. Its easier to store and carry and installs times are much faster than a DVD.

So what do you need to set up the USB?

You will need the following to create a Windows 8.1 USB drive:
* A 4GB USB drive or larger;
* Windows 8.1 ISO file or DVD, you can download an ISO file from the downloads section of 123myIT website here.
* Any device that can run Windows.
* Windows product key. You can find it on the 123myIT Downloads page here.

I already have a Windows 8 Product Key, can I update it?
The answer is yes. If you own Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, you can download and install Windows by using your product key. Click here.

How do I create the Windows 8.1 USB drive from a DVD or ISO file?
After downloading the Windows 8.1 ISO follow the steps below.
1. Insert your 4GB USB drive.
2. Open the Command Prompt by pressing Windows Key + R and type “cmd” of go to Start Run and type “cmd”.
3. In the black command windows type “diskpart” and this will open the partitioning software, so that you can start to format the USB drive.
4. Run the following commands.
* DISKPART> list disk
“list disk shows all of the active disks on your computer”
* DISKPART> select disk #
“# represents the number for your USB flash drive”
* DISKPART> clean
“deletes any existing partitions on the USB flash drive”
* DISKPART> create partition primary
“creates a primary partition on the USB flash drive”
* DISKPART> select partition 1
“selects the partition you just created”
DISKPART> active
“makes the partition active”
DISKPART> format FS=NTFS quick
“This command will format the USB with the NTFS file system”
* DISKPART> assign
“assign a volume and drive letter to the USB drive”
DISKPART> exit
“exit Disk Partition”

Once complete your CMD or command window should look something like this.

Diskpart Commands

Copying the Windows 8.1 files from the ISO file or DVD drive to your Windows 8.1 USB drive.

The next step is to use XCOPY to copy all the files on your ISO file or DVD to the Windows 8.1 USB drive. Use the command below to get started. Change the “H and F” drive to suit the letters of your ISO file or DVD drive and USB drive. For more info watch the video above.

XCOPY H:\*.* F:\ /E /H /F

Once you finished typing the command it should look like the screen shot below.

Xcopy Commands

And the hard part is now done. Simply plug in your bootable Windows 8.1 USB drive into any Windows PC and you will be able to boot and install Windows 8.1.

Good Luck.