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JacksonRobertson's avatar
JacksonRobertson
Iron Contributor
Jan 13, 2025

How to Install Windows 10 on USB drive?

Hi, I’ve previously created bootable USB drives using the Windows Media Creation Tool, but these primarily serve as installation media rather than allowing me to run Windows 10 directly from the USB...
Eommy's avatar
Eommy
Silver Contributor
Jan 13, 2025

I want to share my recent experience of success and failure! I have always wanted to install Windows 10 on a USB, but I tried a lot of tools at first, but either failed or was annoyed by all kinds of ads. Later, I found that I could use the built-in Hyper-V function of Windows to simulate the installation and then deploy it on USB, and the effect was amazing!

Here are my complete steps, which are super simple. I only used official tools throughout the process, which is absolutely clean and safe. If you also want to know how to install Windows 10 on USB, keep reading!

Install Windows 10 on USB with Hyper-V: Simple Steps

  1. Enable Hyper-V
  2. Open "Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off", check "Hyper-V", and then restart your computer.
  3. Create a new virtual machine in "Hyper-V Manager", load the ISO file of Windows 10, and complete the system installation in the virtual machine.
  4. Insert a 32GB or larger USB, formatted as NTFS. Run with the command prompt in administrator mode:
dissm /Apply-Image /ImageFile:"C:\Path\install.wim" /Index:1 /ApplyDir:E:\

   5. Configure USB boot

   6.Configure boot command:

bcdboot E:\Windows /s E: /f ALL

Plug into another computer, set USB boot priority, and Windows 10 portable system is done! 

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