Embed a full computer in your pocket by installing a full version of Windows on a bootable USB drive from any PC.
Taking your Windows system on a USB key to start it on any PC is quite possible. The functionality, called Windows To Go, was integrated for the first time in Windows 8. In principle only reserved for the Enterprise and Education versions of Windows, the creation of a Windows To Go USB key is however possible with all versions of the system. operating system using third-party software.
To take advantage of it, you will need a USB key with at least 32 GB of storage space in USB 3.0. Prefer storage media offering high performance so that the use of the operating system is fluid.
1. Download the Windows ISO
Before you start, you will need to download the installation disk image of the version of Windows you want to use (and for which you have a license key). You can use the Windows ISO Downloader software for this, which makes it easy to download the Windows disk image.
Launch the program, move the advertisement window displayed on the screen and select the version of Windows you want to download. Choose an edition, press Confirm, then select the language of the disk image to recover before clicking Confirm.
Finally, click on 32 or 64 bits depending on the version of Windows you want to obtain and confirm the download by clicking on Save.
Download Windows ISO Downloader (Free)
2. Download Flashboot
To install Windows on the USB drive so that a computer can boot the system directly from it, you will need the Flashboot utility. The free version of the software offers the possibility of creating bootable USB keys, but also of carrying out the complete installation of the Microsoft operating system on the key in order to start a computer on it.
Download Flashboot for Windows (Free)
3. Identify the BIOS of the machine that will run Windows To Go
To find out if your computer is in BIOS or UEFI mode, press the Windows + R key combination then in the Run window, type msinfo32.
In the System Information window that opens, locate the BIOS Mode line. If the value shows UEFI, your PC is in UEFI mode. If your PC is in Bios mode, the value will display Inherited.
4. Create the USB medium
Connect the USB stick to your PC and open Flashboot. On the first page of the program wizard, click Next and then select Full OS -> USB.
The following window presents the options available in the free version of the program (Free Features) but also in the paid professional version. We will only be interested in the free options. Depending on the mode used by the computer on which Windows To Go, BIOS or UEFI will be run, select Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10 (for BIOS-based computers) or Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10 (for UEFI-based computers) and click on Next.
Then select ISO or ESD File and click on the three little dots to open the file explorer and choose the Windows installation disc image that you previously downloaded. Validate by clicking on Next.
In the next window, Flashboot detects all the versions of Windows that can be installed with the disk image you submitted to it. Select the version of Windows you want to use for your Windows To Go USB key (and for which you have a license key) and click Next.
From the drop-down menu that appears, select the removable storage media to use for creating your Windows To Go USB key. You can, if you wish, customize the name of the USB media or leave it as is. Check all your settings in the summary window by clicking Next.
Finally, click on Format Now to start the process of installing Windows on the USB drive. Depending on the write performance of your USB media, the installation process may take several tens of minutes or even several hours. Be patient and let the software run until the installation is complete.
5. Allow your PC to boot from a Windows To Go USB key
Click on the start menu of the PC on which you want to use your Windows To Go USB drive and then, in the search field, type Windows To Go. Click on Windows To Go Startup Options, then in the window that appears, select Yes, then click Save changes (you must be logged in to an administrator account of the machine).
6. Modify the boot order
Connect the USB key to your computer, then when starting the PC, make sure that the latter can boot from an external device. To do this, you need to access your machine’s BIOS and change the order of priority of machine startup. As handling may differ from one PC to another, refer to the user manual for the procedure to follow.
7. Start Windows from the USB key
Once the computer is booted on the key, configure the operating system as you would on a new computer.