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How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive in Windows 8 Enterprise

August 3rd, 2015 by Admin

Windows to Go is a exclusive feature available in Windows 8 Enterprise only, which lets users create a portable version of the OS that can be used directly from a USB drive. Here’s how to create a Windows To Go USB drive in Windows 8 Enterprise, without using any third-party software.

How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive in Windows 8 Enterprise?

First of all we need to open the Windows To Go Creator. Press the Windows key + W, type “Windows To Go” and then press Enter. The Windows To Go Creator Wizard opens.
Select your USB drive. Although it’s recommend to use USB 3.0 external storage device, USB 2.0 should also work.
Select Windows 8 image (.wim) file from Windows 8 installation DVD. If you’re using a Windows 8 installation ISO file, you can extract the install.wim file from it with the freeware 7-zip.
Set up BitLocker password. By using Bitlocker, the USB drive and all data on it will be encrypted. This option is not mandatory, and you can skip it by clicking the Skip button.
Begin to create Windows To Go USB drive. This step displays the summary of settings and prepares your storage media for Windows To Go workspace. Clicking on Create at the bottom will start the process.
After this step, it begins to install Windows 8 on your USB drive. The whole process should take about 30 minutes, depending on the hardware from which you are running this.
Once a Windows To Go USB drive has been made you can choose whether to set up the host PC to boot from USB devices, or leave it as it is. You can close this wizard by selecting No, then choosing Save and Close.
Now your USB drive is ready for use.

Windows To Go Creator is only available in Enterprise edition of Windows 8. But with the freeware ISO2Disc you can create Windows To Go USB drive in any edition of Windows, so long as you have a Windows 8 ISO image.

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Tags: create windows 8 to go usb create windows to go usb run windows 8 from usb windows 8 enterprise windows to go

How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive with Freeware

April 27th, 2015 by Admin

Windows To Go is a new feature introduced since Windows 8, which allows you to install and run Windows 8 from a USB drive. It’s officially available only for Enterprise edition of Windows 8, but using the freeware ISO2Disc you can create a Windows To Go USB drive with any edition of Windows 8, 8.1 or 10.

Requirements:

A USB thumb drive (USB 3.0 is preferrable) or external USB hard drive with at least 16GB of space.
Windows 8, 8.1 or Windows 10 ISO image
The free ISO burning tool: ISO2Disc

How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive?

Click here to download the latest version of ISO2Disc and install it on your computer.
Plug the USB drive into your PC. Note the steps below will wipe out the entire USB drive, including all partitions! If there is important data, backup now before continuing.
Launch the ISO2Disc application. Click on Browse to select your Windows 8/8.1/10 ISO image.
Click on Burn to USB Flash Drive and then select your attached USB drive. Make sure the correct USB drive is selected (any content on the USB drive will be wiped during the creation process so this is a vital step).
If you’re going to use the Windows To Go drive with GPT partition scheme, select “GPT (required for UEFI boot)“. MBR partition scheme should be selected if your target PC can boot in Legacy BIOS or CSM mode only.
Under the Bootdisk Type, there are two options: Create Windows installation USB and Windows to Go (install Windows to USB). Select the second option as we need to make a Windows To Go USB drive.
Click on Start Burn, you’ll see “Your USB drive will be erased” warning. Click OK to prepare the Windows To Go USB drive.

This is the longest part so be patient. The process only took 15 minutes for me, even though I used an external hard drive with a slower USB 2.0 connection. But it could take more than one hour if a USB 2.0 thumb drive is used.
Once you’ve created a Windows To Go USB drive, you can bring it to boot up any computers. The first time you boot from a Windows To Go USB drive, you’ll have to go through the same first-time setup process you’d see after installing Windows on a computer normally. That’s it!