Whether you’re installing Windows 10 on a machine for the first time, or looking to start over by reinstalling it on top of an old installation, it hasn’t been so easy to get Microsoft’s operating system on your systems. You don’t need a lot of tools out there, just an 8GB USB memory stick and a really working computer. If you have an existing installation, it may be worth trying a Windows 10 reset first.
Windows 10 64-bit system requirements
CPU: 1 GHz or faster
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 32 GB
GPU: DirectX 9 or later
Show: 800 x 600
You don’t even need to look for an ISO burning tool anymore, Microsoft provides everything you need on the software side of things thanks to its Windows 10 media creation tool. Just go to the Windows 10 installation location, then scroll down to File Create Windows 10 installation media clip, then press Download the tool now button. This will download the latest version of the media creation tool to your device.
Once downloaded, open the folder you saved it to and launch the app to get started. The first thing you have to do is Acceptance Microsoft Software License Terms, after which it will appear that it is Prepare some thingsbefore he gives you a choice Upgrade this PC now or Create installation media for another computer. This is the second option you want to check before pressing the next button.
You’ll then be able to set a different language, version, and architecture for your installation – useful if you’re installing Windows 10 on a completely different type of device, but in general you can stick to the recommended settings and hit Next.
Here is where you can decide if you want to copy the image directly to a file USB flash drive Or whether you want to create a file ISO file image. Want a USB option. Connect your drive to one of the USB ports, and select it on the next screen.
The tool will then download the actual Windows 10 installation files before checking them. How long this takes depends on your connection to the large network, but it shouldn’t take long. Once this stage is complete, you will then copy the image to your drive.
Once the files are copied through, simply eject the USB by right-clicking on it in the system tray and selecting Directed by, then remove the USB drive from your main device and plug it into a USB port on the device you want to install Windows 10 on. Go ahead and turn on the machine.
There’s a good chance that you’ll need to select the boot order for the drives on this machine, which will require a quick trip to the UEFI/BIOS—generally entered by repeatedly pressing F2 or delete while the machine is booting.
Once you are in UEFI or BIOS, you need to head to the section called Boot order and then Boot option priorities, and make sure that USB drives appear before the boot drive. Save changes and your device will automatically identify the drive and start installing Windows.
The rest of the process should be straightforward. You will need to select the keyboard layout and language for installation, and then decide where you want to install Windows 10. This last step is only tricky if you have multiple drives installed, so take it slow and make sure you have them installed on the correct drive (SSD is best).
On the site, Microsoft indicates that you will need a license to install Windows 10, although this is not actually the case. You can install it just fine without one. The resulting “preview” install doesn’t allow you to customize some aspects of Windows 10, and in theory, only important updates are installed — but in practice, you’ll be hard-pressed to discover any real differences about an active installation.
Well, apart from the watermark in the lower right corner of the screen, which says “Activate Windows”. This is something you can do at least anytime in the future, and it allows you to track down a regular license (about $139) or a low-cost OEM license if you so choose (which can be had for as little as $25 or even less if you shop around).
You can also remove the current Windows 10 session watermark by opening a file Command Promptwriting: slmgr- arm, and pressing enter. It will return on restart, but if you’re trying to get screenshots, that’s an option.