Create Bootable Windows 8 Installer USB With Win8USB
There was a time when we could only install Windows on our computers using CDs. Installing Windows from a USB flash drive seemed a thing of the future, but today, using a USB flash drive to install Windows is as common as using DVDs. Newer versions of Microsoft Windows, like Windows 7, can be installed in two ways: directly while running a previous version of Windows, or using a bootable USB / CD. If your PC doesn’t have an OS installed, you will need a bootable USB flash drive to boot the system into Windows installation setup. Previously, we have covered tools to install Windows 7 from a bootable USB drive, including Windows 7 USB/ DVD Tool, a tool that allows you to create a bootable USB flash drive in only 2 simple steps, and WinToFlash, a utility to copy Windows installation files from a DVD disc to a USB flash Drive, SD Card or external HDD. Since the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 is out, we decided to feature Win8USB, an application that lets you create a bootable USB flash drive for installing Windows 8. Keep reading to find out more about Win8USB after the break.
It is an application for Windows that allows you to create a bootable USB of Windows 8 installer using an ISO image. The application has some pre-requisites that you need to address before you can start making bootable USB drives of Windows 8. First, you need to have Windows Vista or above installed on your system to create a Windows 8 bootable USB. Second, you may require administrative privileges to write boot code to selected USB drive.
The utility offers you a complete package for creating the bootable USB drive. It allows you to format your USB flash drive, extract files on to the drive and write the USB Boot MBR. To create a bootable USB flash drive, select the drive that you want to use as the bootable USB drive and specify the source location of Windows 8 installation ISO file stored in your computer. Now, check the Format drive option and click Create to begin the writing process.
A couple of things to keep in mind is that you’ll need to have the Windows 8 ISO at hand for Win8USB to work. Also, make sure that the USB drive is of at least 4GB storage capacity. The application works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.
