Create Bootable USB or DVD with Windows 8 ISO

How to Create a Bootable USB or DVD with a Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO


This tutorial will show you how to create either a Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 bootable USB flash drive or DVD to use to install the Windows 8 or 8.1 with.

Windows 8 and 8.1 System Requirements
Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

Graphics card: MicrosoftDirectX 9 graphics device or higher

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch.
• To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.
• To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.

This will not work to install Windows 8 or 8.1 for UEFI. For that, see this tutorial below instead.

UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows

OPTION ONE

Create Bootable DVD using "Burn Disc Image" Context Menu Item

1. For how, see:

How to Burn a "ISO" or "IMG" Disc Image file to a CD/DVD in Windows 7 and Windows 8

OPTION TWO

Create Bootable DVD/USB with "Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

1. If you have not already, you will need to download a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO file, and save it to your desktop.

2. If you have not already, download and install the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

(At sites)





3. Run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, and click/tap on the Browse button. (see screenshot below)




4. Select the downloaded ISO file (step 1), and click/tap on Open. (see screenshot below)




5. Click/tap on Next, and do either step 6 or step 7 below. (see screenshot below)




6. Create Bootable Windows 8 or 8.1 Installation USB Flash Drive


A) Connect a USB thumb drive, and click/tap on the USB device button. (see screenshot below)




B) Select the drive letter of the USB thumb, and click/tap on the Begin copying button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If the drive letter is not listed in the drop down menu, then click on the refresh button and try again.




C) If prompted, click/tap on Erase USB Device. (see screenshot below)




D) If prompted, click/tap on Yes. (see screenshot below)




E) When finished, close the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshots below)







7. To Create Bootable Windows 8 or 8.1 Installation DVD
NOTE: If you are in Windows 7, then you could ause the built in Burn disc image feature to burn the ISO to a DVD instead if you like.

A) Insert a blank unformatted DVD into your DVD drive. Once it's recognized, click/tap on the DVD button. (see screenshot below)




B) Click/tap on the Begin burning button. (see screenshot below)




C) When finished, close the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshots below)







8. You are finished, and can now install Windows 8/8.1 with your bootable USB or DVD.

OPTION THREE

To Create a Bootable Windows 8 or 8.1 Installation USB with "Rufus"

1. Download the latest version of Rufus at the link below, and save it's .exe file to your desktop.

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

   Note

This is a standalone exe file that doesn't install anything to your PC.
For Rufus FAQs, see: FAQ · pbatard/rufus Wiki · GitHub

2. Connect your USB flash drive if you have not already.

3. Run the rufus_v###.exe file, and click/tap on Yes if prompted by UAC.
NOTE: ### = latest version number.

4. Set Rufus with the settings below: (see screenshot below step 5)

• Under Device, select the USB flash drive you want to format and use.
• Under Format Options, check Create a bootable disk using, click/tap on the browse icon to navigate to and select your Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 ISO file.
• Under Partition scheme and target system type, select MBR partition scheme for BIOS or UEFI computers.
• Under File system, select NTFS.
• Under Cluster size, select the (Default) (ex: 16 kilobytes or 4096 bytes) it has listed.
• Under Format Options, check Quick format.
• Under Format Options, check Create extended label and icon files.
• Under New volume label, you can enter any name you like for the USB flash drive, or leave the default name.

5. When ready, click/tap on Start. (see screenshot below)




6. Click/tap on OK to confirm. (see screenshot below)




7. Rufus will now start creating the bootable USB flash drive. (see screenshot below)




8. When Rufus is "DONE", you can close Rufus. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: It could take a little while to finish.




9. You are finished, and can now install Windows 8/8.1 with your bootable USB.



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Boot from a USB Drive within Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Boot from a USB Drive on Surface
• Enable or Disable Always Automatically Boot PC from USB Drive in Windows To Go Startup Options
• How to Create a Windows To Go Startup Options Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1
• How to Upgrade from Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, or XP to Windows 8 or 8.1
• How to Download and Run the "Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant"
• How to Create or Download a Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO
• How to Do a Dual Boot Installation with Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Create a Windows 8 VHD at Boot to Dual Boot with Windows 7 or Vista
• How to Create a Recovery USB Flash Drive in Windows 8
• How to Setup "Windows 8 To Go" on a USB Flash Drive or USB Disk
• Create a Bootable UEFI USB Flash Drive for Installing Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Open Device Manager During Installation of Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[alpinekid61]

That gray strip is "System Protection" from not unblocking the ESD-TO-ISO.EXE file.

You can only add your "Windows 8 Media Center Pack" product key if you have Windows 8 Pro installed. Otherwise you would have to purchase and the Windows 8 Pro Pack to have Media Center added and all the features of Windows 8 Pro.

If you only have Windows 8 and tried to add the WMC key, then that's why you are no longer activated. You could use the tutorial below to change your product key back to the Windows 8 key instead to be activated again.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/8855-product-key-number-change-windows-8-a.html

That gray strip is "System Protection" from not unblocking the ESD-TO-ISO.EXE file.

I still got the job done, just different way.

You can only add your "Windows 8 Media Center Pack" product key if you have Windows 8 Pro installed. Otherwise you would have to purchase and the Windows 8 Pro Pack to have Media Center added and all the features of Windows 8 Pro.
According to my email receipt from Microsoft, I do have Windows 8 Pro. Have pictures of what is going on but cannot "Insert" them. Is there another way I can get them to you so that you can see?

 

[Brink]

Sure. Create a new thread for the issue, and you can use the method in the tutorial below to upload and attach images to the post. Be sure to blank out any personal information in them first.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2598-screenshots-files-upload-post-eight-forums.html

 

[ICit2lol]

Hiyya Shawn now I am either incredibly thick or am barking up some wrong tree but I thought I could download a trial of 8 as an ISO but it seems that I have to either be an owner of an existing licence or a subscriber to Technet.

Could you let me know what the go is please??

 

[Brink]

Hello John,

You could download a 90-day evaluation copy of Windows 8 Enterprise at the Microsoft link below if you like.

Download Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation​

You could also download a free copy of Windows 8.1 Preview that expires in January 15th 2014.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/27188-windows-8-1-preview-download-install.html​

As for downloading a Windows 8 ISO, you would have to provide your purchased product key to get it.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/18309-windows-8-upgrade-iso-download-create.html​

Hope this helps.

 

[ICit2lol]

Thanks Shawn I might have another go at the first ref mate I did before but the Microsoft account had to be set up and I didn't get any confirmation back until this morning.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome John.

 

[ICit2lol]

Ah I think I see now it cannot be downloaded as a bootable disk I was going to try it on a new drive in the spare laptop. I did download the ISO in the first ref but it has no BOOTMGR.

Never mind guess I will just have to wait and get an OEM as I don't really want to mess about with my 7's set ups

 

[Brink]

John,

The ISO itself is not bootable (unless set a CD/DVD in a VM) since it's just an image file.

You would be able to use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool to create a bootable Windows 8 installation USB flash drive or DVD with the ISO, that can be used to install Windows 8.

 

[ICit2lol]

Ok mate I found some very reasonably priced 3.0 USB external drives ($39) that inside contained a nice 320GB Seagate what I have decided to do is clone the drive in my best laptop to an empty new drive. I saw an upgrade for $53 in town today and got it it and will upgrade the new drive when I have cloned it.

I have another of the drives that I can use for the 32bit lappy and do the same if this one works out. The alternative I suppose is to use the clone/s to dual boot and any probs I can just swap out the spinners for the original SSD's.

If the idea goes belly up I have not lost much and I can just get OEM''s for the spinners after wiping them

Yes I know I am quite potty but them's the breaks

 

[Brink]

Not bad. Hopefully it'll go smoothly.

 

[ICit2lol]

We will soon see mate the clone is done so I am about to try it very shortly.

 

[ICit2lol]

Works like a charm after I figured out it would not carry over the CC and stuff like that. It is hellishly quick even with the 5400rpm drive and my only concern is that it is linked to the UK because at start up or install it asked for a language and I only had the choice of English - UK.

Am busy now downloading stuff for emails and the other apps I like and I found how to get that 7 style screen as the panel one was getting a bit tedious.

The only other little niggle is whether my Kaspersky will activate on the same code:huh:

But all in all very quick and am not averse to it. Maybe even a SSD to clone to and do the same thing might help to make things a little quicker

Oh and by the by I got two CD's 32bit and 64bit in the same pack.

 

[Brink]

Great news John.

Yeah, you think it's fast it now on an old 5400 rpm HDD, just wait until you have it on a SSD.

It is nice to have both the 32-bit and 64-bit DVDs included now.

 

[ICit2lol]

Yes I know Shawn the speed is just so incredibly faster than 7 I mean 660MB of updates in less than 10 minutes and downloading Googled stuff couldn't believe it!

Now if I can get my email up and running and the usual stuff I use I shall seriously think about putting it on the Samsung 830 and use it instead of the 7 .

But I think the 32bit as Gary was explaining to me that I will need to get another upgrade to fix that older lappy but at them sort of prices heck it's a drop in the bucket to a full OS.

I am very pleasantly surprised with it I was expecting a freak show and it isn't at all. Just goes to show you how entrenched you get in some things and blinkered.

 

[Coram Daes]

I also may be barking up the wrong tree here, but perhaps it might be considered adding to the tuts whether the OS supports USB3 for it's installation or not. I have had some (bad) experience with that on modern USB3 hardware, so maybe it could be added as a hardware requirement/information. In all relevant tutorials.

 

[Brink]

Hello Coram,

It depends on if your motherboard supports booting from USB 3.0 or not.

 

[Coram Daes]

And that would also depend on UEFI or not I guess.. hmmm...
Good point.

But are USB3 drivers inherent to W8?

 

[Brink]

No so much UEFI, but if your have your UEFI/BIOS set to be able to see USB at boot, and if USB 3.0 is supported. Windows 8 does support booting from USB 3.0 if the USB was created properly.

 

[Coram Daes]

:thumb:

 

[Phone Man]

And that would also depend on UEFI or not I guess.. hmmm...
Good point.

But are USB3 drivers inherent to W8?

Yes they are. I have an ASUS MB that uses an ASMedia controller chip for USB 3 as my chipset doesn't have USB 3 built-in and Windows 8 supplied the default driver.

Jim