How to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive easily – After installing the security camera software (iVMS-4200, SmartPSS Lite, and V380 Pro), my computer felt slow. I had just purchased a secondhand Windows computer and hadn’t reinstalled it. It’s likely that the previous owner hadn’t deleted the software files, which were causing the slowness. Therefore, I created a bootable USB flash drive to reinstall Windows.
Below I have outlined the steps to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive without using Rufus or other installation media creation tools.
What Is a Bootable Windows USB Drive?
I thought reinstalling Windows 11 could be done directly using the ISO file, but my attempts failed. So I created a bootable Windows 11 USB drive. A bootable Windows USB drive is a USB flash drive containing the Windows installation files. This allows your computer to start directly from the USB device instead of the internal hard drive.
Typically, creating a bootable USB is done if the PC doesn’t have a DVD drive. And the PC I’m using doesn’t have one.
Things You Need to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB
Creating a bootable USB will delete all files on the flash drive. Back up your important data before continuing. Before creating a bootable USB drive, here are some things you should prepare:
- USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage
- Stable internet connection
- Windows computer
- MediaCreationTool.exe
Create Windows 11 Installation Media Without Rufus and ISO
Previously, when I created a bootable USB, I had to use software like Rufus or an ISO. But now, Windows has a way for users to directly create a bootable USB or installation media without having to use third-party software.
Following are the steps:
Click the following link to open the Windows 11 download page. You’ll see three download options: Windows 11 Installation Assistant, Create Windows 11 Installation Media, and Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices. I chose the second option because it will create a bootable version of the US. Click the Download Now button in the Create Windows 11 Installation Media section.
Click the downloaded file named MediaCreationTool.exe. This is the software that will guide you through the process of creating Windows installation media.
Then click the Accept button on the Microsoft Software License Terms page.
In this section, I chose to follow the Language and Windows Edition recommendations given by Microsft.
Select USB flash drive and click Next.
I’m using a new Hongtai USB drive. If you’re using a new USB drive, the USB drive’s name will be detected. Click the Next button.
After that, the program will start the process of downloading Windows 11. This part takes about 10 minutes, depending on your internet speed.
The download process is complete, followed by the process of creating a Windows 11 Bootable USB.
If the “Your USB flash drive is ready” screen appears, the Windows 11 bootable USB drive creation process is complete. Click the Finish button to complete the process. You can now use this USB drive to boot the computer you’re reinstalling.
The total time it took me to create this Windows 11 bootable USB was about an hour. My average internet speed is 1-2 Mbps. Adding in the Windows 11 reinstallation process could take over two hours.
Additionally, the MediaCreationTool.exe file only works with the specific Windows version. This means that the Windows 11 MediaCreationTool.exe file cannot be used to create a bootable USB drive for other versions of Windows, such as Windows 10, or vice versa. Therefore, please download the MediaCreationTool.exe file that matches your Windows operating system.
Final Thoughts
How easy is that? Creating a bootable Windows 11 USB drive is a simple process that can help you quickly install, repair, or upgrade Windows. Whether you use Rufus, an ISO, or the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, all methods are reliable and easy for beginners to use. However, in this guide, I’ll use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool directly without having to install Rufus or an ISO on my computer.
We hope this guide has been helpful, and if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. Good luck.