Can I just use an ISO file on a flash drive to download Windows?

I’m trying to figure out if I can download the Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft site and just put it on a flash drive. Is that enough to boot my PC and reinstall Windows? My SSD with Windows is acting up and won’t launch, so I need to reinstall. Any advice would be super helpful!

You have to flash the ISO to the USB using a tool like Rufus or balenaEtcher. If you just copy the file, it won’t work to boot your PC.

What do you mean by ‘flash’? Is there a specific way I need to do this?

Flashing just means you have to make the USB bootable with the ISO file. You can use Rufus for that, and it walks you through the process.

I’ve never used Rufus before. Does it take a lot of time to set up?

Not really, it’s pretty straightforward. Just download the tool, select your USB drive, and choose the ISO file. It’ll do the rest for you.

You also need to check that your USB drive has at least 5 GB of space so it can hold the ISO and be bootable. Make sure it’s blank too, because anything on it will be erased.

Oh wow, I didn’t realize that. I thought I could just add it to a USB that already has stuff on it. Thanks for the tip.

Yeah, it’s a common mistake. If you leave files on it, the process won’t work. Just make sure to back up anything important before you start.

Don’t forget to adjust your BIOS settings after creating the bootable USB. You’ll need to set it to boot from the USB drive to start the installation.

What exactly are BIOS settings? I’m not too familiar with that.

BIOS is the basic system setup for your computer. When you turn on your PC, you can usually access it by pressing a key like F2 or Delete. You can change the boot order there to make sure it reads the USB first.

That sounds a bit complicated. Is there a guide for this?

There are plenty of guides online. Just search for how to access BIOS for your specific motherboard model, and it should explain everything step by step.

I also heard about using the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB. Would that be easier than using Rufus?

The Media Creation Tool is another option and it can create a bootable USB directly for you. It’s user-friendly, so if you prefer that, it might be the way to go.

How do I get the Media Creation Tool? Is it on the same Microsoft download page?

Yes, it’s available on the Microsoft Software Download page. Just download it and follow the prompts to create the USB.