How to create a bootable USB drive for Windows Server

In recent years, USB has largely replaced optical media. It has multiple uses, including data transfer, operating system installation, and a bootable USB that can be used on any PC. In most cases, USB is used for installations. The task of installing Windows Server from a USB drive is straightforward.

Nowadays, people prefer to burn the Server 2019 ISO image to a USB device to create a bootable drive. This is because you might need to upgrade System Server 2019 on different PCs, or sometimes, you need a new server. You can save Server 2019 to a USB device for installation purposes.

Second, if you have a USB portable server, you can move it to another machine without having to go through the installation process again.

In this article, we will show you how to create a bootable USB drive. We will also introduce a third-party tool that makes this task faster and simpler. Before diving into the details, we recommend downloading the ISO file for Windows Server from Microsoft's official website. Head over to Microsoft's website.

After clicking the link, select ISO and provide any necessary download information. You can download a trial version with the Application Compatibility FOD, which enhances server compatibility, as well as troubleshooting and debugging.

Now let's look at the details.

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How to Create a Bootable USB for Windows Server 2019 from an ISO

Before beginning the steps, you need to fulfill the prerequisites first. You will need the following preparations:

• You must use an 8 GB USB flash drive. Windows Server 2019 will occupy about 4 GB of space during the process. Additional space is needed because the ISO image is split into multiple parts, each larger than 3 GB.
• Your data will be erased during the creation process. Make sure to back up your data completely. If you do not, you will lose important information.

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We are now ready to create a bootable Windows Server 2019 USB drive. If you have downloaded the ISO file from the official company website, you can use the command line to boot the USB disk. Follow the steps in detail:

Step 1: Plug in your USB drive. Type “cmd” into the Start menu search bar, and run Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: Type the diskpart command, and then press Enter. The Diskpart utility appears.

Type diskpart, and then press Enter.

Step 3: Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:

• List disks and press Enter to show the disk list.
• Select disk x

Here, x should be replaced with the number of your USB drive. Enter the name of the disk you want to make bootable.

Please enter each of the following commands one by one:

• Clean
• Create primary partition
• Select partition 1

You can choose the partition according to your own needs.

• format fs=ntfs quick (if you want to create a bootable UEFI USB, enter format fs=fat32 quick instead).
• active

<Step 4> Type exit, and press Enter. This will close the diskpart command.

You've now created a bootable USB from an ISO using the method outlined above. In Windows operating systems, the command prompt method is a built-in feature. This is one of the simplest ways to make your USB bootable, requiring just a few commands to get your USB ready. This USB can now be used on any other system.

We now know how to use the built-in features. Next, we'll look at a third-party utility that can make the job easier and faster.

A Simpler Solution: How to Create a Bootable USB Install Drive for Windows Server

Note: Before you begin, make sure that you have backed up your data and have at least 8 GB of free space available on your USB drive.

Microsoft does not provide a feature to create a bootable USB drive on Windows Server. We recommend using a third-party tool - Partition Master. It is a free disk partition management software that helps allocate disk space to optimize data storage. This software makes disk management effortless.

Here are the main features of Partition Master:

• Support for converting NTFS to FAT32.
• Support for splitting partitions.
• Reduces the need for frequent restarts.
• Maximizes system performance by properly allocating disk space.
• Change partition labels.
• Flexibly resize partitions by specifying exact sizes.
• Prevent data loss.
• Safe and reliable.
• Offers a free trial version.
• Format and delete partitions on HDD, SSD, USB, memory cards, SD cards, etc., for reuse of devices.
• Thoroughly clears data from the hard drive for security purposes.

Steps to create a bootable USB drive:

Step 1. To create the bootable Partition Master tool disk, you will need a storage medium such as a USB drive, flash drive, or a CD/DVD disc. Connect the drive to your computer properly.

Step 2. Launch Partition Master and look for the “Bootable Media” feature on the left. Click it.

Step 3: If you have a USB device or a CD/DVD drive, you can select it. If you don't have a storage device, you can also save the ISO image to your local disk and burn it to media later. Click the "Create" button to start the process after making your selection.

• Read the warning, and then click Yes.

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Step 4. When it's done, you'll see a pop-up asking if you want to restart your computer from the bootable USB.

• Reboot now: This means that you want to restart your current computer and then manage disk partitions from the bootable media tool without an operating system.
• Finished: This means that you do not want to restart your current computer, but instead want to use the bootable USB device on a new computer.

Note: To use the bootable drive on a new computer, you'll need to restart the target computer and press F2/F8/DEL to enter BIOS, then set the USB bootable drive as the first boot device.

Wait patiently, the computer will automatically boot from the USB boot media and enter the WinPE tool desktop.

Create the USB easily with a reliable third-party tool. The best solution for this is the Partition Master tool, which can format external devices, manage partitions flexibly, and allocate space efficiently.

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Conclusion

In summary, creating a bootable USB for Windows Server is a straightforward process. However, we recommend using the Partition Master Tool to make things easier and safer. This tool simplifies the creation of a bootable USB drive. Microsoft has not released a bootable USB version of Windows Server. Hence, if you want to create a USB boot drive for Windows Server 2019, you need a secure alternative like the one mentioned.

To create a bootable USB from the command line, we have a full step-by-step guide above that you can use. You can also try using the Partition Master tool, which has a free trial and can efficiently do the job for you. Give it a shot and see if you can fix your bootable USB issue yourself!