Windows 10 Boot Drive Size & How to Create a Windows 10/11 Bootable Drive

What is a Windows Boot Drive?

A Windows boot drive is a primary device that can facilitate booting into Windows. Computers or laptops require a boot drive or device to start up the main operating system.

Typically, all system files are saved on a drive of your computer's internal hard disk, which is commonly referred to as the C drive. Each time you turn on your computer, you're essentially utilizing these files to carry out the boot process. You can also create a bootable USB drive in case you encounter severe issues when starting up your computer. Alternatively, this bootable drive can be used on another computer to allow you to run your operating system on different machines.

Then, how to create a bootable USB drive and what is the ideal size for a Windows boot drive? We will provide all the answers in the following content.

How to Create a Windows 10/11 Bootable USB Drive?

There are different methods to create a Windows boot drive, and each of these methods comes with its own advantages. Here, we will introduce three common methods, including making a fresh new bootable drive and creating a portable system drive of your setup computer.

Method 1: Creating a Windows 10/11 Bootable Drive with the Windows Media Creation Tool

The Windows Media Creation Tool is regarded as one of the straightforward methods for creating a Windows boot drive. It enables you to download the Windows 10/11 installation file onto a flash drive or CD/DVD, which you can then use to reinstall the Windows system. For this approach, you'll need a USB drive with a minimum size of 8GB.

Here are the steps to follow to use the Windows Media Creation Tool:

Step 1. Download the creation tool from Microsoft's official download page. Click "Download tool now" to begin.

Step 2. Wait until the download is complete. Click on the downloaded file to start running it.

Step 3. Accept the Terms and Conditions and choose the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC option.

Step 4. Click Next and choose the language, architecture, and edition details. The tool will automatically select the optimal options.

Step 5. On the next page, keep the option USB flash drive selected and click on Next.

Step 6. Next, follow the on-screen prompts to create the USB boot drive. Once done, you can use the created USB drive to reinstall a Windows system.

Method 2: Create a Portable Windows USB Drive Using Windows To Go

Windows To Go is a feature exclusive to Windows Education and Enterprise editions. It's intended for users to create a portable Windows system drive. With this, you can craft a portable system USB and take it anywhere, utilizing your system on any computer. You can even run the Windows OS on a Mac without BootCamp, thereby sparing yourself from allocating 128GB of disk space for a Windows installation.

To apply this method, you will need to satisfy the following requirements:

• A computer running Windows 8/8.1/10
• A Windows To Go certified USB drive

Here are the steps you need to follow:

< strong > Step 1. < /strong> On your Windows 10 computer, launch Windows To Go, and select the USB drive you'll use.

Step 2. Next, select a valid Windows image file. It will automatically list an available one, or you can search for it manually.

Step 3. In the next step, you can choose to set a Bitlocker password or not. It's an optional choice.

Step 4. In the final step, Windows To Go will format the destination USB drive and transfer the Windows image to the USB drive. Wait until the process completes.

To boot from the created Windows To Go USB drive, run Windows To Go again. In the Windows To Go Startup Options, you'll see a question asking if you want to automatically start your PC from a Windows To Go workspace. Choose Yes and save the changes. Restart your computer, and it will boot from the portable Windows USB drive.

Method 3: Create a Portable Windows USB Drive using OS2Go

As mentioned earlier, only Windows Education and Enterprise editions have the Windows To Go feature. Furthermore, in the latest version of Windows 10, the Windows To Go feature has been removed. What if you're using a regular Windows system yet still wish to create a portable USB drive? That's where the best alternative to Windows To Go comes in - the tool OS2Go.

OS2Go is a distinctive Windows To Go creator designed for both beginners and advanced users. It is compatible with all Windows versions, ranging from Windows 7 up to the most recent Windows 11. Some of the advantages provided by OS2Go might encompass:

• Migrates Windows 11 to a portable drive along with all programs, files, and whatever in your system drive.
• Easy-to-use. Even if you have zero knowledge about Windows To Go, you can use this tool.
• Once created, you can even run Windows 11 on unsupported old computers.
• The created USB drive can be used on Mac computers, great news for game lovers.

Now, download OS2Go from the button below, and see how to use this easy tool.

Step 1. Install OS2Go on your Windows computer, which will display the used space on your system drive. Insert a USB drive with a capacity larger than the used space on the system drive. Select the target USB drive and click Next to proceed.

Step 2. OS2Go will warn you that the following action will erase all data on your drive. Make sure you've backed up all important data. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 3. Adjust disk layout. The default disk layout on the target drive will be identical to the source drive. You can also customize the layout as per your requirements. Check the option if you're using an SSD as the Windows boot drive. Then, click Proceed.

Step 4. Then OS2Go will start to create the portable USB drive. It usually takes a while depending on your OS and Network condition. When the progress reaches 100%, the USB drive should be bootable now.

Step 5. Insert the portable Windows USB and start your computer. Press the necessary key (F2, DEL, F10...) to access BIOS. Select to boot from the USB drive.

Note: Please ensure that the boot mode (UEFI or Legacy) of the portable USB and your target computer are the same, or else you may not be able to boot.

Conclusion

Creating a bootable drive can be quite useful and straightforward. If you lack computer expertise, OS2Go is among the best tools for this purpose. Give the tool a try and enjoy the most seamless experience in crafting a Windows boot drive.