If you haven’t installed Windows in a while, this is an exhausting and frustrating procedure for you.
But a lot has changed since the days of optical drives, and installing Windows 10 is much faster and easier than it was even a couple of years ago with Windows 7.
With a little preparation and a fast flash drive (or two), you can get Windows 10 installed on your computer in less than an hour.
How? Read below.
Find a pair of fast flash drives
Fast 16+ GB flash drives make your installation much easier
You will need USB flash drives to install the OS.
Take some time to choose the fastest.
Do not skimp on size – 16 GB of free space on each media will be just right.
The OS itself does not take up so much space, but the free gigabytes will find their use after the installation is complete.
When writing this article, we used Lexar drives with a read speed of 50 MB / s at a price of 1,850 rubles. ($ 25) per pair.
Start with software
You don’t have to search or buy files to install Windows 10 – Microsoft offers a free program for downloading an installer for you on its website. You just need to choose the version that is compatible with your system and, what is important, prepare a product key, because sooner or later you will have to use it.
Those without a key will have to install a free Windows 10 update over an existing and activated version to get it. This article discusses the case of installing Windows 10 on “bare” hardware, that is, without a pre-installed OS. The version of Windows 10 that you can choose with a free upgrade depends on what you used before. Windows 7 or 8 Pro and Ultimate can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, the rest to Windows 10 Home. A bit difficult and inconvenient, but free!
To get a free upgrade, install Windows 7 or 8 using your existing key. If you need the Windows 7 installer, download it here. For Windows 8 – here.
Select “Create installation files for another PC” and click “Next”. Language, architectural options and other settings – after this small carousel of personalization, you will have to enter a key and select one of the most important parameters – install 32-bit Windows or its 64-bit equivalent.
We recommend choosing 64-bit – some games are only compatible with it, while others need more than 4 gigabytes of RAM, which is a ceiling on 32-bit systems.
If you’ve never used 64-bit systems, now is the time to start. Even telephones use such systems.
The choice on the next screen will not be so obvious – there are advantages to installing the system directly from a flash drive and through the more flexible ISO image of Windows 10. The option with flash drives is usually the best, but if your system has compatibility problems with them, it is better from refuse it and use third-party programs like Rufus to speed up the process. Also, the ISO image can be used for installation on a virtual machine (eg VirtualBox).
Select the option using USB drives and select the specific device you are going to use as the installer. The installation files will only take up 5 gigabytes, but the free space will also be used in the next step. In the meantime, the program will create installation files, format and optimize the drive, and download the installer.
Drivers
The first use for free space on flash drives will be storing all the drivers of the motherboard, video card and other computer components. Several useful programs that may be useful later will also “settle” there.
Do not use the drivers that you received when purchasing the hardware. It is much better to download the latest versions from the manufacturer’s website. Otherwise, you will have to reinstall them over and over again – the programs supplied to the stores are usually expired even before they leave the assembly line.
Installing the OS is half the battle. It is worth waiting a couple of weeks for the drivers to work with it.
Go to the manufacturer’s website and find the support page for your hardware. Download the correct drivers and unpack them into folders named so as not to cause confusion. The folders named APRP_Win7-8-8-1_V10028 won’t be easy to identify.
Of course, installing drivers for each component is an important matter, but installing all the programs available for it is not only not worth it, but it is also contraindicated! A lot of manufacturers post optional, augmented versions of drivers, utilities from third parties that can cause problems. Do not clog the system and the number of possible troubles will be greatly reduced.
Useful programs
As already mentioned, there are several utilities, without which it is not worth working on a new system. It is an antivirus, a system information utility, and a browser. We can also recommend a program for testing the system, which will help make sure that everything is working fine.
After that, the 32 gigabytes you used will be one sixth full. As is usually the case with Windows, drivers, programs, and update files will take up more space than the system itself. Having it all at your fingertips during installation will make the process much easier. This is why preparation is so important.
Time to install Windows 10
Now that your flash drive is filled with Windows 10 goodies, it’s time to start installing. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. Insert the drive into USB 3 port and restart your computer by entering BIOS. Change the boot order so that USB is first in UEFI mode and check if you are using the latest BIOS and the devices you are using are recognized and ready to install the system. If the latest BIOS has already been downloaded and unpacked to a flash drive, it should be easy. Once you’re ready, restart your system and you will be automatically signed in to Windows 10 Installer. Select your language, click Next and start the installation.
You will need your key here. Enter it now or click Skip. Remember that without the entered key, you can only use the non-activated version of Windows, and some functions will not be available.
Next, you will need to select the type of installation. You can install the OS on top of the previous one, keeping your settings, or delete them, having a “bare” system, but do not forget to use the enhancement function if you want to fix the shortcomings of free Windows 10.
You will need to select the drive on which Windows 10 will be installed. There is a set of tools for managing disk space. It’s better to start with unallocated space so that Windows 10 can deploy itself in full force. Click Next and the installation will complete and progress will be shown via a dialog box.
Once the installation is complete, you will be prompted to perform a quick setup of Winodws. Do not rush to skip it – most of the functions activated by default may be completely useless and vice versa.
Options include geolocation, advertising ID, error reporting, and infamous automatic network settings. It is worth turning off these features if you have no reason to use them. You don’t have to share this information with Microsoft and the people on your contact list.
The last part of the customization is choosing the login method. Since Windows 8, Microsoft has been supporting an online ID, similar to Google ID, linking Office, Outlook, OneDrive, and other features. You can also create a standard account.
After setting options and applications, the system will present you with a new desktop. Some differences from what you are used to can be noticed immediately (new Start menu and search bar), while others – only by delving into the control panel. It’s time for the last step: copy the folder with the drivers and start installing them. First, motherboard drivers, then video card drivers, memory management drivers, then install programs and tools. After a couple of clicks, a reboot or two, you will be ready to use your new system. And using a second flash drive and a built-in system display tool, you can back up your OS and, next time, installation will take 10 minutes instead of 45.
Now you can play. Make sure the latest Nvidia or AMD updates are installed, download Steam, and off you go!
