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Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
Create installation media for Windows - Microsoft Support
On that website, you can select a version of Windows and create installation media on ar a USB flash. Alternatively, an ISO file can be created for use in virtual machines (VMs) or for burning the installation media onto a DVD: ... Go to the Download Windows 11 site.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › windows 11 bootable usb flash drive format to exfat, fat32 or ntfs?
r/techsupport on Reddit: Windows 11 Bootable USB Flash Drive Format to exFat, FAT32 or NTFS?
October 17, 2022 -

I am currently building my first PC in which I want to use Windows 11 Pro.

I read that I should create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Flash Drive to install Windows 11.

I use the SanDisk Ultra Flair 32GB USB Flash Drive. The Drive had SanDisk Security Software Installer and some other files saved on it.

So I thought I should delete all of it to eventually only have Windows 11 saved on the drive.

I did delete by right click and only after that I saw the Format Option.

I read that FAT32 only supports read/write up to 4GB.

Now I am unsure which File System I should format it to to make sure that it will work.

Right now it is formatted to exFAT and has 288KB of Used Space.

Thank you for your help.

People also ask

Should Windows 10 Use Bootable USB FAT32 or NTFS?

It should use NTFS. NTFS is the default file system for Windows 10. This is because it has no file limitations and supports file compression. It's unlike FAT32, which limits a single file to 32GB. Therefore, you should use NTFS for your Windows 10 bootable USB drive to ensure the system successfully installs.

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easeus.com
easeus.com › computer instruction › which usb format to boot windows: fat32, ntfs, or exfat? [best solutions]
Which USB Format to Boot Windows: FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT? [2025 ...
Is it possible to undo a bootable USB drive format?
Unfortunately, formatting is a data-destructive process, and once completed, it's challenging to recover the previous data. Regular data backups can prevent data loss.
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recoverit.wondershare.com
recoverit.wondershare.com › wondershare recoverit › usb recovery › a comprehensive guide to formatting a usb drive windows 10/11
How to Format a Bootable USB on Win 10/11?
Why is Windows 11 not booting from USB?

Not all USB drives can be considered bootable USB devices. Regular USB drives are not bootable by default. So the reasons why Windows 11 cannot boot from USB are as follows:

USB drive is not a bootable device

Bootable USB drive not showing up in BIOS

USB drive is too old

USB drive is damaged by mistake

USB drive format does not support

Wrong boot order

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easeus.com
easeus.com › partition manager › how to boot from usb on windows 11 [full guide]
How to Boot From USB on Windows 11 [Full Tutorial]
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Wondershare Recoverit
recoverit.wondershare.com › wondershare recoverit › usb recovery › a comprehensive guide to formatting a usb drive windows 10/11
How to Format a Bootable USB on Win 10/11?
Locate the bootable USB drive and right-click on it. Select Format. Choose the correct file system and click Default for the allocation unit size. Press Ok to complete the process.
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Eleven Forum
elevenforum.com › windows support forums › tutorials
Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media | Windows 11 Forum
July 27, 2021 - This blog post covers how you can create a bootable USB media drive to install Windows Server 2019 on a physical server. This blog post will not use any third-party tools; it only uses built-in tools that you can find on Windows 10 or Windows Server. Depending on your system you will need it to... www.thomasmaurer.ch Change Get-Disk | Where BusType -eq "USB" to Get-Disk | Where BusType -eq "USB" | Format-Table -AutoSize FriendlyName,Number,Size,PartitionStyle P.S.
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HP
hp.com › us-en › shop › tech-takes › how-to-install-windows-11-from-usb
Install Windows 11 from USB Guide - HP® Tech Takes
May 7, 2025 - For a successful Windows 11 ... drive for backing up your data before installation · For advanced users: A bootable NVMe drive offers the fastest possible installation speeds...
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EaseUS
easeus.com › partition manager › how to boot from usb on windows 11 [full guide]
How to Boot From USB on Windows 11 [Full Tutorial]
September 28, 2025 - FAT32 is the best USB format to boot Windows 11; now, let's go to Stage 2 and learn how to create a bootable USB.
Find elsewhere
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Microsoft Community Hub
techcommunity.microsoft.com › microsoft community hub › communities › products › windows › windows 11
Best way to make windows 11 bootable usb from iso? | Microsoft Community Hub
Built my first PC and I need to install the OS myself. I never done this done before. Could you pls share me the best way to make Windows 11 bootable...
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EaseUS
easeus.com › computer instruction › which usb format to boot windows: fat32, ntfs, or exfat? [best solutions]
Which USB Format to Boot Windows: FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT? [2025 Full Guide]
July 10, 2025 - ... The simplest and quickest way ... to a new PC? In this article, we've learned that the best USB format to boot Windows is FAT32....
Top answer
1 of 4
21

This answer is summarized below.

  • MBR partition a 16 GB or larger flash drive to contain a FAT32 volume and an ExFAT volume.
  • Copy all the files, except sources/install.wim, from the mounted Windows ISO file to the FAT32 volume on the flash drive.
  • Copy sources/install.wim from the mounted Windows ISO file to the ExFAT volume on the flash drive.
  • Boot from the flash drive and enter a command to split the install.wim on the ExFAT volume to two files placed on the FAT32 volume.
  • The result is an USB flash drive which can be used to install Windows 11.

The steps are given next.

  1. Goto Microsoft's Download Windows 11 website and download the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso file was downloaded to my Downloads folder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.

    Insert a 16 GB or larger flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.

  2. Open a Terminal application window.

    Use the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.

    diskutil list external
    

    Enter the command below to format the flash drive.

    diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT R
    

    Enter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Windows ISO file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.

    xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
    

    Enter the command below to mount the Windows 11 ISO file. In my case, the output from the command shows the file was mounted on /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9. If your folder name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.

    hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
    

    Enter the command below to change the current directory to /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9.

    cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
    

    Enter the commands below to copy the files from the mounted ISO to the flash drive. Note: Since the install.wim file is very large, the cp command can take a while to complete.

    rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32
    cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFAT
    

    Enter the commands below to unmount the Windows 11 ISO file.

    cd ~
    hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 
    

    Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.

    diskutil eject disk2
    

    You can quit the Terminal application.

  3. Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive. You should get a window similar to the one shown below. You can ignore the contents of this window.

  4. Press the shift+F10 key combination to open Command Prompt window.

    Enter the command below. From the output, determine the drive letters for the MYFAT32 and MyExFAT volumes. In my case, the was C and D respectively. If your letters are different, the make the appropriate substitutions for c:\ and d:\ when entering the dism command given below.

    echo list volume | diskpart
    

    Enter the command below to create the install.swm and install2.swm files in the c:\sources folder. Note: This command will take a while to complete.

    dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize:4000
    

    Enter the command below to close the Command Prompt window.

    exit
    
  5. Close the window. When the popup shown below appears, select "Yes". The computer will reboot.

    The next time you UEFI boot from this USB flash drive, you should encounter the following window. You then can proceed and install Windows 11.


Example of Using the Terminal Window

Last login: Sun Mar  9 09:16:57 on console
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *15.9 GB    disk2
   1:                 DOS_FAT_32 ⁨MYFLASHDRV⁩              15.9 GB    disk2s1

davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil partitiondisk disk2 mbr fat32 MYFAT32 8G exfat MyExFAT R
Started partitioning on disk2
Unmounting disk
Creating the partition map
Waiting for partitions to activate
Formatting disk2s1 as MS-DOS (FAT32) with name MYFAT32
512 bytes per physical sector
/dev/rdisk2s1: 15594504 sectors in 1949313 FAT32 clusters (4096 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=8 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf8 spt=32 hds=255 hid=2048 drv=0x80 bsec=15625000 bspf=15230 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=6
Mounting disk
Formatting disk2s2 as ExFAT with name MyExFAT
Volume name      : MyExFAT
Partition offset : 15628288 sectors (8001683456 bytes)
Volume size      : 15370240 sectors (7869562880 bytes)
Bytes per sector : 512
Bytes per cluster: 32768
FAT offset       : 2048 sectors (1048576 bytes)
# FAT sectors    : 2048
Number of FATs   : 1
Cluster offset   : 4096 sectors (2097152 bytes)
# Clusters       : 240096
Volume Serial #  : 67cdc143
Bitmap start     : 2
Bitmap file size : 30012
Upcase start     : 3
Upcase file size : 5836
Root start       : 4
Mounting disk
Finished partitioning on disk2
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
/dev/disk3                                              /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % cd /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % rsync -r -t --exclude=sources/install.wim . /Volumes/MYFAT32
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cp sources/install.wim /Volumes/MyExFAT
davidanderson@Davids-Mac CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9 % cd ~
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % hdiutil detach /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9
"disk3" ejected.
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % 

Example of Using the Command Prompt Window

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.1742]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

X:\sources>echo list volume | diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.26100.1150

Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MININT-NBNQP5I

DISKPART>
  Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
  ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
  Volume 0     E                       DVD-ROM         0 B  No Media
  Volume 1     C   MYFAT32      FAT32  Removable   7629 MB  Healthy
  Volume 2     D   MyExFAT      exFAT  Removable   7505 MB  Healthy

DISKPART>
X:\sources>dism /split-image /imagefile:d:\install.wim /swmfile:c:\sources\install.swm /filesize=4000

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150

The operation completed successfully.

X:\sources>exit
2 of 4
3

User Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight posted the following comment.

I'm leaving this as a comment since without access to a Mac I don't feel I could write a complete answer. Instead of directly creating a bootable windows installer USB, create a Ventoy bootable USB. Once you do that you can copy bootable drive images in all the major formats on as ordinary files, and then start them from a basic menu system that Ventoy shows when it boots. It's slightly more work the first time, but as long as you don't reformat the USB it'll make any future uses much easier since it reduces the operation to a simple copy/paste. ventoy.net/en/index.html

I decided to post this answer in response to the above comment. Note that the question does not explicitly rule out posting a solution which uses third party tools.

This answer is summarized below.

  • Download Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file, then copy this file to an 8 GB or larger flash drive.
  • Boot from the flash drive and install Ventoy to the same flash drive.
  • Download the Windows 11 ISO file and copy to the flash drive.
  • Boot from the flash drive and install Windows 11. If necessary, first enroll the key in MOK manager.

The steps are given next.

  1. Goto SourceForge's Ventoy project files website and download the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso file was downloaded to my Downloads folder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.

    Insert an 8 GB or larger flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.

  2. Open a Terminal application window.

    Enter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.

    xattr -c ~/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso
    

    Use the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.

    diskutil list external
    

    Enter the commands below to copy the Ventoy live CD image (ISO) file to the flash drive. Note: Using rdisk2 instead of disk2 usually results in a quicker copy.

    diskutil unmountdisk disk2
    sudo dd if=$HOME/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso bs=1m of=/dev/rdisk2
    

    Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.

    diskutil eject disk2
    
  3. Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive.

    Note
    You will need to disable Secure Boot.

    When the following Grub menu appeared, I choose the first entry, which is the default.

    Ventoy2Disk is loading completely into RAM disk. This allows the flash drive to be overwritten. In my case, to install to the same flash drive, I just needed to select "Install" button shown below, then the "OK" button in the following popups.

    After installation to the flash drive has successfully completed, the following is displayed.

    At this point, either manually shutdown the computer or reboot by closing the window. If you choose to reboot and are successful, then the following will appear.

    Shutdown the computer by pressing the F5 key, then selecting "Power" and finally selecting "Halt".

    Remove the flash drive.

  4. Goto Microsoft's Download Windows 11 website and download the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) for x64 devices. In my case, the Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso file was downloaded to my Downloads folder. If your file name is different, then make the appropriate substitutions when entering the commands below.

    Insert the same flash drive in an USB port on or connected to the Mac.

  5. Use the same or a new Terminal application window to enter the following commands.

    Enter the command below to remove all extended attributes from the Windows ISO file. This will remove the quarantine placed on the file when it was downloaded.

    xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
    

    Use the command below to determine the identifier for the USB flash drive. I my case, this was disk2. If your identifier is different, the make the appropriate substitutions in the following commands.

    diskutil list external
    

    Enter the command below to copy the Windows ISO file to the ExFAT formatted volume named Ventoy on the flash drive.

    cp ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso /Volumes/Ventoy
    

    Enter the command below to eject the flash drive. Afterwards, you can remove the flash drive.

    diskutil eject disk2
    
  6. If necessary, enroll key in MOK manager as described in this step.

    Using the computer where Windows is to be installed, UEFI boot from the flash drive.

    Note
    You should have Secure Boot enabled before UEFI booting from the flash drive.

    If you encounter the following display, select OK, otherwise proceed to the step 7.

    The next display should appear as shown below. Before the timer expires, press any key.

    Select Enroll key from disk, as shown below.

    Select VTOYEFI, as shown below.

    Select ENROOL_THIS_KEY_IN_MOKMANAGER.cer, as shown below.

    Select Continue, as shown below.

    Select Yes, as shown below.

    Select Reboot, as shown below.

  7. Install Windows 11.

    If you have not already done so, UEFI boot the computer where Windows is to be installed from the flash drive.

    Note
    You should have Secure Boot enabled before UEFI booting from the flash drive.

    When the display below appears, press the F5 key.

    Select Temporary Control Settings, as shown below.

    This answer assume Windows 11 is being installed on supported hardware. Normally, when booting from the Windows 11 installer, the following would be set to 0, as shown in the image below. You need to decided whether the following need to be set to 0 or 1.

    • Bypass CPU/TPM/SecureBoot check when installing Windows 11 This allows includes bypassing the 4 GB RAM check.
    • Bypass online account requirement when installing Windows 11

    When finished, press the esckey twice.

    Select Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso, as shown below.

    Select Boot in normal mode, as shown below.

    Note
    When message Press any key to boot from CD or DVD. appears, you may need to press any key.

    When the display shown below appears, proceed with the installation of Windows 11.


Example of Using the Terminal Window

Last login: Thu Mar 13 17:46:02 on ttys001
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *15.9 GB    disk2
   1:                 DOS_FAT_32 MYFLASHDRV              15.9 GB    disk2s1

davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil unmountdisk disk2                                               
Unmount of all volumes on disk2 was successful
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % sudo dd if=$HOME/Downloads/ventoy-1.1.05-livecd.iso bs=1m of=/dev/rdisk2 
186+1 records in
186+1 records out
195702784 bytes transferred in 4.038241 secs (48462383 bytes/sec)
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % xattr -c ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil list external
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *15.9 GB    disk2
   1:               Windows_NTFS Ventoy                  15.8 GB    disk2s1
   2:                       0xEF                         33.6 MB    disk2s2

davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % cp ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso /Volumes/Ventoy 
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % diskutil eject disk2
Disk disk2 ejected
davidanderson@Davids-Mac ~ % 
🌐
Windows Forum
windowsforum.com › forums › windows help and support forums › windows news
Step-by-Step Guide: Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 11 | Windows Forum
November 3, 2024 - Before starting with Rufus, you need to download the Windows 11 ISO file. It is available for free from the Microsoft website and can be found on the same page where you obtain the Media Creation Tool.
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Dexerto
dexerto.com › home › pcs › guides › how to make a windows 11 bootable usb: where to get installation media & more
How to make a Windows 11 bootable USB: Where to get installation media & more - Dexerto
August 8, 2024 - To make the drive bootable, format the partition by typing “format FS=FAT32 quick” and press enter. Assign a drive letter to the USB by typing “assign letter=X” and replacing X with your chosen drive letter.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › techtips › how-to-create-bootable-usb-windows-11
How to Create Bootable USB Drive For Windows 11 - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Follow the on-screen instructions to get a fresh Windows 11 installation in your machine. You can try connecting with a different port (preferably USB 3.0) Try to format the drive to NTFS using Windows Disk Management.
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Eleven Forum
elevenforum.com › windows support forums › devices and drivers
USB Flash formatting preferences | Windows 11 Forum
February 3, 2024 - What is your preference on Windows 11 for formatting flash drives, exFat, NTFS..... other? ... It depends on what I am using it for. What is the intended use fot it? ... @Porthos is exactly right. If I'm just making a bootable rescue drive to use with Macrium Reflect, I use FAT32.
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XDA Developers
xda-developers.com › home › windows guides › how to format a usb drive on windows 11
How to format a USB drive on Windows 11
January 27, 2024 - Want to clean up a USB drive, or change its file system? It's easy to format a USB drive on Windows 11, and we're here to show you how.
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 5543499 › step-by-step-guide-to-install-windows-11-from-usb
Step by step guide to install Windows 11 from USB drive? - Microsoft Q&A
Always get the official Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft's website to ensure compatibility and security. Use Disk Utility to format the USB as ExFAT or MS-DOS (FAT) if needed, but ensure the bootable creation process supports it.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive (Tutorial) - YouTube
This Windows 11 tip is one everyone should know and do. Having a bootable USB drive for Windows 11 prior to having major issues with the operating system is ...
Published   April 2, 2025
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MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › windows › 3 ways to create a windows 11 bootable usb drive
3 Ways to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive
November 6, 2023 - FORMAT FS=NTFS LABEL=“Bo... your USB drive. To do this, type the following command and hit Enter to mount the Windows 11 ISO file:...
Top answer
1 of 5
85

Hi Kris_531,

I am Dave, I will help you with this.

1

On another working PC, click this link:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-downlo...

to download the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB on a blank 8GB USB flash drive.

Then, Boot your PC from the Installation Media you just created (change Boot Order in your BIOS) to begin installing Windows 11.

2

Activation depends on your type of Windows license.

A

If Windows came pre-installed on your PC, then you have an OEM licence stored on the motherboard and you have no need to worry, you can re-install Windows any time you need to and it will automatically activate.

B

If you purchased a retail Windows licence separately to your PC from Microsoft, then if you re-install windows and log into your Microsoft Account, it will activate automatically

C

If you purchased a retail Windows licence separately to your PC from a 3rd party retailer, you will need to have your product key available to re-activate Windows.

2 of 5
8

Hi Kris_531,

I am Dave, I will help you with this.

1
On another working PC, click this link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-downlo...
to download the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB on a blank 8GB USB flash drive.

Then, Boot your PC from the Installation Media you just created (change Boot Order in your BIOS) to begin installing Windows 11.

2
Activation depends on your type of Windows license.

A
If Windows came pre-installed on your PC, then you have an OEM licence stored on the motherboard and you have no need to worry, you can re-install Windows any time you need to and it will automatically activate.

B
If you purchased a retail Windows licence separately to your PC from Microsoft, then if you re-install windows and log into your Microsoft Account, it will activate automatically

C
If you purchased a retail Windows licence separately to your PC from a 3rd party retailer, you will need to have your product key available to re-activate Windows.

My pc is working but it's just missing a file. If I install the installation media will that file be there or will I need to find a windows 11 computer that had the file?