You need to create a bootable drive.įortunately, creating the bootable drive is not difficult. Unfortunately, due to the different file structure, you can’t just copy an ISO file to USB drive and hope it to boot. Part 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive from the ISO file There are tons of applications that can help you turn a DVD into an ISO file such as BurnAware Free.Īnd needless to say, you need a working computer to boot the drive and install or repair Windows 8 or 8.1. Since your computer doesn’t have the optical drive, you need access to another computer that does. If your installer is in the form of an optical disc, you need to create the ISO version of it. Either you already have it as part of your computer purchase, or you could purchase a new copy.

Second, you need the Windows 8 or 8.1 installers in the form of DVD or ISO (recommended) along with the product key. If your drive is not empty, a pre-formatting process is suggested. It should be 4 GB in size if you plan to install the 32-bit version of Windows 8 or 8.1, or 8 GB drive for the 64-bit version.

Part 1: What Do You Need?Īs the title suggested, you need an empty flash drive or any USB storage that you can put your hands on. If you are ready to get your hands dirty, let’s start. And for today’s tech world, a USB drive is a better solution because we can safely say that almost every computer on earth has USB ports. What can you do to get your back on your feet? You can use a USB drive to boot or reinstall your Windows. It happens more often that it should be: your computer is failing you, and you can’t use the CDs or DVD installer because there’s no optical drive.

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