Want to install the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on multiple systems but don't want to have to burn a DVD? Here's how you can create a bootable USB flash drive containing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview code.
See also: Windows 8 Consumer Preview vs. Windows 7: Benchmarked
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- First, you need a USB Flash drive (at least 4GB - any less and you can stop reading right here).
- You also need the Windows 8 Consumer Preview .ISO file - 64-bit download | 32-bit download
- You also need to download and install the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool available from Microsoft.
- OK, now you're ready to rock. Pop the USB flash drive into a spare USB port and fire up the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool and browse to the .ISO file you want to use, and then click Next.
- Click on USB device as the media type.
- From the next screen choose the correct USB flash drive from the drop-down box and then click Begin copying.
- The tool will now format the drive and then copy the Windows 8 installation files onto it. This will take some time, so be patient!
- Once the tool is done copying the data across, you're ready to use the USB flash drive to install the Windows 8 Consumer Preview onto your hardware. When you're ready to install Windows 8, insert the USB flash drive into a free USB port, and then run Setup.exe from the root folder on the drive.
Note: You may need to change the boot order of drives in your PC's BIOS before you can install from your USB flash drive.
It's that simple! Enjoy!
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