Bootable USB is a life saver, especially when you are unable to login to Windows or system crash. Being a household name, Rufus has always been trying to help users in creating these bootable USBs. However, more often than not, users come back complaining that Rufus didn't work as intended. If that user is not you, then you can read ahead to know more about how to create a Windows 10 bootable USB for your PC. But just in case Rufus doesn't work, I have also provided a couple of alternatives that you can opt for.
-
What is Rufus?
-
Common Issues with Rufus
-
Create Windows 10 bootable USB with Rufus
-
What is UEFI?
-
Create Windows 10 Bootable USB without Rufus
What Is Rufus?
Rufus is afree and open-source tool that can be used to create bootable media for your Windows or Linux PC. You can use different type of media, like USB, CD, DVD etc. to create this bootable media using Rufus. It doesn't take up much space, and can be installed easily. There is also a portable version of this tool available on their website. It provides two MBR and GP partition schemes for those who want to make a bootable USB for Windows ISO.
Moreover, it sports a user-friendly graphical user interface that makes it extremely simple to use. You can even use Rufus to download Windows ISO files in case you don't have any, this ISO file is required to create the bootable media using Rufus. However, this incredibly powerful tool does come with its own set of issues.
Common Issues with Rufus
- The glaring issue with using Rufus is that it does not have a dedicated support channel. In case you come across a problem while creating your bootable media, you need to post it on various forums, or on their GitHub repository to find a solution.
- Also, Rufus does not support Legacy boot, so if you have one of those older PCs you need to find some other solution.
- About 23% users report that Rufus does not detect usb, not recognize dvd and unable to detect ISO file.
- 20% of users said the rufus doesn't boot from Windows installer USB in UEFI mode even with BIOS setting correctly.
- About 12.4% of users were surprised that rufus acts strangely, it doesn't allow users to select the GPU partition scheme even with a UEFI system.
- What's more, Rufus 3.0 is no longer supported on Windows XP.
Create Windows 10 bootable USB with Rufus
Get Windows 10 ISO File
Step 1. Here are the detailed steps on how to use Rufus to create windows 10 bootable usb for computer novice. You need to download the Windows ISO image file and latest Rufus program.
Step 2. Suppose that you don't have a Windows 10 ISO image file, you can follow this guide to download Windows 10 ISO file. Go over to the Microsoft website and download the Windows 10 media creation tool, and save it on your desktop. If you've already have a Windows 10 ISO file, just skip this.
Step 3. Next, run the .exe file for the media creation tool, accept their licensing agreement, then select the option to create the installation media for another PC and press Next.
Step 4. On the next window, which will ask you to select the language, edition etc, keep the default settings and press Next.
Step 5. Check the ISO file option and press Next. This will ask you to save the ISO file, save it on your PC.
Step 6. This will start the process of downloading the Windows 10 ISO file.
Once the ISO file is saved, get the latest version of Rufus from their official website (https://rufus.ie/en/), right clicking on the recent version listed under their Downloads section and saving it on your desktop.
Start to Use Rufus
Step 7. Open the .exe file for Rufus that you just now downloaded.
Step 8. Under Device menu select the USB drive that you have inserted in the PC,
Step 9. Under Boot selection menu choose Disk or ISO image (Please select) option in case its not already chosen, then press the SELECT button on the right to select the Windows 10 ISO file that you downloaded earlier.
Step 10. What can be confusing is the partitioning scheme, you can choose the right options according to your needs:
UEFI only:
- Partition scheme: GPT
- Target system: UEFI (non CSM)
- File system should be FAT32.
Dual UEFI + Legacy BIOS:
- Partition scheme: MBR
- Target system: BIOS or UEFI
- File system: FAT32.
- If the ISO file is larger than 4GB, choose NTFS.
Legacy BIOS only:
- Partition scheme: MBR
- Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)
- File system should be NTFS.
Step 10. Finally, click on START to start the process of creating the Windows 10 bootable USB, and click OK to confirm. It will take some time to complete the process.
NOTE: If you get an error message saying "This ISO image contain a file larger than 4 GB", to fix this, just choose NTFS instead of FAT32, Rufus will allowseamless boot of an NTFS partition from a pure UEFI system.
What is UEFI?
If you look at the above process, you will see that we selected UEFI from the Target system menu. You must be thinking what is UEFI? Well, without going much into their technical details, you can think about UEFI as one of the boot options for your PC, the other one being Legacy. Their difference lies in the fact that Legacy boot uses the PC BIOS to boot into Windows (or any other operating system that you might be using), compared to that UEFI uses a firmware to boot to your operating system.
That advantage of UEFI over Legacy booting is that UEFI lends more advanced functionalities, and more security to the boot process. Most modern PCs use UEFI for booting into them. However, people who are still using older PCs will need to create bootable USBs using Legacy mode, otherwise they will not be able to boot using an USB created using UEFI mode.
In our test for Rufus, we found a choice that can be executed successfully.
- Select GPT if you only need UEFI support.
- Select MRB + FAT32 will support both UEFI and Legacy boot mode.
- Choose NTFS instead of FAT32 if install.wim file larger than 4 GB.
Create Windows 10 Bootable USB without Rufus
As mentioned earlier, Rufus comes with its own set of nuances. So what should you do in case Rufus is no more an option for you. There are other tools available that can help you solve the problem. I have discussed 2 more tools here that you may find helpful in case Rufus is not working; WonderISO from SYSGeeker, and Deepin Boot Maker.
WonderISO
This tool provides a comprehensive ISO burning solution for all your PC needs. You can create bootable media using SYSGeeker WonderISO for both Windows and Mac. One of the biggest advantages of using WonderISO is that is supports both UEFI and Legacy boot mode, so if you have an older PC you can still use this tool to create your bootable media. You areNOTlimited to only using a FAT32 that less than 4 GB when booting UEFI, WonderISO tool has a logic to detect the presence of a file that larger than 4 GB in the source folder of ISO file, and WonderISO will split the install.wim file into several parts and save as FAT32.
Steps:
- Step 1. Download and install WonderIS on a Windows or Mac computer.
- Step 2. Click Burn button , then select your Windows ISO file and insert your USB drive.
- Step 3. Select the USB option and in Partition Style, select UEFI (this works for all modern PCs).
- Step 5. Click Burn button to start.
Deepin Boot Maker
Deepin Boot Maker is yet another utility that helps you create bootable USB for your Windows 10 PC. Is has a simple user interface sans any options, this makes it extremely simple to use even if the user don't have any prior experience in creating bootable media. However, like Rufus, Deepin Boot Maker too does not have a dedicated support channel. It does have a Wiki instead for documentation, but I couldn't find any documentation on how to create Windows 10 bootable USB using Deepin Boot Maker.
Steps:
- Step 1. Download Deeping Boot Maker from their website, the .exe file does not need to be installed and can be run directly.
- Step 2. Click on the Select an ISO image file to select the Windows 10 ISO image and press Next.
- Step 3. On the next screen confirm that the USB drive has been selected by default then press that to select it, check the option of formatting the disk, then press Start Making.
- Step 5. This will start the process of creating the bootable Windows 10 USB.
- Step 6. Once the process completes, it will either show you a success message or a failure message like I got.
If you got a success message, congratulations! Now you can take out the USB from the drive and use it as and when you need.
Conclusion
Considering all the scenarios, I would recommend WonderISO for creating the bootable USB for your Windows 10 PC. It has a greater success rate than Rufus and Deepin Boot Maker, it has a dedicated support team to help you in your time of need, it also extends support for legacy PCs. So no need to feel left out if you have an older system. There are other options available too, but the more you search the more confusing it becomes. So its best to stick to the one option that you know works.
You May Also Like:
- How to Create a Bootable MacOS Catalina 10.15 Installer Drive from Windows
- 4 Ways to Burn Mac os x DMG to USB on Windows 10
- How to Create Windows 10 Bootable USB on Mac Catalina
- How to Run Windows 10 from USB without Installing
- How to Create Windows To Go with A Non-certified USB Drive
FAQs
Can I boot UEFI USB in Legacy mode? ›
After completion boot the USB on any PC and you will see that it provides option to boot through LEGACY and also through UEFI. (NOTE: Ensure that your BIOS settings have been set to allow Legacy Boot options and not strictly UEFI.)
Can Rufus make UEFI bootable USB? ›Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc. It can be especially useful for cases where: you need to create USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.) you need to work on a system that doesn't have an OS installed.
Can I install Windows 10 from UEFI to Legacy? ›Once you're finally inside your Setup Menu, access the Boot Menu and look for an option named Boot Mode (or similar). Once you see it, select it and press Enter to access the hidden menu, then select Legacy from the available options.
Should I use UEFI or Legacy to boot from USB? ›In general, install Windows using the newer UEFI mode, as it includes more security features than the legacy BIOS mode. If you're booting from a network that only supports BIOS, you'll need to boot to legacy BIOS mode. After Windows is installed, the device boots automatically using the same mode it was installed with.
How do I change from UEFI to Legacy bootable USB? ›- Power on system.
- Press F2 when prompted to enter BIOS menu.
- Navigate to Boot Maintenance Manager -> Advanced Boot Options -> Boot Mode.
- Select the desired mode: UEFI or Legacy.
- If UEFI option was selected, a new option named Video BIOS appears, select UEFI.
- Download Rufus application from: Rufus.
- Connect USB drive to any computer. ...
- Run Rufus application and configure it as described in the screenshot. ...
- Choose the Windows installation media image:
- Press Start button to proceed.
- Wait until completion.
- Disconnect the USB drive.
The difference is the process that the firmware uses to find the boot target, Legacy Boot is the boot process used by BIOS firmware and UEFI boot is used by UEFI firmware. UEFI is the newer standard and is more secure. In regards to imaging the major difference is the partition structure used.
How do I start UEFI in Rufus? ›- Double-click the Rufus-x. ...
- Under the "Device" section, select the USB flash drive.
- Under the "Boot selection" section, click the Select button on the right.
- Select the Windows 10 ISO file from the folder location.
- Click the Open button.
☞ MBR hard drive has better compatibility with the Windows system, and GPT is slightly worse.
Which is faster UEFI or Legacy? ›Legacy uses the MBR partition scheme. UEFI provides faster boot time. It is slower compared to UEFI. Since UEFI uses the GPT partitioning scheme, it can support up to 9 zettabytes of storage devices.
How do I enable UEFI boot from Legacy? ›
- Access the BIOS Setup Utility. ...
- From the BIOS Main menu screen, select Boot.
- From the Boot screen, select UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode, and press Enter. ...
- Use the up and down arrows to select Legacy BIOS Boot Mode or UEFI Boot Mode, and then press Enter.
By using the command bcdedit you can change the boot in Windows 10 from standard to legacy, this setting doesn't change the BIOS which stays in UEFI mode!
Is GPT Legacy or UEFI? ›Depending on BIOS/Firmware boot options, you may be able to enable the CSM and still select to boot to UEFI boot mode using GPT disk or legacy MBR boot mode. Having the CSM enabled and loaded into memory is required for Windows 7 to boot UEFI. UEFI boot does not need CSM to be enabled.
How do you know if my PC is UEFI or Legacy? ›Click the Search icon on the Taskbar and type in msinfo32 , then press Enter. System Information window will open. Click on the System Summary item. Then locate BIOS Mode and check the type of BIOS, Legacy or UEFI.
Is it OK to boot from Legacy? ›It won't cause any damage. Legacy mode (a.k.a. BIOS mode, CSM boot) matters only when the operating system boots. Once it boots, it doesn't matter anymore. If everything works as expected and you're happy with it, legacy mode is fine.
Does UEFI support Legacy? ›Some computers with UEFI allows the user to enable legacy BIOS compatibility mode. UEFI boot uses the UEFI firmware. It maintains a list of valid boot volumes called EFI service partitions.
What happens if I change Legacy to UEFI? ›With UEFI, you get faster boot times (ostensibly), higher drive capacities, better update methods and driver support, and a 64-bit mode (where BIOS is only 16-bit). In other words, switching to UEFI is a bit of an upgrade and worth doing.
Can I change from UEFI Legacy? ›Normally, you can find the Legacy/UEFI boot mode configuration under the Boot tab. Under the Boot tab, you should disable Legacy and enable UEFI. 3. Now, press F10 to save the settings and then exit.
Can legacy boot NTFS? ›Legacy BIOS can boot and run an OS from a single partition. The drive must use an MBR partition table. If you are booting legacy BIOS the boot partition can be either FAT32 or NTFS. The Windows operating system must be installed on NTFS so this infers a separate boot partition that isn't necessary.
Can legacy BIOS boot from FAT32? ›If your flash drive is MBR partitioned with a FAT32 partition marked as active, it will be bootable in both legacy BIOS (and CSM) and UEFI modes.
How do I get BIOS to recognize my USB? ›
To make bootable USB show up in BIOS, try to specify the boot order: Depending on the BIOS manufacturer, press and hold ESC, F1, F2, F8 or F10 during the initial startup screen, a menu shall appear. Choose to enter the BIOS setup and select the BOOT tab. System devices appear in order of priority.
Can I dual boot with UEFI? ›Now You Can Dual Boot Ubuntu and Windows 10
And to boot into Windows 10, select Windows boot manager. You can also get into your BIOS from the same place by choosing UEFI Firmware Settings.
Benefits of UEFI boot mode over Legacy BIOS boot mode include: Support for hard drive partitions larger than 2 Tbytes. Support for more than four partitions on a drive. Fast booting.
How do I boot Windows 10 from UEFI? ›- Click Start and then select Settings.
- Click Update and Security.
- On the left side, click Recovery.
- Under Advanced start-up, click Restart Now.
- Click Troubleshoot.
- Click Advanced options.
- Select UEFI Firmware Settings.
From the System Utilities screen, select System Configuration > BIOS/Platform Configuration (RBSU) > Boot Options > Advanced UEFI Boot Maintenance > Add Boot Option and press Enter.
How do I install Windows in UEFI boot mode? ›- Connect a USB Windows 10 UEFI install key.
- Boot the system into the BIOS (for example, using F2 or the Delete key)
- Locate the Boot Options Menu.
- Set Launch CSM to Enabled. ...
- Set Boot Device Control to UEFI Only.
- Set Boot from Storage Devices to UEFI driver first.
- Save your changes and restart the system.
Both BIOS-based and UEFI-based partition system is suitable for 64-bit as well as 32-bit Windows 10 system. Although you can use MBR on a Windows 10 system, it is better to choose a GPT partition style to experience the full potential of your Windows 10 OS.
Which is better for Windows 10 MBR or GPT? ›As MBR is older, it's usually paired with older Legacy BIOS systems, while GPT is found on newer UEFI systems. This means that MBR partitions have better software and hardware compatibility, though GPT is starting to catch up.
Is UEFI better than MBR? ›UEFI enables better use of bigger hard drives. Though UEFI supports the traditional master boot record (MBR) method of hard drive partitioning, it doesn't stop there. It's also capable of working with the GUID Partition Table (GPT), which is free of the limitations the MBR places on the number and size of partitions.
Does Windows 11 use UEFI or Legacy? ›Does Windows 11 require UEFI? Microsoft has decided to leverage the advances of UEFI in Windows 11 in order to offer enhanced security for users. This means that Windows 11 MUST run with UEFI and is not compatible with BIOS or Legacy Compatibility Mode.
Does Windows 11 need UEFI or Legacy? ›
While the requirement to upgrade a Windows 10 device to Windows 11 is only that the PC be Secure Boot capable by having UEFI/BIOS enabled, you may also consider enabling or turning Secure Boot on for better security.
Why is UEFI better than BIOS? ›UEFI provides a faster boot time. UEFI has discrete driver support, while BIOS has drive support stored in its ROM, so updating BIOS firmware is a bit difficult. UEFI offers security like “Secure Boot”, which prevents the computer from booting from unauthorized/unsigned applications.
Is Legacy boot MBR or GPT? ›As mentioned earlier, Legacy BIOS supports MBR disk, while UEFI supports GPT disk. If you plan to boot your PC via UEFI, then you need to check if your system disk is a GPT disk. If not, you should convert MBR to GPT.
How do I change from Legacy to UEFI in CMD? ›...
- Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
- Issue the following command: mbr2gpt.exe /convert /allowfullOS.
- Shut down and boot into your BIOS.
- Change your settings to UEFI mode.
- Power on system.
- Press F2 when prompted to enter BIOS menu.
- Navigate to Boot Maintenance Manager -> Advanced Boot Options -> Boot Mode.
- Select the desired mode: UEFI or Legacy.
- If UEFI option was selected, a new option named Video BIOS appears, select UEFI.
Not at all. Switching to legacy mode might confuse or break a bootloader that expects UEFI, but you can always switch back if you aren't able to boot. Nothing will be permanently changed which cannot be undone.
Can GPT run on Legacy mode? ›Legacy MBR boot is not able to recognize GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks. It requires an active partition and supporting BIOS to facilitate access to disk.
Is Legacy BIOS or UEFI? ›The difference is the process that the firmware uses to find the boot target, Legacy Boot is the boot process used by BIOS firmware and UEFI boot is used by UEFI firmware. UEFI is the newer standard and is more secure. In regards to imaging the major difference is the partition structure used.
Can Windows 10 boot from legacy? ›2 boot modes: It supports both UEFI and Legacy BIOS boot mode. So, if your computer only supports traditional Legacy mode, you can easily make Windows 10 USB boot in Legacy BIOS.
What are the advantages of UEFI over legacy? ›Benefits of UEFI boot mode over Legacy BIOS boot mode include: Support for hard drive partitions larger than 2 Tbytes. Support for more than four partitions on a drive. Fast booting.
Is UEFI faster than Legacy? ›
Legacy uses the MBR partition scheme. UEFI provides faster boot time. It is slower compared to UEFI. Since UEFI uses the GPT partitioning scheme, it can support up to 9 zettabytes of storage devices.
Does Windows 10 use GPT or MBR? ›Windows 10 uses both GPT and MBR disks. Windows 10 can be installed on both MBR and GPT, depending on the firmware of your computer. If your computer has BIOS firmware, you can only install Windows 10 on an MBR disk. If your computer firmware is UEFI-based, you can only install Windows 10 on a GPT disk.
How do I change my BIOS from Legacy to UEFI? ›...
- Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
- Issue the following command: mbr2gpt.exe /convert /allowfullOS.
- Shut down and boot into your BIOS.
- Change your settings to UEFI mode.
Though UEFI supports the traditional master boot record (MBR) method of hard drive partitioning, it doesn't stop there. It's also capable of working with the GUID Partition Table (GPT), which is free of the limitations the MBR places on the number and size of partitions.
Can Legacy BIOS boot FAT32? ›Legacy BIOS can boot and run an OS from a single partition. The drive must use an MBR partition table. If you are booting legacy BIOS the boot partition can be either FAT32 or NTFS.
What is Legacy in boot mode? ›Legacy BIOS Boot Mode is the default.
Once you have installed the operating system, if you change the boot mode, you cannot boot the operating system. See your installation guide for a list of the operating systems that support UEFI boot mode.
Also known as “USB Keyboard” or “USB Mouse support” in the BIOS Setup is a feature that allows one to use the USB mouse and keyboard as if they were their classic PS/2 counterparts.