早在 3 月，我写了一篇关于在 USB 记忆棒上制作 MacOS 安装程序的文章(making a MacOS installer on a USB stick)。但您可能不知道，完全有可能对Windows 10（或任何当前版本的Windows）执行相同操作。
每台 PC 都预装了 Windows，但有时USB版本变得非常宝贵。一个是当您无法以正常方式安装操作系统更新时（去年发生在我身上）。第二个是如果你以擦拭和翻新旧电脑为生。拥有最新 Windows 版本的 USB 版本(USB version of the latest Windows version)使重新安装系统变得非常容易。
显然Windows不是免费的，所以除了USB安装程序，您还需要一个有效的合法许可证密钥。显然，我们无法为您提供帮助。但是安装程序呢？没问题。继续阅读。
创建Windows 安装 U 盘(Windows Installation USB Stick)
在我们开始之前，值得指出的是，无论您放在USB记忆棒上的(USB)Windows版本是什么，都将是(Windows)Microsoft提供的当前版本。这意味着任何后续补丁和更新都不会包含在内，因为USB记忆棒显然不会自动更新。
因此，一旦您使用USB方法安装了Windows，您将需要定期检查Windows是否已更新。如果是这样，您将不得不删除记忆棒上的版本并将其替换为新版本。我将要描述的整个过程不需要很长时间，所以没什么大不了的。
擦除 U 盘
第一步是确保U(USB)盘是完全空白的。如果你刚买了它，它就已经是空白的了。但如果是用过的棍子，则需要格式化。这样做将擦除所有内容。棒需要至少 8GB 的空间才能正确构建安装程序。
要格式化记忆棒，请在Windows 资源管理器(Windows Explorer)中右键单击它，然后单击“格式化”。
在出现的框中，单击“开始”开始格式化过程。
需要多长时间取决于棒的使用情况以及上面已经有多少数据。
从 Microsoft下载(Download)“媒体创建工具”
接下来，前往微软(Microsoft)网站并下载“媒体创作工具”(download the “Media Creation Tool”)。这是一个便携式应用程序，因此无需安装。只需(Just)下载文件，然后双击即可开始。
选择您的安装程序格式
在扫描您的计算机以查看需要什么并要求您假装已阅读条款和条件(Conditions)后，安装程序现在将询问您要做什么。
它已经看到我还没有安装最新的补丁，所以它给了我这个。但我想制作一个安装程序USB，所以第二个选项是我想要的。您还可以将
Windows 10放在DVD或ISO文件中，我将在下一篇文章中讨论ISO文件。(ISO)至于DVD，我认为它们不切实际而且价格昂贵。
接下来它会要求您选择语言、Windows版本以及您需要的是 32 位还是 64 位。它会将其置于它认为的“推荐选项”中，但如果您不同意其中任何一个，只需取消选中该框并选择您想要的。
但是，除非您有充分的理由并且知道自己在做什么，否则最好坚持使用推荐的选项。
请记住(Remember)，不要选择您没有有效许可证密钥的Windows版本！(Windows)
现在确认您需要USB选项而不是ISO文件。
单击(Click)要安装它的U盘。(USB)如果您没有在列表中看到它，请单击“刷新驱动器列表”链接。
在选择正确的USB(USB)设备时要格外小心。我几乎选择了我的备份便携式硬盘，这将是一场灾难。
现在坐下来等待......
您的安装程序现在将开始传输到U(USB)盘。正如进度屏幕所说，您可以在等待期间继续使用您的 PC。但我的经验是，在制作安装程序时，PC 速度变慢了很多。
无论哪种方式，它都需要大约 15 分钟才能完成。
USB记忆棒现在的样子
现在，当您在 Windows 资源管理器中单击USB记忆棒时，您将看到此内容。
您需要关心的唯一文件是“setup.exe”文件。当您单击它时，它将打开一个Windows安装窗口，之后将提示您输入许可证密钥。
How To Create a Windows 10 Installation USB Stick
Back in March, I wrote about making a MacOS installer on a USB stick. But you may not be aware that it is entirely possible to do the same with Windows 10 (or whatever the current version of Windows is).
Windows comes pre-installed with every PC but there are times when a USB version becomes invaluable. One is when you have trouble installing operating system updates the normal way (which happened to me last year). The second is if you make a living wiping and refurbishing used computers. Having a USB version of the latest Windows version makes reinstalling the system absurdly easy.
Obviously Windows is
not free, so along with the USB installer, you will also need a valid legal license
key. Obviously we can’t help you with that. But the installer? No problem. Read
on.
Creating The Windows Installation USB Stick
Before we start, it is
worth pointing out that whatever version of Windows you put on your USB stick
will be the current version that Microsoft is offering. This means that any
subsequent patches and updates will not be included as the USB stick will
obviously not auto-update.
So once you have
installed Windows using the USB method, you will need to check regularly to see
if Windows has been updated. If so, you will have to delete the version on the
stick and replace it with the new version. The whole process which I am about
to describe doesn’t take very long so it’s not a big deal.
Wipe The USB Stick
The first step is to
make sure the USB stick is completely blank. If you have just bought it, it
will already be blank. But if it is a used stick, you need to format it. Doing
so will wipe all of the contents. The stick needs at least 8GB of space for the
installer to be built properly.
To format the stick,
right-click on it in Windows Explorer and click “Format”.
In the box that comes
up, click “Start” to begin the formatting process.
How long it takes
depends on how used the stick is and how much data is already on it.
Download The “Media Creation Tool” From Microsoft
Next, head to the Microsoft website and download the “Media Creation Tool”. This is a portable app so no installation is necessary. Just download the file then double-click to get started.
Choose Your Installer Format
After scanning your
computer to see what’s needed and asking you to pretend to have read the Terms
& Conditions, the installer will now ask you what you want to do.
It has seen that I
haven’t installed the latest patch yet so it has offered me that. But I want to
make an installer USB so the second option is the one I want. You can also put
Windows 10 on a DVD or ISO file, and I will be discussing ISO files in my next
article. As for DVD’s, I view them as impractical and expensive for something
like this.
Next it will ask you to
choose the language, Windows edition and whether it’s 32 bit or 64 bit you
require. It will put it to what it thinks are the “recommended options” but if
you disagree with any of them, just untick the box and choose what you want.
But unless you have a
very good reason and you know what you are doing, it is best to stick with the
recommended options.
Remember, don’t choose
a version of Windows that you don’t have a valid license key for!
Now confirm that you
want a USB option and not an ISO file.
Click on the USB stick
you want to install it on. If you don’t see it in the list, click the “refresh
drive list” link.
Take extreme caution
that you pick the right USB device. I almost chose my backup portable hard-disk
which would have been a catastrophe.
Now Sit Back & Wait….
Your installer program
will now start to be transferred to the USB stick. As the progress screen will
say, you can continue to use your PC while you wait. But my experience was that
the PC slowed down quite a bit when making the installer.
Either way, it took
about 15 minutes for it to complete.
What The USB Stick Now Looks Like
Now when you click the USB stick in Windows
Explorer, this is what you will see.
The only file you need
to concern yourself with is the “setup.exe” file. When you click on that, it
will open up a Windows installation window, after which you will be prompted
for your license key.
