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Create support with Media Creation Tool
The first method we recommend you try to create a Windows 10 installation media on the fly is Media Creation Tool, which we can download from the official website.
Opening the Microsoft site we scroll and press on Download the tool now, in order to start the download of the tool. At the end of the download, double-click on the tool, give consent for administrator permissions, accept the license and click on Create installation media for another PC.
In the windows that will appear later, we choose the language, edition, and architecture (64 bit or 32 bit) for Windows 10, select the type of media to use (USB flash drive O File ISO), connect an empty USB key to use as installation media and finally confirm the creation of the USB stick with Windows 10.
If we have chosen to create the ISO file we can burn it on any DVD, using an external USB burner and one of the programs seen in the guide How to Burn CDs and DVDs for Free (Windows and Mac).
Initiate cloud recovery
If we don’t want to create any installation media, we can still restore Windows 10 using cloud recovery, which will automatically download the latest version of Windows 10 and start the recovery procedure. To continue with this method we open the Start menu, select the app Settings, let’s get to the menu Update and security and we open the menu Restoration.
In the screen that opens, click on It begins, we wait for the recovery procedure to start, we choose between Keep my files O Remove everything when prompted and, on the next screen, make sure you choose the item Download da cloud.
Starting this mode Windows 10 will use Windows Update and the currently active network connection to download the necessary files and, at the appropriate time, just press on Reset to restart the system and proceed with the reinstallation of Windows 10.
Create support with WinToHDD
Another method that we can use to install Windows without DVD or USB involves the use of an external hard drive, to be connected to the computer via USB cable. WinToHDD is a free program that allows you to install, reinstall or clone Windows without having to copy the installation files to a disk or USB stick.
Of course, you will still need the ISO image, but you won’t need to burn it to a CD or DVD disc or copy it to a USB stick to proceed with the installation. Using this small program we will be able to install Windows on another disk or partition of the computer or to reinstall the system on the disk currently in use. We can too clone Windows to another disk or partition, to create a copy of the installation that also includes programs and personal files.
To make all these operations even easier than they would be using a CD / DVD or a USB drive, simply proceed directly from the program interface, without the need to restart the PC, without having to change the boot order or enter the computer’s BIOS. . The only requirement is the Windows ISO image, which we can download with the Media Creation Tool or by reading the guide above.
After installing WinToHDD in the system, launch it and choose one of the three functions: Reinstall, install or clone Windows. As written above, the differences between the three options are:
- Reinstall allows you to reinstall Windows on top of the current copy
- New Installation, to install Windows on another disk on your computer
- Clone to copy the current installation to another disk
For the first two options, you will need the Windows ISO, for the third one you just need to indicate the disk were to clone the disk. Regarding the first option, keep in mind that to reinstall Windows and keep the copy valid with the product key purchased, you must use the ISO of the same version; about the second option, read the article on how many times can you install a copy of Windows.
For the new installation on another disk, it is also necessary to prepare the partition with other programs, because WinToHDD does not support the creation of a dual boot configuration. Cloning on the other hand is an option that I personally would do with a different program and we have seen the best programs to clone Windows to another disk.
WinToHDD is a program developed by the same house that provides WinToUSB, one of the best programs to copy a PC to a USB drive with all data, bootable, and portable.
Conclusions
In conclusion, it is possible to say that with Windows 10 we can forget about the long formatting procedures typical of Windows XP and Windows 7! The current Microsoft operating system is able to recover itself without the need to get a disk or a USB stick, using both the methods built into the system and a simple and immediate program such as WinToHDD. For computers that no longer start, we can always use Media Creation Tool to create a USB stick on the fly, so as to quickly restore the system while keeping personal files.
To learn more we can read our guides How to reset Windows 10 (Reset PC) e How to open the Windows 10 recovery console.