Initially, you won’t notice a difference. These days, Windows just complains at you in a few minor, cosmetic ways. With Windows XP, Microsoft actually used Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to disable access to your computer. However, an unactivated version of Windows 10 doesn’t have many restrictions. RELATED: How Does Windows Activation Work?Īfter you’ve installed Windows 10 without a key, it won’t actually be activated. Whatever version you choose, Windows 10 will install normally. Exit the BIOS, saving if you're prompted, and the computer should restart.When you select this option, you’ll be able to install either “Windows 10 Home” or “Windows 10 Pro.” Bear in mind that, if you plan to pay to upgrade to the paid version later, it’ll be cheaper to upgrade to Windows 10 Home, so you may want to install the Home version. Select your new USB drive as the first one it should try. Turn it on and press DEL on your keyboard as soon as it boots up, to enter the BIOS.įrom here, look for the boot menu - this determines what the computer tries to load as it turns on. Once it's all finished, remove the USB drive and plug it into your newly built, powered-off PC. It'll turn that drive into a little installation platform for a new build. Open up the Windows Installation Media tool, then follow the instructions and point it at the USB drive you want to use. Getting started with the actual steps, first plug your USB drive into a different, working PC or Mac (we've found the PC version works far more reliably, but it does also work on Mac).

The Windows Installation Media tool on another computer.

A USB thumb drive that has at least 8GB of free space.

A licence key that you've bought for Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro.

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT How to install Windows 10 from a USB driveīefore you get started, you're going to need three fairly simple things:

Install win 10 from usb