Liliputing

  • Reviews
  • Deals
  • How To…
  • Mini PCs
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Liliputing
    • Contact us
    • Advertise on Liliputing
    • Support Liliputing
    • Privacy Policy

You can run Windows 8 from a USB flash drive

09/21/2011 at 5:00 PM by Brad Linder 1 Comment

Windows 8 To Go

We’ve already looked at how you can use a USB flash drive to install Windows 8. All you need is an 8GB or larger flash drive, the Windows 8 disc image, and the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool. But there’s also a new feature in Windows 8 that lets you run the operating system from a USB flash drive.

It’s called Windows To Go, and it works sort of like a Linux LiveCD. You can load the operating system onto a flash drive, plug it into any compatible computer, and boot from the USB drive instead of the hard drive or solid state disk. Unlike most LiveCDs though, Windows To Go can be configured with all of your apps, documents, and other settings.

We first saw hints of the Windows To Go functionality in a leaked copy of Windows 8 that was making the rounds earlier this year. While the Portable Workspace Creator doesn’t appear to be part of the Windows 8 Developer Preview that was released to the public recently, it turns out you can still create a bootable Windows 8 USB device with a little elbow grease.

The feature is aimed at enterprise users, and the ability to create bootable USB drives will be included with Windows 8 Server. But Born city has step-by-step instructions for creating your own Windows To Go setup using a USB flash drive and the recently released Windows 8 Developer Preview.

It’s not clear if this method will continue to work once Microsoft officially launches Windows 8 and starts charging for software. My guess is that it won’t, if for no other reason than that you’ll need a license to run Windows. Right now the developer preview is available license-free.

You’ll need a 16GB or larger USB flash drive or hard drive, and the Windows 8 disc image and Windows Automated Installation Kit in order to create a Windows To Go device. For best results you’ll probably want a USB 3.0 disk with 32GB or more of storage capacity though. Make sure to visit Born City for the rest of the instructions.

If you just want to see how Windows To Go works though, you can check out the video below, courtesy of ExtremeTech.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Email

Daily Deals (2-15-2019)

A few days ago I noted that the 2.2 pound Asus E203MA laptop with an 11.6 inch display, an Intel Celeron N4000 Gemini Lake processor, 4GB of RAM and … [Read More...]



Support Liliputing

Liliputing’s primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the “Shop” button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we’ll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you’re using an ad blocker and hate online shopping.

Contribute via PayPal

  • donate monthly
  • donate once only
Select a Donation Option (USD)

Enter Donation Amount (USD)

Subscribe via Patreon

Become a Patron!

1
Leave a Reply

Login with
Facebook Google Twitter WordPress Yahoo! Disqus Reddit Stackoverflow GitHub
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.
1 Comment threads
0 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
1 Comment authors
anonmsdev Recent comment authors
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
anonmsdev
Guest
anonmsdev
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

That looks like a //BUILD stick?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago

Follow Liliputing:

Facebook Twitter YouTube tumblr RSS Patreon

Latest News

Lilbits 350: TCL’s folding smartphone plans revealed (maybe)

If Chinese electronics company TCL may be better known in the US for its TVs … [Read More...]

Lilbits 349: The 5G smartphones are coming

Mobile World Congress is a little more than a week away, and we'll likely see … [Read More...]

Windows Subsystem for Linux update will let you access Linux file from Windows

One of the most surprising things about Windows 10 is that you have the option … [Read More...]

Featured articles

GPD MicroPC handheld computer preview

It's been a good couple of years for handheld computer enthusiasts. Companies … [Read More...]

Taihe Gemini portable 1080p touchscreen monitor preview

The Taihe Gemini portable monitor has made quite a splash since going up for … [Read More...]

Zotac Pico PI470 is a pocket-sized PC with Intel Amber Lake

Zotac's latest pocket-sized computer is the company's most powerful to date. … [Read More...]

Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by Skimlinks and Amazon's and eBay's affiliate programs.

Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2019 Liliputing · About Liliputing · Contact Us · Privacy Policy · Go to top of page

wpDiscuz
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.