

Step 2: Download EasyBCD (it's only 1.54MB) and install it on the PC you are preparing the bootable USB on. Make sure you copy all the files to the root of the USB drive and you shouldn't copy the installation files to a folder. Step 1: Copy all the files from the Windows 10 / 8.1 / 7 DVD or extract the contents of the ISO file to the root of the USB drive. Creating a bootable Windows USB drive without formatting the drive If the file system is NTFS, an error may be displayed when booting from USB. During our test, we noticed that the USB drive must be formatted in the FAT32 file system. IMPORTANT: This guide may not work if the USB drive is in the NTFS file system. In this guide we will show you how to use EasyBCD software to prepare a bootable USB without formatting it. I know, most users don't know that EasyBCD can also be used to create a bootable USB. The tool you need is the hugely popular EasyBCD, it's the same tool we use to tweak the boot menu and change various boot settings. You can also use dual booting in the development process where you are creating. This has worked FINE for a couple of years now. boot the Windows USB drive without having to format the selected USB drive.įortunately, there is a free tool (free for personal use only) that helps you create a bootable Windows 7/8 / 8.1 USB drive without destroying USB data. EasyBCD 15 - NeoSmart Technologies File Tools Help EasyBCD Toolbox View. I used EasyBCD from within the Win7 installation to set the boot options, with Win7 as the default OS.


While it is always possible to back up USB drive data to a location on the hard drive, users who have tens of GB of data on the USB drive and not enough free hard drive space may want to know how to prepare a storage device. Popular tools, including Rufus and Microsoft's Windows 7 USB / DVD download tool, must first format the drive to make it bootable.
