Windows On The Go

Creating a Windows To Go drive involves setting up a boot able USB drive that runs a full version of Windows. Here’s how you can create one:

What You’ll Need:

1. A USB drive – I recommend getting a 1 TB USB drive or larger for speed like Amazon.com: SanDisk 1TB Extreme PRO USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive – Up to 420MB/s, Durable Aluminum Metal Casting – SDCZ880-1T00-GAM46 : Electronics. You will need one with at least 32GB space.
2. A Windows 11 ISO file.
3. A Windows PC to set it up.
4. A copy of Rufus.

Steps to Create Windows To Go:

1. Download the Windows 10/11 ISO:
   • Go to the Microsoft website and download the Windows 11 ISO you want to use.
2. Prepare the USB Drive:
   • Ensure your USB drive is empty, or back up any data on it, as it will be formatted during the setup.
3. Create Windows To Go With Rufus:
   • Download and install Rufus from here.
   • Open Rufus and insert your USB drive.
   • In the Rufus window, select your USB drive in the “Device” drop down.
   • Under “Boot selection”, choose Disk or ISO image (Please select), then select your downloaded Windows ISO file.
   • Under the “Partition Scheme”, choose GPT (if you’re using UEFI) or MBR (for Legacy BIOS).
   • Ensure “File System” is set to NTFS (Windows will require NTFS for Windows To Go).
   • Under “Image option”, select Windows To Go (this option will only appear if you are using a suitable ISO).
   • Press Start and follow the prompts to create the boot able drive.
4. Boot from the Windows To Go USB:
   • After the process is complete, restart your computer and boot from the USB drive. This will let you run Windows from the USB stick, just like a full Windows installation.

Conclusion:

• Windows to a great way to have a portable copy of your customized Windows environment.