How to Build a Windows To Go USB Drive

Windows To Go is a new feature of Windows 8 that allows a full featured version of Windows to boot from a USB drive. 

To begin you will need the following:

• 32 GB or larger USB Drive (It can be a USB Hard Drive)
• A Windows 8 PC to build the USB drive on.
• Windows 8 DVD ISO.
• A copy of Imagex.exe from the Windows 7 Automated Installation Kit installed on Windows 7 or XP. ImageX can be found in C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64 or C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86.

Creating the Windows 8 To Go USB Device:

1. Run Diskpart
2. List Disk
3. Select Disk 1 (Replace 1 with number reflecting your USB Drive)
4. Clean 

5. Create partition primary

6. Active

7. format fs=ntfs quick

8. Assign

Exit Diskpart by typing Exit.

1. Now double click the Windows 8 ISO you downloaded to mount it in Windows 8.  Browse to the ISO files in Windows Explorer and copy \sources\install.wim to the same folder as you copied Imagex.exe.

Identify the drive letter assigned to your USB drive by Windows Explorer and run the following command from the folder that contains Imagex.exe and install.wim:

1. imagex.exe /apply install.wim 1 d:\

2. Replace d with the drive letter of your USB drive.)

3. Once the image has applied you need to setup the boot record on the USB Drive. At the administrative level command prompt run:

   bcdboot.exe d:\windows /s d: /f ALL

   (Replace d with the drive letter of your USB drive.)

After the command has completed running you are ready to use your new Windows To Go USB device.

Tagged as: Microsoft, Windows 8