No matter if you’re a journalist or you’re simply installing Windows on an SD card to boot up Windows in Steam Deck, Windows is a versatile operating system that can be set up without much difficulty.
After setting up Windows on an SD card, you can plug it into an untrusted computer or portable device and securely access all your confidential files.
If you’re interested in learning how to install Windows on an SD card, and this all sounds exciting, keep reading!
How to Install Windows on an SD Card
Before you install Windows on your SD card, make sure it has a decent IOPS value. If not, get an SD card with a respectable IOPS value. You’ll also need a copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11, either an installation disk or an ISO file.
Next, you should turn your SD card into a bootable SD card. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make your SD card bootable and install Windows on an SD card or microSD:
- Pop in your SD card or microSD card
Insert the SD card into your Windows PC.
- Select disk management
Right-click on the “Start” button and select “Disk Management.”
- Format
Right-click on your SD card and select “Format.”
- Choose file system
Click on the “File System” drop-down menu and select “NTFS.”
- Select “ok”
Click on “OK” to begin formatting.
- Get the Microsoft Media Creation Tool
Download the Windows 10/11 Installation Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft website. When the file has been downloaded, run it.
- Create your installation media
Under the “What do you want to do?” window, select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.”
- Choose your options
Then select the language, Windows architecture, and Windows edition.
- Pick your installation media type
In the “Choose which media to use” window, select “USB flash drive.”
- Finish making your SD card bootable
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
- Now that your SD card is a bootable SD card, proceed with installing Windows
Press the BIOS key to access the BIOS menu after restarting your computer.
- Disable UEFI boot mode
Verify whether “UEFI boot mode” is enabled or disabled in the firmware section. If it is enabled, turn it off and turn on “legacy support/BIOS.”
- Change your boot order
Set your SD card as the first bootable device by changing the boot order.
- Exit BIOS and save changes
Exit the BIOS window after saving the changes.
- Reboot your PC
Restart your PC, and Windows will boot from your SD card.
Wrapping up: How to Install Windows on an SD Card
Unlike MacOS and Linux, Windows is versatile and user-friendly, which is also what makes it the world’s most popular operating system. Windows has upped the ante by allowing users to even install Windows on an SD card.
So if you were planning to install Windows on your SD card but didn’t actually know how to do that, We hope this guide has helped you do that successfully.
Yes, you can install Windows to and from an SD card.
1. Insert the SD card into your Windows PC.
2. Right-click on the “Start” button and select “Disk Management.”
3. Right-click on your SD card and select “Format.”
4. Click on the “File System” drop-down menu and select “NTFS.”
5. Click on “OK” to begin formatting.
6. Download the Windows 10/11 Installation Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft website. When the file has downloaded, run it.
7. Under the “What do you want to do?” window, select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.”
8. Then select the language, Windows architecture, and Windows edition.
9. In the “Choose which media to use” window, select “USB flash drive.”
10. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
To flash Windows to an SD card:
1. Press the BIOS key to access the BIOS menu after restarting your computer.
2. Verify whether “UEFI boot mode” is enabled or disabled in the firmware section. 3. If it is enabled, turn it off and turn on “legacy support/BIOS.”
4. Set your SD card as the first bootable device by changing the boot order.
5. Exit the BIOS window after saving the changes.
6. Restart your PC, and Windows will boot from your SD card.
Yesm an SD card can be used as a bootable drive with operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android.
Your SD card should be formatted as NTFS or exFAT for more storage, since FAT32 has a smaller file size limit.
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