Once upon a time, if you wanted a Windows ISO file, you had just two options. Rip a CD you already had, or head to your friendly local torrent site.
- Windows 8 Recovery Disk Download Torrent
- Windows 8 Recovery Disk
- Windows 8 Recovery Disk Download Torrent
- Burn Windows 8 Recovery Disk Free
You are posting a reply to: Windows 8 Recovery Disc/Driver The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Please refer to our CNET Forums policies for details. Official Microsoft Windows 8.1 ISO / USB Drive Download Instructions (self.buildapc) submitted 4 years ago * by Moter8 Author: Moter8, originally posted on moter8.pw, my new site. Download Windows 8.1 ISOs, Legally & Free from Microsoft. Just a 'recovery partition' or a 'recovery disk,' bloated with all the manufacturer's useless third.
Now, there’s an easier solution.
Turns out Microsoft isn’t just offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade They’re also offering free ISO files of the operating system to anyone who wants them. With this file you can burn Windows 10 to a DVD, allowing you to install the operating system on multiple computers without the need to re-download it. You can also install Windows 10 directly from the ISO file, or write it to a bootable USB drive.
Windows 10 is a free upgrade on any computer running Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1, but that doesn’t mean it’s a quick download. At just over 3GB, Windows 10 could take a long time for users to download on slow Internet connections. If you’d prefer to download the ISO once and use that to install Windows 10 on other computers, here’s how to get that done.
Note that this isn’t a free license for Windows 10: just an ISO users who already have a license, or who are using Windows 7 or 8/8.1, can use to install a clean copy of the operating system.
Download the Windows 10 ISO legally from Microsoft on Windows
To get started, head to the Windows 10 download page. If you’re on a computer running Windows 7, 8, or 10 you will be offered the Windows 10 Download Tool.
This tool makes it easy to turn any USB key into a bootable Windows 10 installer, and also allows you to download the Windows 10 ISO file for future use.
When the tool is downloaded, run it. You will be asked whether you want to upgrade your current PC, or create installation media for another PC.
Select Create installation media for another PC, as shown above, and then click Next. You will be asked what form your installation medium should come in.
Select ISO file, then click Next. You will be asked where to save the ISO file.
Once the download is complete, you will have the ISO file on your computer’s hard drive.
Downloading the Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft on Mac, Linux, and Windows Vista/XP computers
The Windows 10 Download Tool only works on computers running Windows 7, 8, or 10. If you’re not running one of those operating systems, you can still download the Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft. Just head to the Windows 10 download page, and it will detect that you’re not running a compatible operating system.
From this page you can pick which version of Windows 10 to download, and you’ll be offered both the 32-bit and 64-bit ISO in the language of your choosing.
Install Windows 10 directly from the ISO from within Windows 7 or 8/8.1
If you’re running Windows 8, mounting an ISO file is easy. Just double-click it. Windows will display the ISO as though it is a DVD drive.
From here you can install Windows 10. Just open setup.exe and the installer will open. From here you can choose to install Windows 10 in place, leaving your files and programs. All necessary files will be copied from the ISO to your computer, which will eventually restart your PC in order to complete the installation process.
If you’re running Windows 7 or earlier, the capability to mount ISOs isn’t built into Windows, but you can download Virtual Clone Drive and use that to mount ISO files instead.
Once you’ve got the drive mounted, installation will work the same as outlined above.
Burn the Windows 10 ISO to a DVD
If your computer has a DVD burner, and you’ve got a writeable DVD on hand, you can burn the Windows 10 ISO to a DVD and install Windows 10 by booting from it. Simply right-click the ISO file, then click Burn disc image. The Windows Disc Image Burner will open, asking you which drive you’d like to use.
When ready, click Burn to start the process. When it’s complete, you’ll have a bootable DVD that you can use to install Windows from.
You can use other software to burn your ISO, but the built-in software is simple enough to use.
Most computers should boot from DVD by default, but in some cases you may need to access your computer’s boot menu to install Windows 10 from DVD. Annoyingly, doing this requires a different keyboard shortcut on different devices, but if you pay attention when your computer is starting up you should see instructions for accessing the boot menu.
Write the Windows 10 ISO to a bootable USB key
If you want to install Windows 10 from a USB key, using the Windows 10 Download Tool is the easiest method. But if you’ve already got the ISO on hand, you can still use it to create a bootable Windows 10 USB key. Just download the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool from CodePlex. This tool was created by Microsoft for creating Windows 7 USB keys, but still works with Windows 10 ISO files.
Just point it to your Windows 10 ISO, then point it to your USB key (at least 4GB or bigger). Be warned: this will completely overwrite your USB key, so be sure to back up any files you want to keep around.
You’ll need to boot your computer from USB in order to install Windows 10. Pay attention as your computer starts up and you should see a keystroke for entering the boot menu.
Other uses for the Windows 10 ISO file
There are plenty of other uses for a Windows 10 ISO file. For example, you may want to install Windows 10 on your Mac, or set up Windows 10 in a virtual machine application. In either case, the ISO file is the prefered tool for installing Windows 10.
In any and all cases, you will need a valid Windows 10 product key in order to install Windows 10. On computers currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 this isn’t a problem. You can upgrade in-place, and Windows 10 will detect your previous license. Failing that, you can use the product key on your device: just look for a sticker.
But the free ISO file isn’t a free Windows license. It’s just a more convenient way to install Windows 10. Mac users, custom PC builders, and anyone installing on a virtual machine are going to need a product key to legally install Windows 10. They can buy Windows 10 Home for $120.
Editors' Recommendations
If you have a valid Windows product key, you can download full legal copies of Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 from Microsoft and use them to reformat your computer or to setup a new computer.
What’s even better is that you can now use a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 product key to install Windows 10 on a machine too. So if you have a Windows 7 or 8.1 PC and you want to perform a clean install, you can now download the Windows 10 ISO image and use your current product key to activate Windows 10 after it is installed.
The only restriction that Microsoft is still maintaining is that you must install Windows 10 on the same PC where Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 were installed. However, even with this restriction, it’s a big change for Microsoft and great for consumers.
In this article, I’ll talk about how you can download a legal ISO image from Microsoft for the latest versions of Windows and create a bootable USB flash drive so that you can install the OS on your PC.
Download Windows 10, 8, 7 ISO Images
Previously, you used to be able to download ISO image files for Windows from a partner company called DigitalRiver, but Microsoft removed that option about a year or so back.
Now in order to download any of the latest operating systems, you have to visit the software download page here:
Across the top, you’ll see Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. For Windows 10 and Windows 8.1, you can download the ISO images without needing a product key. You have to enter that once you start the setup process.
Download Windows 7
For Windows 7, however, you actually need to enter a product key before you can even download the ISO image file.
Once you type in a valid product key, you’ll choose the language and whether you want to download the 32-bit or 64-bit version. Note that the version of Windows 7 you get to download will depend on your product key. So if you are using a Windows 7 Home key, you’ll only be able to download Windows 7 Home.
Download & Install Windows 8.1
For Windows 8.1, you have to download the media creation tool. What’s nice about the media creation tool is that you can use it to download Windows 8.1 and install it directly to a USB flash drive or burn it to a DVD.
Once you download the tool and run it, you’ll be asked the language, edition and architecture you want to download.
Click Next and you’ll have the option to save the file directly to a USB flash drive or download the ISO and burn it to a DVD.
If you pick USB flash drive, you’ll be asked to insert one before you can start the download. After that, the download will begin when you click Next.
Once the download is complete, the tool will begin installing the OS onto the USB drive or downloading the ISO file.
Download & Install Window 10
For Windows 10, you’ll see a button at the top called Upgrade now, which will try to upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 install to Windows 10. Keep scrolling down and you’ll see a Download tool now button.
Windows 10 also comes with a media creation tool, which does the same thing as the Windows 8.1 tool, but has an extra option at the very beginning.
First, you choose whether you want to upgrade the current PC or create installation media for another PC. In our case, we want to choose the latter option.
The Windows 10 media creation tool will also try to determine the best options for you based on the current PC hardware. You can uncheck the Use the recommended options for this PC box if you want to pick something different.
You can choose from USB flash drive or ISO file using this tool. As with the Windows 8 tool, you’ll have to burn the ISO image yourself to a DVD if you pick that option.
If you pick flash drive, you’ll just need to make sure you have one already connected to your computer before you click Next.
USB Creation Tool for Windows 7
If you’re downloading Windows 8 or Windows 10 as an ISO file, you probably want to burn them to a DVD. For Windows 7, you only get the option to download the ISO file (no media creation tool), so you might want to burn it to a DVD or make a bootable USB flash drive.
Luckily, Microsoft has another free tool called the USB/DVD Download Tool that will take the ISO and install it onto a USB flash drive or burn it to a DVD. Note that this tool is called Windows 7 USB/DVD tool, but it works with the Windows 10 and Windows 8 ISO image files also.
Once you download and install it, you’ll simply go through a four step process. First, you pick your Windows ISO image file like shown below.
Windows 8 Recovery Disk Download Torrent
Next, you choose whether you want to use a USB device or a DVD for your Windows installation media.
Windows 8 Recovery Disk
Make sure to insert your USB device or DVD and then click the Begin copying or Begin burning button to start the process.
You’ll get a popup message stating that the USB device must be erased in order to continue. Go ahead and click Erase USB Device. The program will format the USB device and then begin the installation.
Windows 8 Recovery Disk Download Torrent
Once completed, you will have a bootable Windows USB device or DVD disc. Once you have created your media, you simply need to plug it into your computer and restart.
Burn Windows 8 Recovery Disk Free
Most computers will try to boot from DVD or USB first, so the installation should come up automatically. However, if not, you will have to enter the BIOS and change the boot order manually. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment. Enjoy!