Every Windows PC usually starts from the built-in hard drive, as the term “Windows PC” implies. This is because the Microsoft operating system is not anchored in or with the hardware, but is installed ...

Starting your Surface from a USB drive can be useful if you want to change firmware settings or Windows startup settings or if your Surface device does not turn on, start, boot, or wake from sleep.

Saving a PC can go from very hard to extremely easy once you set this up.

There are a bunch of tools that let you load an operating system onto a USB flash drive, allowing you to boot from that drive and either run or install the OS. But most of those tools are only ...

Zach was an Author at Android Police from January 2022 to June 2025. He specialized in Chromebooks, Android smartphones, Android apps, smart home devices, and Android services. Zach loves unique and ...

Windows install floppies and discs have gone the way of the dodo, but it still pays to keep a copy of the OS on a USB drive. Here's how to make your own.

But with the advent of the tiny, lightweight, and portable USB key drive, system builders now have a new tool. I believe the USB key drive could alter—even usurp—our old rescue and ...

I am in charge of upgrading a small computer lab from Windows XP to Windows 7 and I'm having a hell of a time with it. One quirk of these computers is that they don't have a DVD drive, so I've made an ...