With a brand new spanking PC built to handle all triple-A games in 2024 with all the fancy ray tracing and stuff, many tend to forget about the operating system. And installing Windows can be a daunting task, even for the most avid gamer. So, to help a fellow gamer out, here is a complete Windows 11 installation guide for PCs in 2024.
Download Windows 11 ISO
Grab a secondary computer and download the latest Windows 11 iso from the internet. Activation after installation can be pretty easy with a cheap Windows 11 Pro key. Additionally, you can check out ways to buy Windows 11 Professional OEM Key.
Storing Windows 11 key
The Windows 11 Pro OEM Key is generally sent to, you after you buy Windows 11 product key, so ensure to grab the product key and keep it safe, as it will be necessary to activate the copy of Windows 11 on the PC.
Create bootable disk
With the iso downloaded on a secondary computer, grab a thumb drive to flash it with the downloaded Windows 11 iso. This is a very important step in the installation process.
It is important to note that the thumb drive must be at least 16 GB to ensure sufficient space for the OS files.
Now, with an ISO and 16 GB thumb drive, the next step is to create the bootable disk. This can be done using two tools.
- Windows Media Creation Tool
- Rufus
For the sake of simplicity, this post will expand on instructions to create a bootable Windows 11 using Rufus.
Download Rufus
Rufus is a quick and easy tool to create bootable disks. Exceptionally lightweight and easy to download, it can be quite an intuitive and potent tool. Download it from the official website and install it on the secondary computer.
Adjust Rufus settings
The next step is to plug in the thumb drive and open Rufus. Do note that Rufus offers tons of settings, which can be overwhelming for new users. However, there is a quick way around.
Here are the essential settings to keep in mind.
- The target disk must be set to the thumb drive location.
- The partition scheme must be set to “GPT,” which is the standard for modern operating systems.
- The file system must be set to “NTFS” to ensure the best compatibility with the Windows 11 iso.
- Ensure that the “Quick Format” option is enabled.
Once all the options are selected and toggled to the correct mode, click “Start.”
Do note that during this step, all existing data on the thumb drive will be formatted and overwritten with the OS files, so keep a backup of any important data.
A progress bar will pop up to let the user know about the status.
Booting the gaming PC with the ISO
Plug in the thumb drive to the gaming PC and turn it on. Follow on-screen instructions and navigate to the bios. For most manufacturers, users need to mash the “Del” or “F11” button on the start-up. In the bios, change the boot order and ensure that the flash drive is set to the first priority. Now restart the PC.
Installing Windows 11
The computer will now boot into the Windows 11 Installation Assistant to begin the process. Follow the instructions on the screen and proceed with all the steps. Grab a complete overview of the install parameters and click install. The installation process will take some time as the OS configures according to the hardware.
Once the installation is done, users will get a prompt to restart and login to the desktop. Click Restart to proceed.
Activating Windows 11
The final step is to activate the Windows copy. Grab the product key that was bought during the previous steps. If you forgot, you can always buy cheap Windows 11 Pro key online.
- Go to Windows settings and search for “Activation.”
- On the Activation page, click “Enter Product Key” and fill in the Windows 11 Professional OEM Key you bought.
- A success pop-up will let the users know the activation status.
Congratulations, Windows 11 is now ready. The final step is to download Steam and install all your favorite games. But don’t forget to download the most updated graphics drivers for your GPU to unleash the best performance.
