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Setup wizard ​

Back up first

Back up important files to external storage or a cloud service before you reinstall. Setup can preserve an earlier Windows install in Windows.old, but do not rely on that folder as your only backup.

If you arrived from Bootable USB and BIOS / boot order, the installer is already running. Select the USB install media tab below.

1. Start setup ​

  1. Boot from the USB you prepared in Bootable USB (Ventoy or Rufus).
  2. Select your language preferences, click Next, then click Install now.

2. Setup prompts ​

These steps apply when you start setup with setup.exe or from USB. If you used Dual-boot without USB, reboot into the new entry and continue with First boot.

  1. When setup offers updates during installation, choose Not right now.

  2. Uncheck I want to help make the installation better if that box appears.

  3. If prompted for a product key, choose I don't have a product key. Windows activates automatically if it was previously activated on this PC.

  4. Select the Windows edition you want to install.

    Supported editions

    For best compatibility, choose Windows Pro or Windows Pro for Workstations. Windows Home is limited and cannot be joined to a domain or use Group Policy.

  5. Accept the license terms.

  6. Choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

    Windows 11 requirement error?

    If setup reports your PC does not meet requirements, enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot in firmware. See Enabling TPM 2.0 for Windows 11 Installation.

3. Choose a target drive ​

At Where do you want to install Windows?, pick the option that matches how much data you want to keep.

  • Identify the partition by its total size, select it, click Next, and confirm the Windows.old warning.
  • After install, recover any needed files from Windows.old, then remove it: Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files → Previous version of Windows → Remove files.
  • Identify your target drive by its total size.
  • Delete each partition on that drive only, one by one.
  • Select the resulting unallocated space and click Next.

== Delete data on all drives

DANGER

This permanently deletes data on every drive shown in setup.

  • Delete each listed partition, one by one.
  • Select the unallocated space on the drive where Windows should live and click Next. :::

Wait for file copying and restart steps to finish. Setup continues into out-of-box experience after the final reboot.

Next step ​

Continue with First boot.

Dual-boot without USB ​

This path deploys Windows to a separate volume and registers a new boot entry, so your current install stays available until you confirm the new one works.

Why dual-boot is safer here ​

Two Windows installs coexist on the same PC. The script writes the new image to the volume you choose and adds a boot menu entry. It does not replace your existing Windows. After the new install is stable, copy anything still needed from the old volume, then reclaim space in Disk Management.

1. Prepare a target volume ​

  1. Download and verify the Windows image you want to install. Start with Download & verify ISO.

  2. Open Disk Management: Win + R → diskmgmt.msc → Enter.

  3. Right-click the partition you want to shrink and choose Shrink Volume.

    Shrink Volume in Disk Management

  4. Enter how much space to free; allocate at least 30 GB; then click Shrink.

    Partition allocation size

  5. Right-click the new Unallocated space, choose New Simple Volume, and accept the defaults. Note the drive letter Windows assigns.

    New Simple Volume wizard

2. Optional: autounattend.xml ​

If you want the new install to skip most of the out-of-box experience, create an answer file with Christoph Schneegans' Unattend Generator. The form builds autounattend.xml for clean Windows 10 and Windows 11 installs, including recent releases such as 24H2 and 25H2.

  1. Open the generator form and match the settings to your ISO.
  2. Click Download .xml file and keep the file named autounattend.xml.
  3. Copy autounattend.xml to the root of the new volume you created, for example E:\autounattend.xml, before running windows-no-usb.ps1.

TIP

Read each toggle carefully. Major Windows updates can bring back apps or settings removed during setup. Log files are at C:\Windows\Panther and C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts when an answer file does not behave as expected.

WARNING

Answer files can contain account passwords and Wi-Fi credentials. Treat the XML like any other secret and store it only where needed for installation.

3. Run the PowerShell installer ​

  1. Open PowerShell or Terminal as Administrator.

  2. Run the installer directly from the site:

    powershell
    irm 'https://docs.ibrhub.net/scripts/windows-no-usb.ps1' | iex

    If execution policy blocks this, see PowerShell script blocked or won't run or run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process first.

  3. (Optional) Save windows-no-usb.ps1 locally, then run from an elevated shell in that folder:

    powershell
    Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process
.\windows-no-usb.ps1

  4. Select an ISO, WIM, or ESD file in the file picker.

  5. Enter the drive letter of the new volume from step 1 when prompted.

  6. Choose the Windows edition from the console menu.

  7. Wait for the image apply and bcdboot steps to finish, reboot, and select the new Windows entry from the boot menu.

The script mounts ISO files automatically and dismounts them on exit. Split .swm images are not supported.

FAQ ​

Which drive letter should I use?

The letter assigned to the new simple volume you created in step 1.

Does this replace my current Windows install immediately?

No. The script targets only the volume you select. Your existing Windows remains available through the boot menu until you remove it yourself.

What if setup or first boot fails?

Use Troubleshoot for ISO checks, TPM, Store issues, and other common problems.

Credit

Original workflow: iidanL/InstallWindowsWithoutUSB (dual-boot Windows installation without USB media).

IBRA Docs changes: Steps reorganized, screenshots mirrored under /images/setup/, and the original batch helper replaced with an improved windows-no-usb.ps1 that adds validation, interactive edition selection, unattend support, and reliable ISO cleanup.