[SOLVED] Can you use an external HDD instead of a thumb drive to install Windows 10?

[Grant Cole]

Unfortunately I don't have a thumb drive large enough to install Windows 10 on my new PC, so Iv'e been wondering if you can use an external HDD instead? Would be much better than buying a new thumb drive.

 

[JaAntonio]

You could use it, but is to cheap to not get a thumb drive. In my experience i make die two external HDDs by making this.

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Kingsto...ÕÑ&keywords=8gb+usb+3.0&qid=1575991342&sr=8-7

 

[Grant Cole]

You could use it, but is to cheap to not get a thumb drive. In my experience i make die two external HDDs by making this.

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Kingston-Digital-Traveler-Interno-16GB/dp/B00G9WHMCW/ref=sr_1_7?__mk_es_US=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&keywords=8gb+usb+3.0&qid=1575991342&sr=8-7

Want to install today, so I plan to use something I have available today. Are there risks with using an external HDD?

 

[JaAntonio]

Risk i would say no, but maybe was bad luck to me. Make sure after doing it to restore the disk in NTFS mode to work properly.

 

[Sohom]

Want to install today, so I plan to use something I have available today. Are there risks with using an external HDD?

First format the drive to fat32 and make sure the hdd has only one single partition; then use media creation tool to make it bootable...
https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/software-download/windows10
no risks, just make sure that there are no essential files or documents in the hdd; but if the hdd is 1 TB or more; i guess it may not work...

 

[wpgwpg]

Since using an external hard drive requires formatting and losing any data on it, it sure seems like it'd be worth a quick trip to get a USB flash drive. You can even buy them in drug stores nowadays - e.g. Walgreens has 16 GB ones for $8 (and Micro Center has them for $3).

 

[USAFRet]

Unfortunately I don't have a thumb drive large enough to install Windows 10 on my new PC, so Iv'e been wondering if you can use an external HDD instead? Would be much better than buying a new thumb drive.

You can, but it WILL wipe out everything that currently exists on that drive.
(Don't say we, and Microsoft, didn't warn you)