Get your Windows image from Microsoft.
For Windows 11, If you’re not interested in modifying the image or bypassing the Windows system requirements, scroll down to “Create Windows Installation Media” it’s a link to download the media creation tool, the tool will help download Windows for you and burn it to an installation media so you can skip ahead to booting the image section.
Otherwise, download the ISO image directly, while there are “special” debloated images of windows on the internet, only get them if you trust their source, also note that you can debloat Windows yourself even after it’s installed so i wouldn’t even bother with them.
If for whatever reason you cant get the image from Microsoft’s website, use massgrave.dev as an alternate source for genuine images.
The biggest reason to do this is that vanilla Windows is very bloated, it contains many unnecessary apps and features that consume resources and make the system slower and more annoying to use.
Another reason is, if you have an older machine that doesn’t “officially” support Windows 11, you can modify the image so that it will skip the system requirements check and install on any machine. You can also do this later if you’re burning the image with Rufus.
I would recommend one of these two methods:
MicroWin is a script by ChrisTitusTech that cleans up your Windows installation image by applying a set of recommended de-bolating, performance, and privacy optimizations, you can use it through CTT’s Winutil, Make sure to watch this showcase by CTT himself.
An Unattended XML (also known as an answer file) tells the Windows installer exactly how to install and configure Windows, it doesn’t install as fast as an image modified by MicroWin and takes more time to set up, but you have much greater customization. This makes it very useful if you’re deploying windows on a large scale.
First you need to write the XML, i would recommend you use the Unattended Generator by Christoph Schneegans, and then you can either place it in the root directory of your already burned USB boot drive, or inject it into the ISO using a tool like AnyBurn.
To install Windows you need to boot the Windows image, the simplest method is to burn the image to a USB flash drive.
The most popular tool to burn USB drives is Rufus, install it or use the portable version, select your ISO image and USB Drive, leave everything else as is and click start, You’ll be prompted with options to remove system and online account requirements, and to disable BitLocker encryption by default, simply select the options you want.
If you burn images frequently look into installing Ventoy on your drive,all you have to do is install it once and then you can directly copy images to the drive, no burning needed.
Typically, you’ll use the boot menu to select a temporary boot device. A prompt will appear during startup indicating which key to press, this varies between manufacturers, so you may need to look it up for your specific laptop or motherboard model.
If you can’t figure it out but you can enter the BIOS, you can manually change the boot order to prioritize the USB drive. Just remember to set it back to the original order once the installation is complete.
Select the first option, “Upgrade,” if you’re coming from an older version of Windows and are fine with keeping your current setup. Otherwise, for a clean installation, choose “Custom.”
At this stage, you’ll be asked to select the drive where Windows should be installed. Typically, it’s best to install Windows on the faster and/or smaller drive, and use the larger one for personal files, games, and other data.
If you have one drive, some people recommend partitioning it into two: one for Windows and programs, and another for personal files, so that if you ever need to reinstall Windows, you won’t have to back up your data. I don’t think that’s the best idea because it can limit you when installing large programs. I’d keep it as one partition and just get better at backing up my data. You can always partition it later if needed.
You’ll only see drives listed as “Drive 0,” “Drive 1,” etc., without model numbers. Your installation media won’t appear here, so don’t worry. Assuming you want to install on Drive 0, select all of its old partitions and delete them. You’ll be left with a large chunk of unallocated space, select it, click “New,” then “Apply.” Finally, choose the newly created (Primary) partition and press “Next.”
If you didn’t modify your image to skip the online Microsoft account requirement, you can still bypass it during setup when you reach the region selection screen.
Press Shift + F10 (on a laptop, you may need to press Shift + Fn + F10) to open a command prompt, then type this command:
start ms-cxh:localonly
This will prompt you to set up a local account and bypass the rest of the online account setup.
Now that you’re at the desktop, some things might not feel right and others might not work at all. This is normal because you’re likely missing some drivers.
Start by running Windows Update, which will install most of the necessary drivers.
If you have a laptop, visit your manufacturer’s website and enter your model number to download the correct drivers. For desktops, you’ll need to do the same for each piece of hardware, such as your GPU or network card.
If you don’t have an internet connection due to missing network drivers, you can temporarily USB tether your phone to get online and install them.
Sometimes Windows will be activated automatically because your device has a digital license or the product key is built into your computer, If it’s not activated, you can look into Activating Windows.