How to recover Windows from a USB or with help from another computer
I recommend you check out this interesting article: The latest Google algorithm updates and how they affect your SEO.
💀 Your PC won’t turn on, won’t boot into Windows, throws black screens or startup errors… But all is not lost. If you have another working PC and a USB, you can bring it back to life. Here I’ll explain how I did it step by step, without being a technician.
1. You need the following:
- A USB drive of at least 8 GB
- A working computer (a friend’s, a family member’s, or even from work 😅)
- Your patience and 30-60 minutes
2. Create the recovery USB (if you don’t already have one)
If you already followed TOPIC 5, you can skip this. If not, do this from the other PC:
- Go to the official Windows page (or Windows 11 if that’s what you use).
- Download the Media Creation Tool.
- Open it, accept the terms, and choose:
- “Create installation media“
- “USB flash drive“
- Select the language, version, and architecture (or leave the recommended one)
- Choose your USB drive and wait for it to prepare it.
⚠️ Everything on that USB drive will be erased. Make sure to back it up beforehand.
3. Boot the damaged PC from the USB
- Connect the USB drive to the computer that won’t boot.
- Turn on the PC and as soon as you see the logo, press the key to open the boot menu (usually F12, ESC, F9, or DEL).
- Choose to boot from the USB.
4. Use the recovery options
When the Windows installation screen appears:
- Click on “Repair your computer” at the bottom left.
The blue recovery menu will open. From there you can:
Option 1: Repair startup automatically
Ideal if Windows won’t boot, but you don’t know why.
- Troubleshoot > Startup Repair
- Choose your operating system and wait for it to work its magic.
Option 2: System Restore
If you had restore points enabled.
- Troubleshoot > System Restore
- Choose a point before everything started to fail.
Option 3: Recovery from a system image
If you made a full system backup (less common, but a lifesaver).
5. (Optional) Reinstall Windows without losing files
If none of the above works, you can reinstall Windows without formatting:
- Go back to the installation menu.
- Click on “Install now.”
- When it asks for a key, enter yours or skip it if it was already activated.
- Choose “Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications.”
🤓 This option reinstalls the operating system, but keeps your stuff (as long as the disk is fine).
6. What if the disk is damaged?
In that case, it may fail even when trying to reinstall. Then you will indeed have to:
- Remove the disk and back up your data from another PC (using adapters).
- Replace the disk and then use the USB to install Windows from scratch.
In summary:
- Another PC + USB = high chances of resurrecting your machine
- Use the USB to:
- Repair startup
- Restore the system
- Reinstall without losing files
- If the disk won’t cooperate… it may be time to replace it
