How to install Windows on PC – get your gaming rig set up and ready to go
You'll need an operating system to boot up your shiny new gaming rig, here's how to install Windows on PC.
If you've just built a brand-new gaming rig and are now wondering how to install Windows on PC, then you're in the right place. To install Windows on PC, you'll need to create a bootable drive, then install Windows, and then activate the operating system. But don't worry if that all sounds complicated, because we've got an easy step-by-step guide below.
Before starting this process, picking up a product key in advance is a good start. In this guide, we show you how to install Windows 11 using a Windows 11 Pro key, which you can pick up for £9.99 / $12.61 / AU$19.33 at CJS-CDKEYS. However, these steps work for any edition of Windows 11.
How to install Windows on PC
Before you get started, you'll need a PC or Laptop that already has an operating system installed, as you need to create a bootable drive. You'll also need a USB flash drive with a minimum capacity of 8GB to load Windows onto. This USB will be formatted and wiped during this process, so make sure you've backed it up if it's not empty.
Create a bootable Windows drive
- Navigate to the Microsoft Windows 11 download page on your PC or laptop
- Under the 'Create Windows 11 Installation Media' section, click 'Download Now'
- Run the program, accept the terms and conditions, and then select 'Create Installation Media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC' option
- Leave the language, architecture, and edition as default, unless you want to install a different edition. and then hit 'Next'
- Plug in your USB flash drive and then select the USB flash drive option
- Select the correct USB flash drive and then hit next (your flash drive is now being prepared, this may take a while)
Once this is done, you can now use this bootable drive to install Windows on your gaming PC. Follow the steps below to get started.
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How to install Windows operating system
- Plug the USB flash drive (which you've just turned into a bootable drive) into one of the USB ports on the back of your PC that connects straight to your motherboard
- Turn on your PC and it should boot from the USB flash drive, you should see a Windows Setup screen
- Ensure the language is correct and click 'Next' followed by 'Install Now'
- You'll be asked if you have a product key, if you have one, put it in. If not, select I don't have a product key and you can come back to doing this later
- Choose which edition to install, and make sure this matches the license key you'll be purchasing, the one we have linked above is Windows 11 Pro
- Select 'Custom: Install Windows only' (advanced)
- Select which drive you want to install Windows on, and it should start installing
And with that, congratulations, you're done and you now can run through the rest of the setup of your PC, like connecting to the internet and logging into your Microsoft account. You can now carry on using Windows 11 Pro as is, however, you'll be faced with an Activate Windows watermark in the corner of your screen. If you want to get rid of the watermark, follow the steps below to activate your software.
How to activate Windows on your gaming PC
- After picking up your license key which you can get either directly from Microsoft, CDKeys, or CJS-CDKeys head to Windows Activation Settings
- Hit Change product key
- Put in your license key and hit enter
- Then hit Activate
And you're done, Windows should now be activated and the watermark should be gone. Now have Windows 11 Pro, installed and activated on your PC, and you're finally ready to start gaming.
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