Windows 10 ISO file is too big for a DVD
Until recently, you could download your Windows 10 version from the Internet and burn it to a DVD. The 4.7 GB (or the equivalent of 4.33 GB) fit exactly to burn the ISO file and install the operating system accordingly from the DVD. The requirements were very simple: You only have to create the corresponding DVD, e.g. with Nero, CD-BurnerXP or the meanwhile in-house integrated burning program and then change the boot sequences. To do this, you navigate to the BIOS and let your computer boot via DVD. The system is usually installed automatically. This process takes about 45 minutes and you could use Windows 10 directly. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple anymore since one of the last updates.
Problem: Windows ISO file is too large
The ISO file of the current Windows 10 version has a memory size of almost 5 GB. Unfortunately, this file can therefore no longer be burned to a DVD. Even if you download the latest version via Microsoft MediaCreation Tool from the Internet, the file is still too large for a DVD.
First solution ideas
You could buy a double-layer DVD that has a storage capacity of 8.5 GB. However, this approach will only work if your burner is also capable of recording such DVDs. Another option is to split the contents: you could use two DVDs, technically split the ISO file in half, and do the installation piecemeal. Unfortunately, this didn’t work in our tests, so Windows 10 couldn’t be installed properly.
Run the ISO file directly
Another starting point is to run the ISO file downloaded from Microsoft directly on your computer. If your computer can’t already do this automatically, you could download Virtual Clone Drive, for example, and use a virtual drive to open the ISO file. Now Microsoft will first run its own setup, check for updates and finally download the operating system. Unfortunately, nothing changes at all after the installation. You have no option to format the hard drives or reallocate storage space within this installation. Hardly anything has changed on your system after this installation, so we also discard this variant and do not recommend it.
Solution: Windows ISO file is too large for a DVD
The prerequisite for the following steps is first of all a valid license key. You must have a license key to activate a Windows version on your computer. Of course, you can also install the program without a key. However, you will be asked to activate your system after some time at the latest.
The procedure
Now, how do you proceed if the Microsoft ISO of Windows 10 does not fit on a DVD, or you do not even have a drive on your PC from where Windows 10 can be installed? There are countless opinions on the Internet, but most of them are written in such a complicated way that laymen can hardly understand them or they simply do not work. You should by no means believe various keys that are published on the Internet. Only a valid, purchased license key can help. We will now show you that installing Windows 10 with an ISO file and without a DVD is not that difficult.
Installation via USB stick
First, use a USB stick with at least 8 GB storage capacity. Here we chose the SanDisk Ultra Flair 32GB USB flash drive USB 3.0 with up to 150 MB/sec in black color. Plug it into the USB port of your computer and go to the download page of Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/software-download/windows10. Now download the appropriate tool.
The download will start completely automatically and when it is finished, the system will copy all the necessary files to the stick. However, it’s still not quite that simple: it doesn’t quite work the way Microsoft describes it at this point. After the download: Reboot and change BIOS settings
When the stick has been set up, you will receive a corresponding message. Now the finished stick is inserted into a USB port in the new PC to install Windows 10 there. In the BIOS (to be called by F2, F12, F11 or Del – depending on the system), you should set the startup options to „USB“, so that the computer does not start with its hard drive, but with the inserted USB stick.
Automatic installation of Windows 10
The system now installs itself completely independently. A question about the Windows variant or bit version does not appear. To complete the installation, you need a Microsoft account. You can generally create this very quickly and then authenticate yourself with your access data. Unfortunately, you cannot complete the installation without a Microsoft account.
Conclusion of the installation
Now a Windows Home operating system is installed on the new computer. This even worked without a key on our test device. The system can then be upgraded to Windows 10 Professional with the corresponding key as needed. Admittedly: This way is generally a bit cumbersome. The simplest solution would still be to provide an ISO file with a storage size of about 4 GB so that a DVD can be burned without further ado. It would also have been nice if the installation from the running system via setup file would work.
