I don't know how but I lost the little 8GB USB 2.0 flash drive I have been using to install windows for years. Since I have to purchase a new one is it any faster copying and installing from a USB 3.0/3.1 flash drive or is there no difference in performance from a regular USB 2.0 flash drive?
look for windows to go certified drives anyway 3.0 reads faster already noticed difference on kingston g3 usb 2.0 and kingston g4 3.0 and they ain't win to go drives these are regular slower ones
I would say so. USB 2 has a max theoretical speed of 60MB/s, USB 3 is 640MB/s, of course real world is going to be slower. Here is a USB3 drive running the test on both ports, you can see the huge decrease you get just by running it on a USB2 port. And here's a older native USB2 drive.
I also keep my basic and important tools on it, which is quite handy too. It also helps if you use a SSD for your OS to be able to take advantage of the faster USB-Sticks. You will love it, especially if you heavily use the Stick.
If I didn't Need two tires for My truck The fastest drive I had was a 32GB Patriot XT but it Died trying to upgrade a Beta Win 10 OS So I started using My old 32GB Corsair Survivor Stealth for the Win2Go OSs. But it's slow. May be almost indestructible, but again it's slow, really slow I ended up just cloning the TPs to a USB powered Seagate Expansion to upgrade then cloning back to the Stealth Got to be so much of a Waste of Time I gave up trying to run Win 10 off a USB.
To install WindowsToGo one a USB 3 Stick/Flashdrive, with at least 32GB (16GB, will do also) would works quite well. Personally I like to use WinToUSB which has some advantages compare to WindowsToGo: "real" WindowsToGo (as supposed by Microsoft) need to have a Enterprise Version installed on the Master Computer, while WinToUSB will work with any Windows Version (w7 and above); a WTG will need to get activated again, while WTU will take over the activation from Master Computer a WTG will need to get required Apps installed separately, while WTU will work on base of 'cloning' the Master Computer System drive and works like that on any other computer it is used to run The three points are the main differences between that two! Just, using WTU will also saves a lot of time for creation, special if the User like to have the same apps etc., etc. as on his main machine! Also, there isn't a need of extra activation, even if an different Windows version as the Enterprise is used. The simple fact for that is, Enterprise versions are using corporate Volume Licenses and need to be activated using a KMS and NOT a MS Activation Server. WTU will take over the 'normal' activation from the Maser Computer (like Windows 10 Pro) and will keep that activation 'alive' even if used on different computers. And same as WTG, WTU will use a bit time for a first Start-up one a 'new' computer because of the problem with wrong or not existing drivers. If start's the second time on that machine, the start-up is normal fast! And for sure, WTU has a FREE Version which is much good enough for normal use, while WTG is a MS Product, legally only available via a Windows Enterprise Corporate (VL) Edition!
Windows to go is for Windows ON USB not installing FROM USB. Having an USB3 (a fast one, not the very cheap ones) is handy, not always for installing but for copying the files to it.
WinToUSB just works well on USB Storage devices, special if they're USB 3.0 and above! I use that apps on both: USB 3 Flash drives and USB 3 external HDD's with no problems!
Did you think I don't know? For to use a USB Flash drive to have the OS on it for to install on a 'new' computer, 8GB is much enough space and even still USB 2 Flash drives are fast enough for that! Just, you simply could use a WTG and/or WTU drive for to deploy any Windows Version to an other (new) machine! A WTG and/or WTU device could simply used for most of needed action in daily services for to service customers, or even 'just' friends etc.!!
This was the question, why make it always more difficult for the op's. It's a simple question, is usb3 faster and usefull, answer: yes.
Everybody with the ability to read and understand, knows, that USB 3 is much faster than USB and much, much more than USB 1.1!! Usefulness is just a different thing! On older system (first which used USB 3) that USB 3 isn't always better, sometimes just more worse! Bat.1 was just bring up the WinToGo and therefore I posted a bit more information about that, together with an even better alternative!l
Simply true! And that's why I was changing from WinToGo to WinToUSB for all drives used in my company for Service, which are just 18pcs!
I also use Win2USB instead of Win2Go, I was just using a generic term like BIOS instead of UEFI. The reason I had the "OS on a Stick" was for quick installs for other people to give Win 10 a test drive on a partition with their own PC. Just around every one of them opted to stay on Win 7 instead of upgrading all the while saying how much better XP was
Wow it is good to know. Some of the drives are way too big to store Windows. I always managed to get to fit on a 4GB flash drive. If I put separate partition will applications like Rufus format only the partition or the whole flash drive?
What is the point of that? You pay $60 for 128GB 240mb/s flash drive, for that cash you can buy 2TB 200mb/s HDD.
I'd have to have some awfully large pockets to pack that 2TB drive around I usually carry around 5 or 6 USB drives in a pipe tobacco pouch. Anywhere I go I can troubleshoot, decrapify, or if need be reinstall Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 as well as Office, Adobe or Autodesk etc. etc. programs. All depends on What Your NEEDS are
2TB drive is very small....not like flash drive...they do fit in your back pocket....their the size of a wallet and most likely will get even smaller.