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How to Install Windows from the Dell ISO

Summary: Learn how to install Windows 11 or Windows 10 from the Dell ISO.

This article may have been automatically translated. If you have any feedback regarding its quality, please let us know using the form at the bottom of this page.

Article Content


Symptoms

  • Need to install Windows 11 or Windows 10.
  • Use the recovery media to repair Windows 11 or Windows 10 if the Dell computer is not booting to the operating system.

Cause

  Cause information is not available.

Resolution

Dell provides Windows 11 and Windows 10 recovery media to the customer in an ISO format. You can download this ISO recovery media from the Dell Operating System Recovery Image website. This ISO file is not tied directly to the computer's service tag and can be used again if another reinstallation is needed. It can be used on another Dell computer if you want to install or reinstall Windows 11 or Windows 10.

NOTE: Installing Windows 11 or Windows 10 using the Dell recovery media resets the drive partitions to their factory defaults.
NOTE: You need a Digital Product Key to activate Windows 11 and Windows 10 on computers that have not been previously activated using the same version of the operating system.
  • The Windows 10 ISO can also be downloaded using the Windows 10 Media Creation tool This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.. Once you create either the DVD or the USB flash drive, you can boot to your Windows 10 media to install Windows 10.
  • The Windows 11 ISO can also be downloaded from Microsoft Software Download utility This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.. Once you create either the DVD or the USB flash drive, you can boot to your Windows 11 media to install Windows 11.


Install Windows from DVD or USB

Duration: 01:04
When available, closed caption (subtitles) language settings can be chosen using the Settings or CC icon on this video player.


Installing Windows 11 and Windows 10 from the ISO

Follow the steps below to install Windows using the Dell installation media:

  1. Insert the USB you created using the Dell Windows Recovery Image.
  2. Restart your computer and tap the F12 key on your keyboard when you see the Dell logo. The boot menu that is shown in Figure 1 [English Only] should appear.
  3. Select UEFI boot as the boot option and ensure that the computer is in UEFI mode as shown in Figure 1 [English Only].

    UEFI Boot Selected
    Figure 1: UEFI Boot Selected

  4. Select your language and keyboard layout.
  5. Choose the Troubleshoot option. (see Figure 2 [English Only])

    WIN 10 ISO install
    Figure 2: Choose the Troubleshoot boot option

  6. Select Recover from a drive.
  7. Select either one of the recovery options to perform a clean installation. (see Figure 3 [English Only])
    NOTE: Fully cleaning the drive may take several hours.

    Selecting a recovery options
    Figure 3: Selecting a recovery options

  8. Click Recover to start the process.

Manual Driver Load from PE Command Prompt

  1. Download the drivers for your computer from the Dell Support Site.
  2. Use a utility like 7zip to extract the installation files, and save them to a folder on a separate USB flash drive.
  3. Plug the USB flash drive with the drivers and the Dell Windows 10 media into the same computer.
    NOTE: The images below use the IRST driver as an example.
  4. Boot to the respective Dell Windows 11 or Windows 10 media and select your computer and keyboard languages to get to the Home screen.
  5. Select Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt. (See Figure 4 [English Only].)

    Selecting the Command Prompt Option
    Figure 4: Selecting the Command Prompt Option

  6. Browse to the drive that contains the needed drivers using the "dir" command to view the drive contents, as shown in Figure 5 [English Only]. The correct drive is usually the D:, E:, or F: drive.

    Navigating of the file system to locate the driver file location
    Figure 5: Navigating of the file system to locate the driver file location

  7. Use the CD command to navigate through the folders to the *.inf driver location. Use dir as necessary to see the contents of each folder. See (Figure 6 [English Only]).

    Navigating of the file system to locate the driver file location
    Figure 6: Navigating of the file system to locate the driver file location

  8. Find the .inf file that is needed for the device being installed in order to load Windows, as shown in Figure 7 [English Only].

    Locating the driver .inf file
    Figure 7: Locating the driver .inf file

  9. Use the following command to load the appropriate driver to the computer and press Enter. (See Figure 8 [English Only] for an example.)
    • drvload.exe [.inf path/filename]

      Manually loading the inf file
      Figure 8: Manually loading the inf file

Additional Information

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Out of Warranty support Out of warranty? No problem. Browse to the Dell.com/support website and enter your Dell Service Tag and view our offers.

NOTE: Offers are only available for US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, China, and Japan personal computer customers. Server and Storage not applicable.

Article Properties


Affected Product
Inspiron 3452, Inspiron 5488, Inspiron 15 7572, Inspiron 7580, Inspiron 20 3064, Inspiron 3264 AIO, Inspiron 3265, Inspiron 3452 AIO, Inspiron 24 3464, Inspiron 24 5488, Inspiron 27 7775, Inspiron 3252, Inspiron 3268, Inspiron 3655, Inspiron 3656 , Inspiron 3668, Latitude 5290 2-in-1, Latitude 5290, Latitude 7290, Latitude 3390 2-in-1, Latitude 7390 2-in-1, Latitude 7390, Latitude 3490, Latitude 5490, Latitude 5491, Latitude 7490, Latitude 3590, Latitude 5590, Latitude 5591, OptiPlex 3050 All-In-One, OptiPlex 3050 Tower, OptiPlex 3050 Micro, OptiPlex 3050 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 3060 Tower, OptiPlex 3060 Micro, OptiPlex 3060 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 5050 Tower, OptiPlex 5050 Micro, OptiPlex 5050 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 5060 Tower, OptiPlex 5060 Micro, OptiPlex 5060 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 5250 All-In-One, OptiPlex 7050 Tower, OptiPlex 7050 Micro, OptiPlex 7050 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 7060 Tower, OptiPlex 7060 Micro, OptiPlex 7060 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 7450 All-In-One, OptiPlex 7460 All-In-One, OptiPlex 7760 All-In-One, Vostro 5370, Vostro 14 3468, Vostro 5471, Vostro 3578, Vostro 15 5568, Vostro 3470, Vostro 3670, XPS 27 7760, XPS 8920 ...
Last Published Date

06 Jul 2023

Version

10

Article Type

Solution