I'm I Too Old To Build A Computer?

JDZ710ALTractor said:

I'm not spending another $110.00 for for a genuine Microsoft Windows 10- 64 bit OS on a USB drive. I paid Amazon for the DVD Windows 10 Home disc, and it is on just one disc...not more. This new motherboard has the new USB type ports...3.1 Gen and 2.0/1.1 connectors. I would guess the external DVD-CD unit with a USB connector is one of the two types required.
So, with that setup, I'm using a DVD unit with USB connector to install Windows 10 the same way....USB. Only the OS is on a DVD disc...not a USB drive.
I don't see where Microsoft sells the Windows 10 OS on USD drive, only on DVD disc. From what I can find, software retailers are the ones selling the Win-10 on USB's.

Actually Microsoft doesn't officially sell Windows 10 on DVDs. It only sells the license product keys. Legitimate companies can legally buy the license product keys from a Microsoft distributor and obtain the media elsewhere and sell them together on places like Amazon.

Actually that $110 is mostly buying the Windows 10 license and its product key. The DVD by itself is only worth a few dollars.

The reason that Windows 10 from a seller fits on one DVD is because these DVDs are pressed on a machine in a factory. These DVDs have a capacity of 8GB. These are totally different than the blank DVDs you can buy in a store. Fortunately, your DVD drive can read both types.

There is no reason why you can't create a Windows 10 install media on a USB flash drive and use it to install Windows 10. When asked for the product key just enter the one that came with the DVD. There are two reasons to do this:
1. The release of Windows 10 on the flash drive might be newer than the one on the DVD
2. Windows 10 will probably install faster from the USB flash drive

Even though it will take a few minutes to make the Windows 10 USB flash drive you will probably save a lot more time than that in the end. For example, if the Windows 10 on the DVD is 20H2 and the flash drive has 21H1 then installing from the flash drive will save you literally hours of install time. That is because after installing from the DVD you still have to update to 21H1 anyways.

Wow, this has gotten quite out of hand regarding USB flash drive versus DVD! So.....

1. You don't have to pay Microsoft or anyone else for Windows 10, whether it is on DVD or USB flash drive. It is free to download, directly from Microsoft and you can create either an "official" Windows 10 USB flash drive or dual layer DVD from the download directly from Microsoft.

2. You can purchase a USB flash drive or a DVD Windows 10 from Microsoft. The full retail version of Windows 10 comes on a USB flash drive only from Microsoft. The DVD version of Windows 10 can also be purchased from Microsoft and it is the OEM System Builders edition. The OEM package is available only on DVD.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with installing Windows 10 from a DVD. It is slower, and sometimes less reliable than installing from a USB flash drive, but there is nothing wrong with installing Windows 10 from a DVD.

And if you have an older version of Windows 10 on a DVD and you want to install it, go ahead. Do all the updates from Windows update to get you completely caught up and you can run dism and cleanmgr commands to get you to a nice, clean completely upgraded Windows 10.

I would only hope that bad advice is not needed here on the Windows 10-Home for the new build. Yes, I can download Win 10- by the Media Creation Tool to a USB or DVD. But, I need a Product (COA) Key license to get it activated. And that is where the problem occurs. The free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 ended July 2016. What you get from the Media Creation Tool is a free upgrade if the upgrade is applied to existing motherboard or hard drive that has the key already on it. You won't be able to install the Windows 10 OS using a DVD or USB that doesn't have a license, and that only comes from DVD-Cd or USB you pay to Microsoft or a retailer.

Thanks, GHOT. That is the way I intend to install Windows 10 from the DVD disc. The external DVD-Cd drive will arrive tomorrow 8/9 to complete the build.

Good luck completing your build. After you install Windows 10 on your computer using the DVD and activate it you will never have to enter the product key again. That is because the Microsoft server computers keep up with activations and will remember that your computer is already licensed for Windows 10.

Just something to kick around here. Last year I got the urge to build a computer. I'm a retired salesman having worked 36 years in the circuit board business...Solid State Industries, selling their printed circuit boards. I'm no dummy when it comes to circuit boards for computers. This was business to firms like IBM, RCA, Honeywell, Burroughs, and many others.
So, when the smaller computer came flying in the wind, we let those two brothers in that 2 bedroom shack in that dark alley way back in the rice patties in China to make those circuit boards...or so-called motherboards as we know today.

Three months ago I made the first...probably the first computer cabinet (case) out of PCP plastic pipe..one inch size...painted blue.. I made it to spec's to hold the largest motherboards, battery, fans, and all the other necessary equipment. I gave up on finishing it, due to it so so ugly on the desk. Still someday might finish it and start up a business.