Retail Windows usb drives
Retail Windows usb drives
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2015 |
| Product Type | Hardware and software |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/windows-11-home/dg7gmgf0krt0 |
Since the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has sold usb drives with an installer preloaded.[1] They are deeply write protected, and have no official way to be formatted and reused for anything other than the manufacturing year’s Windows installer.
Controversy
These drives are artificially unwritable, preventing expected reuse from a USB flash drive. There is no indication on the Windows 11 22H2 USB drive box exterior that it is not rewritable.
Microsoft has undoubtedly sold millions of non-rewritable Windows USB drives, creating needless e-waste.
Shortly after purchasing these drives, people turned to forums seeking help, unable to write to them no matter what they tried.[2]
References
- ↑ Shilov, Anton (5 Sep 2015). "Microsoft begins to sell Windows 10 on USB flash drives". KitGuru. Retrieved 27 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Weisshar, Keith (8 Aug 2015). "Windows 10 Retail USB Drive". Windows Ten Forums. Retrieved 27 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)