I'm about to build my new PC and have a quick question. I watched a video by Linus Tech Tips that suggested having motherboard and other drivers loaded onto the same USB drive as Windows 11. However, I already purchased a Windows 11 USB stick from Best Buy, and I'm not sure how to add these drivers to it. Is it really necessary to have these drivers ready, or can I just use the Windows USB?
5 Answers
Only WiFi drivers are really necessary unless you've got an Ethernet cable handy. You can add files to your Windows USB as long as there's enough space.
You're good to go! Windows usually installs basic temporary drivers for things like Ethernet, WiFi, and video cards, so you should be fine without extra drivers on your USB. I never bother putting them on mine, and it almost never causes issues.
To be safe, I’d get your Ethernet or WiFi drivers ready. If you have internet access after installing Windows, you can download the rest from there, and Windows Update will usually cover a lot too.
Windows will usually manage to install basic drivers for USB ports, NVMe, and SATA interfaces. I recommend having another USB stick ready with all your necessary drivers just in case Windows asks for them post-install.
You do need internet to download WiFi drivers if you're relying on that. For Ethernet, Windows often has basic drivers that work for the installation, so you can just connect and grab the rest afterward.
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