Rufus problems with 26H2

Tweakfiend · Oct 18, 2026

I now cannot run Rufus to create a 26H2 boot disk ( since 26H2 update ) and have spent 3 hours to no avail
previously used Rufus no problem for about 8 -10 years

After formatting drives and trying to start boot drive process the Rufus error " this device is used by another process" keeps appearing with a red cross.

I have used about 15 - 20 A1 suggestions to no avail , including Anti virus isolation , Process explorer to determine problem etc etc

. Basically this error appears with all USB sticks and in any usb socket of which I have 20 +

It would be useful to know if others have Rufus working normally , as a comparison

Ghot · Oct 18, 2026

I just used it to reinstall Windows on a friend's laptop about a week and a half ago.
By the way, you shouldn't have to pre-format the drives.

You can just delete the partitions with the Windows installer.

I haven't had to reinstall Windows very often, but I've found it works best if you just leave the whole disk you're installing to... unallocated.

wabbit · Oct 18, 2026

I had no issues using Rufus. Easily created bootable USB on 26H2 versions 9457 and 9711. Both usb sticks booted normally.

Banjoman301 · Oct 18, 2026

From the Run prompt, enter resmon

Click on the CPU tab, and scroll to the Associated Handles section.

In the search box on the far right, enter the drive letter (include the colon)

Should look something like this...

Scannerman · Oct 18, 2026

Tweakfiend said:
I now cannot run Rufus to create a 26H2 boot disk ( since 26H2 update ) and have spent 3 hours to no avail
previously used Rufus no problem for about 8 -10 years

After formatting drives and trying to start boot drive process the Rufus error " this device is used by another process" keeps appearing with a red cross.

I have used about 15 - 20 A1 suggestions to no avail , including Anti virus isolation , Process explorer to determine problem etc etc

. Basically this error appears with all USB sticks and in any usb socket of which I have 20 +

It would be useful to know if others have Rufus working normally , as a comparis

Just out of curiosity have you tried installing the OS without the help of Rufus?

idgat · Oct 18, 2026

No problems here, done 3 clean installs since 26H2 came out.

Tweakfiend said:
including Anti virus isolation , Process explorer to determine problem etc etc

If the drive is formatted, how come these options still exist?

Tweakfiend said:
It would be useful to know if others have Rufus working normally , as a comparison

What options did you tick when creating the new 26H2 Rufus boot drive? Have you tried re-creating with a new Rufus download?

Celery · Oct 19, 2026

"ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info."

There are a couple of specific Rufus workarounds worth trying that are more promising than repeatedly formatting USB sticks or disabling antivirus software.

Since Rufus works for you with Windows 11 26H2, and the OP experiences the same error with every USB stick and port, I would suspect a problem with the Windows environment on the OP's PC rather than the USB hardware or the 26H2 ISO itself.

1. Try Rufus's alternative formatting method

This is the first thing I would recommend.

Launch Rufus.

Select the USB drive.

Press Alt + V while the Rufus window is active.

This enables Rufus's alternative VDS (Virtual Disk Service) partitioning and formatting method.

Try creating the bootable USB again.

This is an experimental feature, but the Rufus developer specifically recommended it for this exact type of formatting error.

Identifies as if which process is using the device · Issue #2533 · pbatard/rufus

Checklist I looked at https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/wiki/FAQ to see if my question has already been answered. I performed a search in the issue tracker for similar issues using keywords relevant...

github.com

2. Try Rufus's built-in drive reset

If the first method fails:

Select the correct USB device in Rufus.

Press Alt + Z to start zeroing the device.

Let it run for approximately one minute, then cancel.

Unplug and reconnect the USB drive.

Retry the normal Rufus operation.

Warning: This is destructive and will erase existing USB data. Double-check the selected device.

The Rufus developer recommended this technique in a December 2025 report involving the same error, specifically because Windows can have trouble handling EFI System Partitions.

The device is in use by another process. Please close any other process that may be accessing the device. · Issue #2875 · pbatard/rufus

Checklist I have been made aware that if my problem can be summarized as "I've created or tried to create a media using Rufus, and ...", and I am not including a log, this issue will be summarily c...

github.com

3. If neither works, inspect the Rufus log

Have the OP use the latest official Rufus 4.15 and press Ctrl + L after the failure.

Look especially for Volume is in use, Formatting to NTFS (using IFS), or an error when requesting disk access. These distinguish a formatting failure from an earlier device-locking problem.

One particularly relevant Rufus GitHub report also found that unplugging and reconnecting the USB after formatting prevented the error from recurring.

If the problem persists on every USB device, I would try a Windows clean boot to isolate a conflicting startup service, rather than continue formatting drives.

Bottom line: I would recommend Alt + V first, then Alt + Z if necessary. Both are documented Rufus features, and both have been suggested by the developer for this type of problem. However, neither is a guaranteed fix for the OP's particular machine.

The most useful next piece of information would be the OP's complete Rufus log, not another round of generic troubleshooting suggestions.

Tweakfiend · Oct 19, 2026

Banjoman301 said:
From the Run prompt, enter resmon

Click on the CPU tab, and scroll to the Associated Handles section.

In the search box on the far right, enter the drive letter (include the colon)

Should look something like this...

View attachment 187184

Used same idea with "Process Monitor and USB drive letter

XxXxX · Oct 19, 2026

Tweakfiend said:
I now cannot run Rufus to create a 26H2 boot disk ( since 26H2 update ) and have spent 3 hours to no avail
previously used Rufus no problem for about 8 -10 years

After formatting drives and trying to start boot drive process the Rufus error " this device is used by another process" keeps appearing with a red cross.

I have used about 15 - 20 A1 suggestions to no avail , including Anti virus isolation , Process explorer to determine problem etc etc

. Basically this error appears with all USB sticks and in any usb socket of which I have 20 +

It would be useful to know if others have Rufus working normally , as a comparison

have the same problem with Rufus unable to burn 26H2 to USB pen drive
this is on two separate computers, Rufus failed on both systems..

yet the MS creation tool can burn the same 26H2 ISO on the same USB port to the same USB pen drive
on both systems. i will have to get my Windows 10 test rig out and try burning 26H2 with Rufus on that

best of luck Steve ..

Tweakfiend · Oct 19, 2026

idgat said:
No problems here, done 3 clean installs since 26H2 came out.

If the drive is formatted, how come these options still exist?

What options did you tick when creating the new 26H2 Rufus boot drive? Have you tried re-creating with a new Rufus download?

Yes tried different download / version of Rufus and only select Bitlocker disable function

Tweakfiend · Oct 19, 2026

XxXxX said:
have the same problem with Rufus unable to burn 26H2 to USB pen drive
this is on two separate computers, Rufus failed on both systems..

yet the MS creation tool can burn the same 26H2 ISO on the same USB port to the same USB pen drive
on both systems. i will have to get my Windows 10 test rig out and try burning 26H2 with Rufus on that

best of luck Steve ..

Yes as you say the MS Creation tool can be used , BUT I also use NT Lite to remove windows 11 excess dross and so use the NT Lite adjusted iso on Rufus.

More importantly NT Lite incorporates all updates and user drivers to save time looking at Windows Update after reinstall !

But I also tried a vanilla Microsoft ISO , but had same problem .

jimbo45 · Oct 19, 2026

Probably some setting on computer like secure boot enabled, device encryption, bitlocker etc. I've no problems on using rufus on W11 pro 26H2 experimental release. Also check the medium you want to create the target iso image on too.

why people want or need any of that stuff on HOME laptops especially if they don't travel with them regularly is beyond me. Just keep your laptop simple with standard windows settings and it all works perfectly. Unless you really know what you are doing Windows these days is far better at optimising systems and running decently than any amount of tinkering -- OK if you've got older essentially non supported hardware but with any sort of sensible laptop just leave all those encryption, secure boot and other stuff off.

cheers
jimbo

kelper · Oct 19, 2026

jimbo45 said:
Probably some setting on computer like secure boot enabled, device encryption, bitlocker etc. I've no problems on using rufus on W11 pro 26H2 experimental release. Also check the medium you want to create the target iso image on too.

why people want or need any of that stuff on HOME laptops especially if they don't travel with them regularly is beyond me. Just keep your laptop simple with standard windows settings and it all works perfectly. Unless you really know what you are doing Windows these days is far better at optimising systems and running decently than any amount of tinkering -- OK if you've got older essentially non supported hardware but with any sort of sensible laptop just leave all those encryption, secure boot and other stuff off.

cheers
jimbo

That wouldn't be any fun at all.

Tweakfiend · Oct 19, 2026

Thanks for your input , even analysing running processes etc did not help , but I have created the Rufus boot disk using a laptop , so can use on main PC when required

Tweakfiend · Oct 19, 2026

kelper said:
That wouldn't be any fun at all.

Secure Boot was not an issue ( supported by Rufus ) , or Encryption ( dont use )

Thanks anyway

XxXxX · Tuesday at 4:40 AM

i am now able to use Rufus in Windows but its Windows 10 22H2 in a Virtual medium
i installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and then installed Windows 10 in Gnome boxes with QEMU/KVM.

an external 1TB SSD formatted NTFS holds the Windows ISO's and i am now able to burn bootable USB pen drives
from within Gnome boxes using Rufus on Windows 10 22H2 to an external USB pen drive without any problems.

i am now configuring Gnome boxes to accept an install of Windows 26H2 directly from ISO
best of luck Steve ..

Rufus problems with 26H2

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