Windows 7 Bootable USB FD

T

Turbosound

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
157
I'm starting a new thread on this because my last one didn't really help me understand that much. I want to put my windows 7 installation disc onto a bootable USB flash drive for when ever I decide to format and reinstall the OS, this way I have a complete backup and never have to use the disc again. Once I figure this out and understand it, I will put it on a 4GB Lacie cookey that I just bought. I'm sure there are lots of methods out there for doing this and know that one would be to use the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool. What I want to know first is does Windows 7 have to be in an ISO format to accomplish this and can anything else, ever be stored on the FD? Please help!

In my BIOS setup under the Boot section reads,

Hard Disc Boot Priority
1) Ch2 M: WDC.............
2) Bootable Add-in Cards

First Boot - Diskette Drive
Second Boot - Hard Drive
Third Boot - Optical Drive
Boot Other -- Intergrated NIC

Each one of these 4 boots can be changed to,
USB-FDD
USB-ZIP
USB-CDROM
USB-DEVICE
DISABLED

I was wondering exactly what I have to change in here, I'm quessing that I have to change one of the boots to either USB-FDD or UBD-DEVICE. I don't have an A: (3.5" floppy) which I think is currently my first boot and I have no idea what Intergrated NIC is.
 
Most BIOS allow you to choose your boot device during post, so you shouldn't even have to mess with the setting. Look for something in the post and press the corresponding key (F9 and F12 are popular). Then you will get a list of available bootable devices and it should be obvious from there.

In regards to your settings, I would assum USB-DEVICE, but really, it could be anything. It shouldn't take you too long to rule out each one of them. Just make sure change them with the USB drive plugged in or the correct option might not appear in the menu.
 
If you use the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool you need an ISO file to make your bootable USB install thumbdrive. It will not copy from a DVD drive. Thats the way I made my install thumbdrives. If you use the diskpart method you don't need an ISO file. After you create the bootable install thumbdrive you can make it a universal install drive that can install any version. Delete the ei.cfg file from the sources folder and you will get a menu to select what version to install instead of being locked into the one version. You still have to have a matching product code so you can't cheat. You can't select Ultimate and try to enter a Home Premium key, it will be rejected.
 
I plugged in a USB FD and turned my system on, then hit F12 to get to the boot menu. They it showed up, UBS-ZIP along with hard drive and optical drive. If I want to boot from the FD automatically would I change the first boot to USB-ZIP?

Which medthod seems to be the best, I plan to only use my current version of Windows.
What type of file(s) have to be copied to the FD for the diskpart method, any other methods?

Can anything else be on the FD, besides Windows?
 
These are the instructions that I followed to make a bootable flash drive with Windows 7.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_install_windows_7_usb_key

also if you go to the Source folder and look for ei.cfg file if you delete it before copying it to the flash drive it will allow you lets you select the version you want to install (home premium, pro, ultimate) obviously you would have to have the correct cdkey, but it helps if you have ultimate and a family member has premium.
 
I believe you want to select USB-Hard drive to boot from the USB Flash Drive. You can add extra files and folders to the drive if you want. You can erase it later on and use it for something else too if you want, non of this is permanent.
 
Diskpart just makes it bootable. Once thats done all you do is copy all the files from your windows 7 DVD to your thumb drive. If you are only ever going to install that one version of Windows on that one PC just leave the ei.cfg file alone. Just be carefull using diskpart. If you select the wrong drive from the list you could mess up your current Windows install.
 
The maximumpc method makes the usb drive bootable and then you just copy the files/folders from your dvd to the usb drive. No ISO needed.

For the win 7 tool version.
1 - make an ISO of the dvd with this. push the big button that says burn image from disc.
2 - use the created ISO when asked for in the Windows 7 tool. Instructions.

When needed plug in usb drive to pc and boot from that.

You are making this way more complicated than it is. Both of these methods are very simple.
 
Thanks, I'm not trying to make this more complicated I'm just trying to understand the different methods and how it works. Would it be better to download the .iso and use the win 7 tool method or make my own .iso from my disc, using image burn? I think the downloaded .iso is more updated. Which ever method I choose, can store other documents on the FD, and continue to use the bootable FD? Are there any other known methods?
 
If your disk does not have sp1 integrated in it, then use the downloaded iso with sp1 integrated. Other than that it does not matter which.
 
Thanks. Can store other documents on the FD besides the win 7 iso and continue to use it? I read somewhere that nothing else can be on the FD ever. It looks like the win 7 tool method is more easy and popular.
 
If you try to use it with other stuff it might screw up the hidden boot files. I would leave a dedicated usb FD for windows only.
 
Weird.. when I wanted to install off of my USB stick. all I did was copy everything from the DVD to the USB stick and set the computer to boot via USB and it worked :confused:
 
Turbosound said:
Wow you can just copy all the files from the disc over to the FD and that's it?
Click to expand...

No, you can't. I've told you how to do this a few times in both threads that you've started.

Go here and read up on it. It's the first post.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1381323

It will tell you exactly how to make a bootable USB drive. You format the drive and copy the contents of the CD to the root of the flash drive. Once there, you have to make it bootable...

To do this, you need to open a command prompt. Change to your CD Rom drive and then change to the boot directory.

Enter "bootsect /nt60 <FlashDriveLetter>:" and it will make it bootable. Now you can boot with it...
 
I got a Lacie 4GB FD and the Windows 7 USB tool didn't work. I downloaded the windows ISO file, opened the Windows 7 tool, selected the ISO and started to format the FD but stopped saying the files can't be copied. My FD is actually 3.78GB could that be the problem?
 
3.78GB is the formated capacity of a 4 gig thumbdrive. Thats what I use and haven't had any problems. The Windows 7 DVD download tool can be picky about the ISO file you use. Depending on where you got your ISO it may have been modified and that could cause problems. Try a different method to create your bootable thumbdrive or download a new ISO from a different source.
 
Thanks for the reply, I would like to use the Windows 7 USB tool method. I got the ISO from the official link. Do I need to have software installed that can read/open the ISO prior to using the Windows 7 tool?
 
Turbosound said:
Thanks for the reply, I would like to use the Windows 7 USB tool method. I got the ISO from the official link. Do I need to have software installed that can read/open the ISO prior to using the Windows 7 tool?
Click to expand...

No.

The tool has all of that built in.

If you use the method I mentioned above, it takes about 5 minutes to create a bootable USB flash drive that will install Windows 7.
 
Demon10000 said:
No.

The tool has all of that built in.

If you use the method I mentioned above, it takes about 5 minutes to create a bootable USB flash drive that will install Windows 7.
Click to expand...

I downloaded the ISO again and still got the error with the Windows 7 tool. Is this the disc partition method and can I still use the ISO instead of all the files on the disc? Why is the Windows 7 tool not working?
 
Turbosound said:
I downloaded the ISO again and still got the error with the Windows 7 tool. Is this the disc partition method and can I still use the ISO instead of all the files on the disc? Why is the Windows 7 tool not working?
Click to expand...

No, if you use the maximumpc or sevenforums method, you need to -

1 - create bootable usb as they describe.

2 - use virtual clone drive to mount the windows ISO, do not run it, just open it up in windows explorer and copy everything you see from the ISO to your usb drive.

3 - boot from usb drive and install windows.
 
Is there anyway to do this with the downloaded ISO? The ISO has SP1 and is way more updated than my disc, plus I would rather have one ISO file on the FD instead of all of the files and folders from the disc.
 
Turbosound said:
Is there anyway to do this with the downloaded ISO? The ISO has SP1 and is way more updated than my disc, plus I would rather have one ISO file on the FD instead of all of the files and folders from the disc.
Click to expand...

You can't boot from the ISO. The files and folders must be extracted and copied to your flash drive.
 
An ISO file is an image of the original disk, you can't use it (the way you want) in that format. Its like a zip file, you have to extract it to make use of it. One of the advantages of an ISO file is, if the original disk was bootable the one you burn from that image should be too. Assuming you burn it correctly. 7Zip, which is free, will extract an ISO file.
 
So, I will need to extract the iso and copy all the files and folders to the FD after I follow the maximumpc or sevenforums method to make to FD bootable?
 
It may also be an issue with your USB key. Some just won't boot but work fine for copying files.
 
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