Install Windows 7 From USB Stick The Easy Way

[gigahertz20]

There are guides on how to prepare your USB drive so you can put all the Windows 7 files on it, then boot from your USB drive and install Windows 7, but they are all lengthy and require a bunch of commands.


The Easy Process:

Note: Make sure your motherboard is capable of booting off a USB drive or this will not work. Also, backup any files on your USB drive because it will be formatted.


1) Download the free UltraISO trial by clicking on this
2) Start UltraISO as administrator
3) "Burn" the iso image to the USB stick by following these steps

With UltraISO:
- Open the image of Vista/Win7 with UltraISO
- Under BOOTABLE tab choose WRITE DISK IMAGE
- Choose your USB stick under "Disk Drive"
- Choose a method (It's recommended to use USB-HDD+)
- Press Write
- Make sure to change your BOOT order in BIOS to boot from your USB drive first


THAT IS ALL!!!




I have tried this and confirmed it works fine, other people have confirmed this works as well! So no need to burn the ISO to a DVD and waste a disc I'm sure you can use programs other then UltraISO as well to do this. Also, installing from a USB drive shaves a few minutes or so off the install time.


Another easy way to install windows 7 from USB key


http://www.addictivetips.com/w...quires-2-simple-steps/

 

[gigahertz20]

In UltraISO, If you click on the "Xpress Boot" button after you click "Write Disk Image" it will show "Xpress Write."

I googled it to find out what it was and it said "Xpress Write" works just like 'Write', but it keeps disk format on the UFD."

I'm not exactly sure what that means, I know the Windows 7 image is identified as a bootable UDF image, so maybe if you use "Xpress Write" it keeps the same format of the disc or something when you burn it to your USB drive?


I didn't choose it when I burned the Windows 7 image to my USB flash drive, and I just had to play around with my BIOS settings a little bit and then I got it to boot from the USB drive.

 

[coolVariable]

Marked for later.

 

[amdhunter]

nice! Cant wait to try this -- i want to install Windows Ultimate on my HTPC tonight and this might just be the perfect time to do this.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: gigahertz20
[...] no need to burn [Windows 7] to a DVD and waste a disc [...]

My sentiments, exactly!

Sorry for the drive-by, but I couldn't help myself.

Thanks for posting!

Carry on...

 

[Dari]

I'm not even sure what use burners are for anymore. I have a bunch of DVD+RW and DVD-Rs from 2003 that I haven't even touched.

 

[The0ne]

Originally posted by: Dari
I'm not even sure what use burners are for anymore. I have a bunch of DVD+RW and DVD-Rs from 2003 that I haven't even touched.

There for when you completely lose and can't recover your files on HDs and flash drives.

 

[gigahertz20]

Another easy way to install windows 7 from USB key


http://www.addictivetips.com/w...quires-2-simple-steps/

 

[ahenkel]

Now I need a bigger USB drive.

 

[nealh]

Originally posted by: gigahertz20
There are guides on how to prepare your USB drive so you can put all the Windows 7 files on it, then boot from your USB drive and install Windows 7, but they are all lengthy and require a bunch of commands.


The Easy Process:

Note: Make sure your motherboard is capable of booting off a USB drive or this will not work. Also, backup any files on your USB drive because it will be formatted.


1) Download the free UltraISO trial by clicking on this
2) Start UltraISO as administrator
3) "Burn" the iso image to the USB stick by following these steps

With UltraISO:
- Open the image of Vista/Win7 with UltraISO
- Under BOOTABLE tab choose WRITE DISK IMAGE
- Choose your USB stick under "Disk Drive"
- Choose a method (It's recommended to use USB-HDD+)
- Press Write
- Make sure to change your BOOT order in BIOS to boot from your USB drive first


THAT IS ALL!!!




I have tried this and confirmed it works fine, other people have confirmed this works as well! So no need to burn the ISO to a DVD and waste a disc I'm sure you can use programs other then UltraISO as well to do this. Also, installing from a USB drive shaves a few minutes or so off the install time.

I tried Unetbootin to place win 7 on my netbook. but I cant get it to boot.

Does the above method need the usb drive in FAT32 or NTFS?

 

[kkk60091]

you don't really need third party software at all.
just cmd and use diskpart to remove what's already out there and create new & active as fat 32

extract iso to the usb and done.

 

[geokilla]

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1031/1/

Here's another site and guide.

 

[gigahertz20]

Originally posted by: kkk60091
you don't really need third party software at all.
just cmd and use diskpart to remove what's already out there and create new & active as fat 32

extract iso to the usb and done.

Yeah, you don't, but it's alot easier and faster then having to use the command prompt and type in commands. For novice computer users, using a free 3rd pary software where you just have to do a couple clicks is much easier.

 

[nealh]

Originally posted by: geokilla
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1031/1/

Here's another site and guide.

This worked great using the ultraiso program. Thanks

 

[omber]

Not to derail the topic, but would this also work for XP? (I'll try tomorrow trying to leave work an hour late ><)

 

[gigahertz20]

Originally posted by: omber
Not to derail the topic, but would this also work for XP? (I'll try tomorrow trying to leave work an hour late ><)

Not sure, you can try, if it doesn't then you can always google a guide on how to install Windows XP from a USB drive. I just did a google search and found plenty of them, they just require alot more steps and typing commands into command prompt.

 

[nealh]

wonder if with winxp the usb would need a fat 32 or NTFS...I would not see why it would not work

I have same question as well

 

[omber]

I've tried several guides but I keep on running into walls (some piece of software doesn't run under Vista another doesn't under 7 or Vista etc etc).

 

[LittleNemoNES]

cmd
diskpart
list disk
::select USB disk #::
clean
create partition primary
active
exit

 

[nealh]

Originally posted by: gersson
cmd
diskpart
list disk
::select USB disk #::
clean
create partition primary
active
exit

Is this to prepare the disk for XP? do format as fat 32 or NTFS or does it not matter?

not sure what to do with:

::select USB disk #::
clean
create partition primary
active

after entering cmd and starting diskpart..I got it to list my disks.

I do not want to screw up the command.

 

[corkyg]

Did this yesterday, and upgraded to Win 7 RTM from a flash drive prepared by UltraISO. For an upgrade, the flash drive does not need to be bootable. It is inserted into USB and then SETUP is run. From then on, all 4 reboots are created by the new Win 7 software. The whole operation took less than an hour, and the upgrade was perfect. All programs run and all data is intact including installed email programs, etc. It even handled having the page file in a separate partition. Very good tip.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

Originally posted by: nealh

Originally posted by: gersson
cmd
diskpart
list disk
::select USB disk #::
clean
create partition primary
active
exit

Is this to prepare the disk for XP? do format as fat 32 or NTFS or does it not matter?

not sure what to do with:

::select USB disk #::
clean
create partition primary
active

after entering cmd and starting diskpart..I got it to list my disks.

I do not want to screw up the command.

This thread is about Windows 7 -- this is to prepare the USB drive for copying the Win7 installation files.
I would format as FAT32 -- I don't remember if it matters, though.

 

[ViRGE]

The guide I read said NTFS and it worked. That's what I would go with.

 

[corkyg]

It will work in the upgrade mode - but flash media is not bootable except with FAT, or FAT16 format.I have not found a thumb drive bootable with NTFS format.

 

[Lorne]

Maybe somone could test this Idea out,,,
Could you image to a USB HD and then put the HD on the extra PATA/SATA internal cable and install from that?,,,, Install x4 faster.
Even external SATA.