Windows 7 How to Install Windows 7 from a USB Drive

[tblount]

Well a unetbootin created USB drive installer won't boot for me..

I've created working usb bootable windows installations with it at least 3 or 4 times.. i have one for the 32 bit and another for the 64 bit. I never saw any discussions about problems with it... and never had any problem booting up with it and running the install.

I'm wondering if the usb you are using has something on it that unetbootin doesn't remove when it writes? .. like a reserve partition. If it wasn't overwriting your bcd and bootmanager files it still would boot up the old way.

It is writing all the files from the iso ...right? Are you getting any error messages?

I usually format mine first to ntsf ... when I look at it from Fdisk it shows just one healthy, active, primary, partition

 

[fjgold]

I've created working usb bootable windows installations with it at least 3 or 4 times.. i have one for the 32 bit and another for the 64 bit. I never saw any discussions about problems with it... and never had any problem booting up with it and running the install.

I'm wondering if the usb you are using has something on it that unetbootin doesn't remove when it writes? .. like a reserve partition. If it wasn't overwriting your bcd and bootmanager files it still would boot up the old way.

It is writing all the files from the iso ...right? Are you getting any error messages?

I usually format mine first to ntsf ... when I look at it from Fdisk it shows just one healthy, active, primary, partition

I format to fat 32 before. No error message. Just counts down to 10 sec and loops back to countdown. Same thing happens if I select default.
It really isn't an issue. I use unetbootin for Linux distros and sysrescCD.
I have an installer that I created using the Windows CLI, works great.
BTW it looks like unetbootin is writing all the files OK.

 

[tblount]

I format to fat 32 before. No error message. Just counts down to 10 sec and loops back to countdown. Same thing happens if I select default.
It really isn't an issue. I use unetbootin for Linux distros and sysrescCD.
I have an installer that I created using the Windows CLI, works great.
BTW it looks like unetbootin is writing all the files OK.

I just wonder why it doesn't work for you. Did you use the latest version ?

Browse UNetbootin, Universal Netboot Installer Files on SourceForge.net


Did you know you could add an option to boot into the usb from the multi-boot menu and go to the command prompt? That's faster than changing the bios boot sequence and waiting on the disk drive or looking for the boot usb memory stick.

You can even remove the usb device and it will still take you into the repair mode, which you can cancle and go to the command prompt.

It takes 3 bcdedit commands. I wrote it up in my last blog here.

 

[fjgold]

I just wonder why it doesn't work for you. Did you use the latest version ?

Browse UNetbootin, Universal Netboot Installer Files on SourceForge.net


Did you know you could add an option to boot into the usb from the multi-boot menu and go to the command prompt? That's faster than changing the bios boot sequence and waiting on the disk drive or looking for the boot usb memory stick.

You can even remove the usb device and it will still take you into the repair mode, which you can cancle and go to the command prompt.

It takes 3 bcdedit commands. I wrote it up in my last blog here.

Yup, I'm using the latest version for Windows.

My laptop has a neat BIOS option. When the option is selected pressing F12 during post brings up a menu that shows
the system harddrive and the optical drive and any USB flash/HDD that is connected to my computer at the time I turn on
my computer. Using the up/down arrow keys I can select the device I want to boot from without entering the BIOS.
Very handy. For example I have 4 versions of Ubuntu installed on an external 1 TB HDD. The hardy install is where my Grub
menu.lst is located. Selecting the external drive from the F12 menu lets me bring up the external drive Grub menu and boot the various Ubuntu distros. No need to "permanently" change the boot order in BIOS. Again very handy.

I make use of this feature often.

 

[solardog]

this was the only way I could install my brand new retail version of Windows 7 Ultimate which is ridiculous, but I'm happy I got it installed. I really want to install the 64-bit version tho and I cant create a boot drive in a 32-bit environment and I cant do a regular custom install for the same reasons I couldn't do the 32-bit install. Any ideas? I still get this message trying to do a custom install:

A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD or USB flash drive, please insert it now.

Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step."

Its NOT missing, Win 7 upgraded it first thing after I successfully installed the 32-bit version."ITE IT8211 ATA/ATAPI Controller" was the first update and it made me reboot right away. I thought to myself, 'cool they caught it and gave me the correct driver, thats awesome!' It was the opposite of awesome tho as I still get the stinkin message trying to install the 64-bit custom install. WHY??!!

 

[2ndwindranch]

Are there any suggestions for what to do if no DVD and the bios won't recognize a bootable USB?

 

[tblount]

Are there any suggestions for what to do if no DVD and the bios won't recognize a bootable USB?

You don't need either to do an upgrade.

If you want to do a full install you probably could borrow a dvd from someone for a couple hours.

 

[catfish]

Wont work. It gives a disk read error when trying to boot.

 

[tblount]

Wont work. It gives a disk read error when trying to boot.

I have to think that a read error means it's recognizing the dvd and TRYING to read the disk. If it fails at that point you should check your disk on another computer to verify that the disk isn't the problem... then you know the dvd is the problem if the dvd worked on another computer.

If the drive is failing... check power and cables connections ... try another disk in it ..etc. Make the DVD the First Priority and disable all other startup options in the bios.

 

[catfish]

I meant USB flash drive wont work. I followed instructions and set up my BIOS to boot USB-drive. My BIOS recognizes USB flash drive. When trying to boot from USB flash drive, it says disk read error, press ctrl alt del to restart.

Anyone have work around for this?

 

[tblount]

yes... you may need a higher quality usb drive... some won't boot... i have two that will and two that won't .. they will all store files though.

If you read up on ReadyBoost you'll find that it doesn't work with lower end usb drives either.

 

[catfish]

yes... you may need a higher quality usb drive... some won't boot... i have two that will and two that won't .. they will all store files though.

I have Kingston DataTraveler 100. How I could know which USD-drives can boot and which doesn't?

 

[tblount]

I have Kingston DataTraveler 100. How I could know which USD-drives can boot and which doesn't?

I don't know... I was wondering the same thing when I was reading up on ReadyBoot. There must be some way to tell but the only thing I can say is that the more expensive ones seem to be the ones that work. My 4gb Jetdrive cost $29 and it boots. I think my 4gb cruze boots.. it was about $12 my datatraveler 112 4 gb $10 won't and neither will a 32 gb i got from hong knong for $17.

 

[Basher]

Ahhhhh - Dont know what went wrong but followed the instructions, got the 4gig stick formated and continued down the instruction at the "select partition 1" then it went tits up - ended up loosing two partitions that had my music, virtual cd'd and iso's on

Running a recovery program now which hopefully will restore my lost stuff.

So be carefull and double check...

Regards

Basher

 

[tblount]

Ahhhhh - Dont know what went wrong but followed the instructions, got the 4gig stick formated and continued down the instruction at the "select partition 1" then it went tits up - ended up loosing two partitions that had my music, virtual cd'd and iso's on

Running a recovery program now which hopefully will restore my lost stuff.

So be carefull and double check...

Regards

Basher

What were you running?

 

[gaz]

usb

u dny even have to do this,simply copy and paste all files from ur Windows 7 dvd to your 4 gb usb and click set up.exe windows 7 from your usb,then either upgrade or format from advanced from Windows 7 installer screen

 

[tblount]

u dny even have to do this,simply copy and paste all files from ur Windows 7 dvd to your 4 gb usb and click set up.exe windows 7 from your usb,then either upgrade or format from advanced from Windows 7 installer screen

I don't know what Basher is trying to do ... it looks like he came into this thread were people were discussing diskpart and decided to try it.... and repartitioned his hard drive.

I have recommended at least a dozen times that ANY disk partions are a HUGE risk... at one time at least 1/3 of the "help me" posts here were about partition problems. Just get a backup hard drive and never never never make partitions. All the data on a partition is going to be gone/lost when a hard drive fails anyway.. and all hard drives eventually fail. Make it easy on yourself.

 

[Basher]

Hi Chaps,

Yes i did try diskpart and am not blaming anyone else just to warn people like myself by jumping before reading and to make sure they know what they are doing. :>

Basher

 

[tblount]

Hi Chaps,

Yes i did try diskpart and am not blaming anyone else just to warn people like myself by jumping before reading and to make sure they know what they are doing. :>

Basher

I'm sure you learned a lot, but what were you wanting to accomplish?

 

[Basher]

making bootable usb to install onto netbook - never heard of diskpart before so though I'd give it ago (good job I have backups )