📎 AI Summary:
The forum thread centers on a user's difficulty creating a bootable USB for Windows 7 installation, encountering issues with file system compatibility and boot errors after trying to prepare the USB with FAT32 and splitting the install.esd file. The user seeks help, mentioning their attempts to boot from the USB after disabling secure boot. Subsequent replies suggest that, given Windows 7's end of life, it is better to upgrade to Windows 10, highlighting improvements in performance and ongoing support as reasons to switch. The overall sentiment encourages transitioning to Windows 10 rather than troubleshooting older Windows 7 installation issues.

D0M1N13

Senior Member
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Nov 18, 2015
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2
Thread Author #1
Hi forum

This topic might already be touched on here but I couldn't find anything about it.
I downloaded from the internet AIO Windows 7 ISO. I burned the ISO with RUFUS on a NTFS USB. When I inserted the USB into my computer and tried to boot from the USB it gave an error saying something that it can't find NTFS drivers. Somewhere along those lines. So I googled for further information and found out that the file system on the USB is supposed to be FAT32. So I tried to burn the same ISO with FAT32 but it wouldn't let me because install.esd is 4.2GB and unfortunately FAT32 can't transfer anything above 4GB. So I googled again and found out that I would need to split the install.esd into smaller parts and then I could burn the ISO. So I did that but it's not letting me boot. I entered my UEFI BIOS and went into boot menu and put the USB to boot first. Even though I did that, it's not even booting or anything. It just goes into the OS like there isn't an USB. I disabled secure boot. Nothing still. May someone help me with this? I'm going mad here.
 

Neemobeer

Windows Forum Team
Staff member
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Jul 4, 2015
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8,995
Windows 7 is end of life next month, so you should really be installing Windows 10. You can just install Windows 10 and use your Windows 7 product code they're pretty much all valid on Windows 10
 

RuskinF

Member
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Feb 17, 2020
Messages
87
Don't install Windows 7. Instead, install Windows 10.
Here is why:
Performance tests have shown that Windows 10 is faster across the board than earlier versions of Windows. Bear in mind that Microsoft will update Windows 10 regularly, though, while Windows 7 is now essentially frozen in its current state after 'mainstream' support ended in January 2015.