An Easy Way to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 7
- Posted: Jul 22, 2009 at 8:23 AM
- 1,806 Views
- 4 Comments
Earlier this year, Dennis Chung posted a video on TechNet Edge explaining how you could install Windows 7 using a bootable USB drive - a necessary step needed to install Windows 7 on a netbook PC. But for some people, those instructions were a bit too technical. That’s why I was happy to have discovered a much easier way.
A reader over on the Tweaking with Vishal blog created a utility that automatically creates a bootable USB drive for you. Not only can the utility be used for Windows 7, it works for Windows Server 2008 and Vista, too.
In order to use this software, you’ll need a USB drive (4 GB +), the DVD or ISO image of the OS, and a host OS on which to run the software.
Once you have all the necessary equipment, creating the portable USB drive is as simple as running the utility. The interface is straightforward - all you have to do is select your source (DVD or ISO) and click “Start” (“Start DVD” or “Start ISO”). You can also use the software to format your USB drive if you hadn’t already done so before creating the boot disk.
When it’s finished, you’ll have a USB drive which you can pop into your netbook or other PC to install your new OS.
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I tried this tool, and it mucked up a Windows 7 installation for me (x86 from a .iso). There were all sorts of weird problems after the install, basic Windows functions weren't working, and drivers for devices I knew I had wouldn't install.
I tried creating the install USB manually (not using the tool) with the same .iso and the same USB stick, and reinstalled Windows 7 on the same PC. With the newly created USB I created manually Windows 7 worked perfectly.
I wonder if this tool is doing something odd to the Windows files on the way through. Has anyone checked that it produces an accurate image and that there is no malware package added? My experience might just be a one-off, but I would advise caution.
I tried this tool, and it mucked up a Windows 7 installation for me (x86 from a .iso). There were all sorts of weird problems after the install, basic Windows functions weren't working, and drivers for devices I knew I had wouldn't install.
I tried creating the install USB manually (not using the tool) with the same .iso and the same USB stick, and reinstalled Windows 7 on the same PC. With the newly created USB I created manually Windows 7 worked perfectly.
I wonder if this tool is doing something odd to the Windows files on the way through. Has anyone checked that it produces an accurate image and that there is no malware package added? My experience might just be a one-off, but I would advise caution.
I'll have to try this out. I used the HP USB Boot tool to load Vista on a system that didn't have a DVD drive and that was flawless. This appears to be even easier.
I'll have to try this out. I used the HP USB Boot tool to load Vista on a system that didn't have a DVD drive and that was flawless. This appears to be even easier.
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