Windows 7: Windows 7 Disc Image Burner [Experimentation]

I've recently started messing around with the Windows 7 Disc Image Burner, because I'm going to write a tutorial on slipstreaming SP1 into a bootable installation DVD. So, before I started looking for a third party DVD burner program, I wanted to see what the native burner program could do. I started off by burning the Windows 7 bootable ISO image I downloaded from TechNet. I was thinking there's no way it will remain bootable by burning it with the native program. WROOOOONG!

First off, let's smash the myth that all operating system ISO images will remain bootable no matter how you burn it. That's just not so. I have about a million coasters to proove it too....LOL

However, the bootable ISO I burned with the native Windows 7 burner, needed a little "coaxing" to boot with the BIOS set to "CD" as the first boot device. I had to keep pressing the "enter" button as the BIOS was searching what to boot from. You more advanced users will know exactly what I'm talking about. It also worked with the BIOS set to boot from the HDD as it's first device. It detected bootable media in the DVD drive [again I kept pressing the "enter" button continuously]. It's not uncommon with the old machine I have [my lab machine] to not want to boot from my SATA DVD drive, so I tried an IDE DVD drive, and it booted right up.

So tell me, have any of you guys messed around with the Windows 7 native burner program? If so, what are it's limits? I'm wondering if maybe we can slam it with some steroids or something, because I like what I'm seeing so far from the initial testing. I'm thinking maybe I can create a bootable ISO slipstreamed SP1 installation DVD without having to use a third party program at all, like Nero...ISObuster...or ISOMagic...etc. I was also able to extract the files within the ISO image with the native program as well.

So far it's been able to do pretty much everything I thought it couldn't...LOL
So has anyone here done much experimenting with it? Do you know of any Microsoft Knowledge Base articles on this program? Any feedback would be great. I want to see if maybe we can unlock it's potential?



Peace

I can save you time and let you know there's already a tutorial on slipstreaming on this site. I'd still recommend getting the official integrated discs, but to each his/her own.

I can tell you that you're off on one point. If a disc is bootable, and the .iso is made correctly, it will also be bootable. That's the point of using .iso files as opposed to just zipping the contents and letting people burn their own discs. If a bootable disc has it's contents pulled into a .iso file, and it wasn't made properly, then no, it won't be bootable. Take the TechNet .iso files you mentioned. They are bootable. It is built into the file. If you burn it as an image using whatever burning program you prefer, it will be bootable.

I have only very limited experience with the built-in burner, and it wasnt pleasant. The reason why it wasn't given any real feature set was that the EU and burning app companies like Roxio and Nero, would have sued Microsoft to have it removed. Because of this past behavior, we now have all the N versions of Windows 7. I would still always need a more full-featured app, like ImgBurn or CDBurnXP, so I've never bothered with the built-in burner anymore, as I just use those apps.

Not for the specific method that Shawn asked me to do the tut on. But that has nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

I've got all of them that are available at TechNet. But that's not the point. I'm only interested in creating the tut Shawn asked me to.

I know all about creating bootable ISO images. As I stated [correctly] not all operating system ISO images will remain bootable no matter how you burn it. Some people seem to think they will [at one point I did too]. I'm only interested in the native burner program anyway, which is why I created this thread.

Well, that's the thing, I don't think hardly anyone has investigated the features of the native burner. I created this thread for information from anyone who actually has. It looks like I may just have to do it myself.

I don't think anyone assumed that every file with a .iso extension was bootable. Why would a Office 2010 .iso file be bootable? the .iso file standard has always been a way to distribute a CD image intact ready to burn quickly and easily to disc, cutting out many of the steps it would take to burn it from a .zip file or something similar.

As for the tutorial, sure, it would be great to see if or what the native burner can do, but from everything I've read, it is chopped down and featureless by design, as Microsoft was't really given a choice in the matter, unfortunately. I was thrilled with the fact I didn't need any extra software to burn a .iso file, but I didn't see methods of editing or creating .iso files, so I had to go back to my trusty old UltraISO.

I'm not trying to be rude my friend, but I have no idea why you insist that this thread keeps going off topic? I'm only interested in gathering information about the Windows 7 native CD/DVD burner program. A program that you admittedly know very little about [and me too for that matter]. So, can I please hear from somebody who has experience with this program?

Well, once i was testing the Windows 7 RC i had to burn the .iso i downloaded from authorized places. I have always done it with the native windows 7 Cd/dvd burner without any probs. The last thing i did three days ago, was to burn the .Iso Windows 7 SP1 WAVE 1 from MS.

I've another soft from NTI on my machine aswell, but far prefer the convienents of the native burner

Hey that's GREAT news! Do you think I could compile a set of files for Windows 7 SP1, and create a bootable installation DVD using the native burner? And if so, what would the procedure be? I'm trying to avoid using a third party burner program for a tut I'm currently working on. If I could do the entire project only using native tools that would be AWESOME!

maybe here:
Bootable ISO - Create from Installation Files

That uses vlite to create the disc. The very program my tutorial is geared toward trying to avoid using.

I am not familiar with the technicalities of the native burner, but I have used it quite often. It has never failed me. I used Shawn's tutorial to slipstream SP1 into the installation iso and created an SP1 ISO file. I used the native program to burn that to Disk and it worked perfectly.