Windows 7: Windows Embedded Standard 7 installation.

Coke Robot · 27 Aug 2011

Alright, so here's what's up, I downloaded the Windows Embedded Standard 7 .iso and I installed it into a VM to test it. Now, I want to install it onto a USB flash drive. The problem is that it doesn't detect the flash drive at all.

Do I need to actually burn off a DVD, boot from that, and install it onto the drive?

The USB drive is active in Windows, formatted to NTFS. What is going on here?!

Thanks!

alphanumeric · 27 Aug 2011

Windows, by default, won't let you install the OS to a removable drive like a thumb drive. Why are you trying to install it to a thumb drive? I don't believe you can make the install portable, if thats your intent.

theog · 27 Aug 2011

Are trying to reinstall a Windows Phone or handheld?

Coke Robot · 27 Aug 2011

What I'm trying to accomplish is yes, a portable Windows installation. I'm doing it for a couple of friends that want something like this and I also want to have the portability and convenience of having that.

I posted a thread in the virtualization forum here about doing something like this and I was recommended that I should use Windows Embedded for such a thing. It's interesting, I've never ever heard of such a thing and my mind was blown!

I've been looking around and Windows Embedded Standard is built for USB booting and installing, but it doesn't seem like so...

alphanumeric · 27 Aug 2011

I have no experience with windows embedded but I do know that the regular version of Windows 7 won't install to a USB external drive. Its not a valid install path. Are you sure you're not confusing "install from" with "install to"?

Coke Robot · 27 Aug 2011

Yeah, 7 won't install to any USB device.

I'm looking for install to...

Brink · 27 Aug 2011

Hello Andy,

I found this workaround that will let you install Windows 7 to a USB flash drive that may work for you.

How To Install Windows 7 On USB Flash Drive

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Kari · 27 Aug 2011

According to Microsoft, it should be possible at least using SD cards:

Quote:

Developing with Windows Embedded Standard 7 Service Pack 1

Windows Embedded Standard 7 delivers the power, familiarity, and reliability of the Windows 7 operating system in a componentized form for developers to create advanced commercial and consumer devices running thousands of existing Windows 7 applications and drivers.

NEW: Standard 7 Service Pack 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Embedded Standard SP 1 includes three new technologies:
1.Remote Desktop Protocol 7.1 (RDP7.1) includes RemoteFX, which is a set of technologies that includes USB Redirection, Multi-media redirection, Multi-monitor support.
2.SD Boot allows building and installation of Windows Embedded Standard 7 images on SD cards. Customers may boot a Windows Embedded Standard 7 image from an SD card (no roaming) as long as the SD card is in the device enclosure and not easily accessible to the end user.
3.SKU Compliance Package is added to the image after it is developed. This package deactivates features not in the designated SKU

Have you read the Embedded 7 pages through? (Commercial Devices | Windows Embedded Standard 7 for Developers)

Kari

Coke Robot · 27 Aug 2011

Quote: Originally Posted by Brink

Hello Andy,

I found this workaround that will let you install Windows 7 to a USB flash drive that may work for you.

How To Install Windows 7 On USB Flash Drive

Hope this helps,
Shawn

That actually was the first thing I tried when attempting this, but thanks though!

I couldn't get portable VirtualBox to work correctly, it would give an error when I went to change the settings or when I wanted to make a virtual hard drive. Bugger!

alphanumeric · 27 Aug 2011

It would be interesting to see if you can do it, but I don't think its practical. Each PC would require different drivers, and what about activation? Its been done on windows XP but from what I remember its a fair bit of work to pull it off. You have to modify some files etc, and even when you get it to work, performance is really bad. I would think a thumb drive would be even worse than an external USB hard drive. I don't think thumb drives (flash memeory) like lots of writes so eventually your thumb drive will go bad.

Windows 7: Windows Embedded Standard 7 installation.

Windows Embedded Standard 7 installation. problems?