Windows 7: Installing win7 from external Samsung DVD SE-208

Laptop: Dell Vostro V131
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
External DVD: Samsung SE-208

My external DVD works fine with the Windows 7 preinstalled in my new laptop. But when I try to re-install the Windows 7...

• The laptop recognizes well the external DVD
• The Windows 7 disc boots fine from the external DVD
• After that, the installation process asks for the external DVD drivers.

The same thing happend with an external LG DVD.

Any idea?

where did you get your Win 7 DVD?

I would also suspect the integrity of the Windows 7 install media.

Download the official Windows 7 Professional SP1-U ISO x64 from Official Windows 7 SP1 ISO from Digital River « My Digital Life and burn it to a known good media at the slowest x1 or x2 speed.

Or you can create a bootable USB pendrive using Rufus v1.1.7 without FreeDOS support (154KB) Rufus - Create bootable USB drives ( It is much faster than most other tools for that purpose and easy.)

I downloaded from "Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center". I have installed several times with the same disc.

More info:

I have tried with more diferent Windows 7 discs and the problem is still present. I installed with the same disc in a computer with an internal DVD and the installation works OK.

So the disc is not the problem.

Most USB external optical drives come with a Y cable ( or an additional power input cable that is plugged into another USB port) since these require more power than a single USB port can deliver.

Connect the external optical drive with such an Y cable ( plug-in the Y end to two USB ports on your Vostro) and try the installation. That is the only thing I can think of .

Try writing ISO to DVD using ImgBurn at 4x speed.

Write the ISO to a flash stick with Universal USB Installer with Windows 7 in dropdown menu, boot under USB, Removable or HD's.

hi greg,

The OP has already said that the ISO or disk is not a problem since he is able to install on another machine with the same disc and the internal optical drive.

To try installing with a bootable USB pendrive has also been suggested.

The problem is why he is not able to install using an external optical drive.( the install disk is already proven good)

I am already installing....

I thing is a sum of several issues:

My laptop has 1xUSB 2.0 and 2xUSB 3.0. Samsung SE-208 does not work (for installing) in any USB port. I connected both connectors to the both USB 3.0 and with the problem I mentiond. As the laptop has only 1 USB 2.0, I cannot connect both samsung dvd to two USB 2.0 connectors.

I am using a VERY old Sony external DVD with power supply indepenent (not from the USB) and it works only when I connect it to the USB 2.0. This old DVD also does not work connected to the USB 3.0 ports.

We will have to remember to check on the USB port in the future. Like EFI BIOS these are new and coming on stream now.