USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk

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    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk


    Posted: 13 Nov 2008
    This article refers to the Hard Drives issued at PDC, but it also applies to using ANY USB hard drive as a bootable disk.


    Tip: make your PDC 2008 USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk

    If you’re one of eight thousand people lucky enough to attend PDC 2008 last week and receive the ultra-cool 160GB portable hard drive with “the goods” then I have some extra good news for you, your hard drive can also become a bootable Windows 7 install disk. The best part is that you don’t even have to delete any of the existing files on the drive since there’s about 90GB free of the 160GB drive.

    This is especially handy if you’re trying to install Windows 7 on a device without a DVD drive or if you don’t have any blank DVDs to burn the ISO on.

    Of course this guide also works if you have an existing portable USB hard drive that has enough free space to partition and a copy of a Windows 7 ISO, which I’m sure you can get *wink*.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-1.jpg
    Step 1: Click open the Start Menu, right click on “Computer”, “Manage”. Open the “Disk Management” tool.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd2.jpg
    Step 2: Find the USB hard drive, should be 149.05GB. Right click on the volume and click “Shrink volume”. Shrink the volume by 10000MB.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd3.jpg
    Step 3: Right click on the new unallocated volume, “New Simple Volume”, format as “FAT32″. Check “Perform quick format” unless you have time to waste.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd4.jpg
    Step 4: Right click on the new volume, “Mark Partition as Active”.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd5.jpg
    Step 5: Mount the Windows 7 ISO from the USB (\Windows7\ISO\6801.0.080913-2030_Client_en-us_ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE_GB1CFRE_EN_DVD.iso) using your favorite ISO tool (I use Daemon Tools Lite).
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd6.jpg
    Step 6: Copy the entire DVD directory into your newly created volume.
    USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-pdchd7.jpg
    Step 7: Now take your USB drive and tell the PC to boot from USB. The Windows 7 setup should appear.

    To restore your USB drive to the previous state and reclaim the 10GB of space, simply delete the new volume created and extend the original volume to consume the entire 10000MB now unallocated."

    Tip: make your PDC 2008 USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk - istartedsomething
    NormCameron's Avatar Posted By: NormCameron
    13 Nov 2008



  1. Posts : 1
    Windows 7
       #1

    hi, I tried to follow this guide and I stumbled onto a problem, it says "Ntdlr missing" when I try to boot from the external HD
    I am using Vista with an HP Setup and want to install Windows 7 on this machine here
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7
    windows 7
       #2

    If you’re one of eight thousand people lucky enough to attend PDC 2008 last week and receive the ultra-cool 160GB portable hard drive with “the goods” then I have some extra good news for you, your hard drive can also become a bootable Windows 7 install disk. The best part is that you don’t even have to delete any of the existing files on the drive since there’s about 90GB free of the 160GB drive
    Sizlopedia
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #3

    That error is due to the fact the guide above skipped an important step. The USB drive was never made to be bootable. There are many guides online, and I've seen a few linked here as well, that show you how to get the USB drive bootable, to where it runs the installer, just as if you booted from the DVD.

    http://kmwoley.com/blog/?p=345
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 47
    Windows 7
       #4

    Can i do the same thing to install XP ?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #5

    It requires a completely different process, but I believe XP can be installed from a USB flash drive.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 47
    Windows 7
       #6

    It's maybe embarrassing to ask but what's the difference between USB Flash Drive and USB Hard Drive ?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 774
    Vista Ultimate X64/ Windows 7 Dual-boot
       #7

    A flash drive is one of those small sticks...it's flash memory .

    A USB hard drive is any hard drive that will connect via USB...
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 9,606
    Win7 Enterprise, Win7 x86 (Ult 7600), Win7 x64 Ult 7600, TechNet RTM on AMD x64 (2.8Ghz)
       #8

    thaace said:
    It's maybe embarrassing to ask but what's the difference between USB Flash Drive and USB Hard Drive ?

    Here are some pics:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-usb_flash_drive_16gb.jpg   USB hard drive a bootable Windows 7 install disk-seagate_usb-hard-drive.jpg  
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9,606
    Win7 Enterprise, Win7 x86 (Ult 7600), Win7 x64 Ult 7600, TechNet RTM on AMD x64 (2.8Ghz)
       #9

    How to Create a Windows 7 Installation USB Key

    USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create
      My Computer


 
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