Booting Windows7 on FAT32

Win7Junkie said:

WindowsStar, I am trying to understand what you have mentioned above. Did you install Windows 7 on NTFS and then reformat it as FAT 32 and then booted the OS? or did you install Windows 7 on NTFS and then copied the installed files on a hard drive that is FAT32 and boooted it? Please clarify.

1) I setup a USB stick with FAT32 and installed Windows 7 from the USB stick to an internal hard drive.
2) I setup an internal hard drive [E:] with FAT32 and installed Windows 7 from the internal hard drive to another internal hard drive [C:].

NOTE: Both installs ONLY installed as NTFS. You can NOT install on a FAT32 formatted drive.

In other words you can install FROM FAT32 but you cannot install ON FAT32.

I hope that helps.

I can confirm FAT32 boots Win7 installer, as I have a tool stick I carry around bootable XP, Win7 and dozens of other apps.

When I want to boot Win7, I drag the files out of folder into the root and it boots on most machines. XP not so much - I burn it or run it.

Thought I had formatted stick NTFS Primary but notice last week it is FAT32 which is it's native format. It only needs to be Primary to boot, as it happens for this Kingston Data Traveler, carried in my pocket for 3 years.

chrysalis said:

you guys seem to be all overcomplicating the issue.

the hidden 100meg partition that gets created has to be ntfs.

all other partitions can be fat32 or ntfs.

The first thing I suggest trying is install windows onto a ntfs partition as normal but keep unallocated space ready to make a 2nd partition which will be fat32, then run the legacy app on that partition.

If the app is not satisfied with this then try making the c: windows partition fat32 but the hidden 100meg partition will have to be ntfs.

I tried that it did not work.

Win7Junkie said:

windowsStar,when you say you set up a USB with FAT 32 and installled Windows 7 from the USB. So my question is how did you install/copy Windows 7 on that USB. I tried to follow your earlier post in the same thread and that worked for NTFS but did not work for FAT32. If you can elaborate step fist in detail then that would be great help.

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-in...working-guide/

This is what I did it worked perfectly the 8 times I did it. 2 on USB, 2 on a hard drive, 2 on USB slim, and 2 on hard drive slim.

WindowsStar said:

Bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive.[/B]
...
...
First type DISKPART and hit enter to see the below message
...
In the below screenshot my Flash Drive Disk no is Disk 1

When you copy / paste your response from another website, this kind of mistakes happen quite easily: you forget to copy / paste the screenshots from the original post you 'borrowed'.

When your post is copied from another website and author, you should know what Seven Forums rules have to say:

18. Articles: If an article is from another website, then it cannot be copied completely here. That would be considered plagiarism. Instead it will need to presented in a teaser format with usually only the first paragraph of the article with the link to that website's article included in your post as a "Read more at....(link)" at the bottom. Please acknowledge the source, if at all possible.

Anyway, your post is no answer to the OP's issue. This method just puts the Win7 installation files to a USB stick; it does not install Windows 7 on to a FAT32 partition. Windows needs to be installed on to an NTFS partition.

Kari

@Kari,

Nope: I did not copy or borrow that from a web site (per se). It is in a word document and it has no screen shots. I put the document together myself and there may have been some wording from a web site with a screen shot long ago. I will be sure to correct that in my document. Thank you very much.

www.intowindows.com said:

Follow the below steps to create bootable Windows 7/Vista USB drive using which you can install Windows 7/Vista easily.
1. Plug-in your USB flash drive to USB port and move all the contents from USB drive to a safe location on your system.
2. Open Command Prompt with admin rights. Use any of the below methods to open Command Prompt with admin rights.
*Type cmd in Start menu search box and hit Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter.
Or
*Go to Start menu > All programs > Accessories, right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. You need to know about the USB drive a little bit. Type in the following commands in the command prompt:
First type DISKPART and hit enter to see the below message.

Next type LIST DISK command and note down the Disk number (ex: Disk 1) of your USB flash drive. In the below screenshot my Flash Drive Disk no is Disk 1.
4. Next type all the below commands one by one. Here I assume that your disk drive no is “Disk 1”.If you have Disk 2 as your USB flash drive then use Disk 2.Refer the above step to confirm it.
So below are the commands you need to type and execute one by one:
SELECT DISK 1
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS

And so on...

And so on...

Quite a coincidence!!! You just managed to type word by word the same than this here: Install Windows 7 From USB Drive/Pen Drive

I mean, really word by word. I had never believed it could be possible! You even have the * signs in the same places!

Kari

EDIT: Checking this a bit more, reading your posts I even noticed that you know how to leave a space after comma or period, so the text is easier to read. But in this 'your' tutorial, you forget this grammatic rule in exactly same places than in that other website.

This is really Twilight Zone: so unbelievable coincidence!