Update your Win 7 installation media

[SIW2]

Rufus works if you set it up properly, but the rufus driver doesn't support secureboot - because MS won't sign it. If you turn secureboot off for the installation, it should work fine.

Otherwise if you want to use fat32, you can split the wim. I would use wimlib-imagex for that. It is in the BIN folder.

wimlib-imagex split install.wim install.swm 4000

note the word split is lower case.

 

[drib]

Rufus works if you set it up properly, but the rufus driver doesn't support secureboot - because MS won't sign it. If you turn secureboot off for the installation, it should work fine.

Otherwise if you want to use fat32, you can split the wim. I would use wimlib-imagex for that. It is in the BIN folder.

wimlib-imagex install.wim install.swm 4000

Rufus works for a long time, all the way to right at 100%, then stops just before the operation is complete and says my drive is already in use.
Gonna try wimlib-imagex now, thanks.

 

[SIW2]

This is an alternative method:
How I make an NTFS UEFI Bootable USB with No Rufus = Works with Secure Boot

 

[SIW2]

Another option is to use Windows 7 Component Removal download | SourceForge.net to remove componenets from the image - before updating it.
Seems to work fine.

There is also another tool - but when I tested it the ie8 removal is too aggressive. The linked one above is probably better.

 

[drib]

This is an alternative method:
How I make an NTFS UEFI Bootable USB with No Rufus = Works with Secure Boot

Didn't work for me.
"Bootsect not recognized as an interal or external command"

My new plan is to study hard in hopes of becoming proficient enough at using Windows 8 and/or Windows 10, that I eventually accumulate the expertise to install a copy of Windows 7 on my computer so that I can use that instead of Windows 8 or 10.

 

[SIW2]

In what way didn't it work? If the fat32 partition has the correct files, it should boot up boot.wim. The instructions at the linked article are not very clear. Efi bcd store points at [boot]\sources\boot.wim. So you would need to create a sources folder on the fat32 and copy boot.wim into it.

Windows 7 is not digitally signed, so again secure boot needs to be turned off.

In a nutshell -

1. Copy all the folders and their contents ( EXCEPT the sources folder ) from the win7 installation media onto the 2gb fat32 partition. Then create a folder on the fat32 partition and name it sources. Copy only boot.wim from installation media sources folder to fat32 sources folder.


2. Copy ALL contents of win7 installation media ( including the sources folder) onto ntfs partition.

If you have created the partitions as per instructions at the linked article, that should work fine.( bootx64.efi file was already created when you ran 7updater.)

 

[SIW2]

I just checked, there is a typo in 7updaterv21.

You can fix it manually. After running 7updater, the installation media should contain the file efi\BOOT\bootx64.efi

The typo missed off the file extension, so you can just rename efi\BOOT\bootx64 TO efi\BOOT\bootx64.efi

Will fix that typo and reupload.

Didn't work for me.
"Bootsect not recognized as an interal or external command"

Bootsect is not included in your current windows system32 by default. You can just copy it in from the installation media boot folder - you can copy the mui as well if you like. Files in system32 are by default "in the path", which means you don't need to tell windows where they are. In which case

Bootsect /nt60 g: /force
should work

Alternatively, if you don't have a copy of bootsect "in the path" you can tell command prompt where bootsect.exe is, for example:

C:\extracted-iso\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 g: /force

 

[Megahertz07]

SIW2,
- setEXTRACTpath.cmd can't be found on Bin folder (7UPDATERv21)
- Does 7UPDATERv21 has the ability to split Install.wim?

 

[SIW2]

- setEXTRACTpath.cmd can't be found on Bin folder (7UPDATERv21)

check for the getextractpath.ini file in the BIN folder

View attachment getextractpath.zip

It is best to select a drive to extract to - rather than a folder.

Does 7UPDATERv21 has the ability to split Install.wim?

No, but it is easy to add an extra .cmd file to do it.

 

[Megahertz07]

Thanks

 

[SIW2]

split-wim.cmd

@Echo off
title SPLITWIMCMDv1
mode con: lines=61
color 1F
chcp 437 >nul
SET TP=%~dp0
SET TP=%TP:~0,-1%
cd /d "%TP%"
:check dependencies
FOR %%I IN (pecmd.exe wimlib-imagex.exe getWIM.ini getswmdest.ini) DO IF NOT EXIST BIN\%%I (
  MODE CON LINES=12
  ECHO. & ECHO Missing %%I  from Bin directory needed component.
  echo.
  echo Press any key to exit
PAUSE >nul & EXIT
)

:selWIM
ECHO.
echo PLEASE SELECT THE WIM FILE TO SPLIT
ECHO. & ECHO.
start /wait BIN\pecmd load %tp%\BIN\getWIM.ini
call BIN\SETWIMpath.cmd
del BIN\SETWIMpath.cmd >nul
IF '%WIMpath%'=='' goto :selWIM
if not exist %WIMpath% (
echo    No WIM FILE selected
PAUSE
goto selWIM
)
echo.
echo WIM PATH IS  %WIMpath%
ECHO. & ECHO.
PAUSE

:selswmdest
start /wait BIN\pecmd load %tp%\BIN\GetSWMDEST.ini
call BIN\setSWMDESTpath.cmd
del BIN\setSWMDESTpath.cmd. >nul
IF '%SWMDESTpath%'=='' goto :selswmdest
if not exist %SWMDESTpath% (
echo    No destination SELECTED
PAUSE
goto :selswmdest
)
ECHO. & ECHO.
echo DESTINATION PATH IS  %SWMDESTpath%
ECHO. & ECHO.
PAUSE
ECHO.
BIN\wimlib-imagex split %WIMpath% %SWMDESTpath%\install.swm 4000
PAUSE

:EOF

getswmdest.ini ( put in BIN folder)

ENVI TdirPATH=d:
BROW TdirPATH, *, please select destination for extracted SPLIT WIMS
EXEC =!CMD.EXE /C ECHO set SWMDESTpath="%TdirPATH%">"%CurDir%\setSWMDESTpath.cmd"
ENVI TdirPATH=

Now included in 7UPDATERv21B on first post

 

[Megahertz07]

SIW2, everything worked.
The fist time I ran 7UPDATERv21B.cmd I think I did a mistake. It created the UpdatePack7R2-19.3.15.exe under 7UPDATERv21B folder and I executed it and it updated my Windows and I rebooted.
I ran 7UPDATERv21B.cmd again and it updated the Install.wim as it should.

It created a winre.wim. What it is for?
Also, what are the Import and Updates folder for?


Edit: very powerful the wimlib-imagex.exe image tool.

 

[Megahertz07]

Yesterday I did another test.
SIW2, my suggestions are:

- Running EXTRACT-ISO.cmd it ask where is the iso file (ok) but it also ask where to putt the extracted iso. I created a new Extracted folder under 7UPDATERv21B folder and it created a Extracted-iso folder under it.
My suggestion is that 7UPDATERv21B comes with a blank Extracted-iso, an Install_Wim and a Temp folder under it.
Running EXTRACT-ISO.cmd should put the extracted iso on Extracted-iso folder without asking where.

- Running 7UPDATERv21B.cmd, DELETE-IMAGE.cmd, OPTIMIZE-WIM.cmd, SPLIT-WIM.cmd or CREATE-ISO.cmd shouldn't ask where are the installations files are, it should automatically look for them on the Extracted-iso folder.

- Running 7UPDATERv21B.cmd, Simplix does update my computer that I didn't want to as it installs the recommended updates.
Live operating system update should be an optional.

- The mounting images folder is Windows/temp folder. In my case 7UPDATERv21B is on D: and Windows is on C: and Temp folder I have set it to be on D: to avoid installing trash on my C: SSD.
My suggestion is to mount images on the 7UPDATERv21B\Temp folder.

- Finally, running SPLIT-WIM.cmd should move the modified 7UPDATERv21B\Extracted-iso\sources\install.wim to 7UPDATERv21B\Install_Wim folder, split it into install.swm and install2.swm files and move them to 7UPDATERv21B\Extracted-iso\sources

 

[SIW2]

but it also ask where to putt the extracted iso

Of course it does. You might not have space in the parent directory partition.

running SPLIT-WIM.cmd should

Again, you might not have space, or you might be splitting a wim on your hard drive, and want to deposit the split wims on a usb stick, or somewhere else.

it should automatically look for them on the Extracted-iso folder

Because they are separate cmd files, they do not know the location of your extract folder. There is also the advantage that they can be used independently from the main 7updater cmd file - to extract an iso for any purpose, or to split a wim you made previously, or with another application.

My suggestion is to mount images on the 7UPDATERv21B\Temp folder

Simplix requires 10gb space min. I suppose I could add an option for the user to select a temp location - but that just adds extra things for the user to do, and beginners have no idea what "temp folder" means. Trying to keep user interaction to a minimum - important for beginners.

 

[Megahertz07]

Is just a suggestion, in my point of view, to make it easier.
It doesn't make sense (for me) to have all the working folders on different places.
Also it doesn't make sense to create a iso file as it won't fit on a DVD. Better make a Zip, Rar or 7z to be expanded on a flash disk.

 

[SIW2]

Also it doesn't make sense to create a iso file as it won't fit on a DVD.

It won't fit if you used simplix to do all the updates.

That is not necessarily what people will do. They might just add the nvme updates and a few drivers, e.g. usb3.

Or they might remove components from the image before updating.

Creating iso is an option. It is not compulsory.

It doesn't make sense (for me) to have all the working folders on different places

.

In that case, put them in the same place. You have that option - that is why you can choose. Some people might not want to do that - or they might not have space on the same drive.

 

[Megahertz07]

I don't want to get on a discussion.

You did a GREAT job. And it work as it is.

My suggestions were (in my point of view) to make it simple to normal people to use.

 

[Megahertz07]

SIW2, can Win 7 installation boot from a double layer DVD?

 

[SIW2]

SIW2, can Win 7 installation boot from a double layer DVD?

I don't know, I have never tried.

 

[Megahertz07]

I don't know, I have never tried.

I've burned the Win 7 HP August 2018 (7601.24214.180801-1700.win7sp1_ldr_escrow_CLIENT_PROFESSIONAL_x64FRE_en-us.iso) that I've downloaded from HeiDoc on a DVD+R DL.
For my surprise I could only boot it as UEFI. Tried to force a Legacy boot that failed.
I'm not aware of DVD boot sequence. Does a DVD has a MBR to boot as Legacy?
Don't know if the iso didn't have the MBR(?) or if a DL DVD has a different kind of SL DVD MBR(?).
If you can give me a link that explains CD/ DVD boot sequence I'll appreciate.