Installation Question - Drive Partitioning

Snufffed · 03 Aug 2009

iseeuu said:

Snuffy; Based on his posts, our teenage computer tech apprentice has an ASUS Aspire One Netbook with a 160GB hard drive, partitioned with XP and 7, that will not boot to either OS. The big problem with fixing this is the Aspire One has no floppy, no CD, no DVD so how would one install an OS from a DVD? Hopefully, he can copy the install files to his flash drive and boot to it. Still, with out something, even DOS, how will he get to the setup.exe to start it? Another cheap option for him is a USB floppy with a bootable DOS disk. With that, he should be able to boot to DOS and find and start the setup.exe on his flash drive.

A more expensive solution is an external USB DVD. Not as cheap. Simple to use.

I think he is on the right track as he is looking at the "install from USB / flash" tutorials here on 7 Forums. Hope it works for him.

Robert

Acer has the option to change boot sequence so if he simply copies all file from the iso to the USB from the DVD is the DVD is bootable then the USB will be bootable. and \when all files are uncompressed to the USB it then will function exactly like a HDD, and you can see all files, so he can then run setup and chose upgrade or Custom - clean install.

If he has options to another computer that has DVD and USB options - copy all files/directores from DVD to USB. simple that is how I did it last nite for my sisters new system.

iseeuu · 03 Aug 2009

Snuffy said:

Acer has the option to change boot sequence so if he simply copies all file from the iso to the USB from the DVD is the DVD is bootable then the USB will be bootable. and \when all files are uncompressed to the USB it then will function exactly like a HDD, and you can see all files, so he can then run setup and chose upgrade or Custom - clean install.

If he has options to another computer that has DVD and USB options - copy all files/directores from DVD to USB. simple that is how I did it last nite for my sisters new system.

I have no doubt when 7 goes retail there will be many netbook owners seeking help with installation. Your experience working with a netbook, and assisting BigFanWin7, will prove invaluable when that happens. Nice Job.

Night Hawk · 03 Aug 2009

iseeuu said:

Yes, the Aspire One BIOS supports booting to the flash drive. I believe ASUS intended to use the flash drive in this way.

I am asking because with the DVD install one has the option to delete existing partitions in order to install a new OS in the empty space. Is it that this is not possible to do installing by setup.exe that one needs gparted to prepare the hard drive?

Robert

The usb key made for GParted would see the present partitions removed in favor of a new single primary. Or those can simply be reformatted with the second left for storage while 7 goes on clean to the first.

Once a new single primary is created you can simply right click on it to see that formatted while still booted live in GParted selecting NTFS as the file system. Afterwards the UltraISO program is used to reformat the flash drive where you then see the 7 iso used to create the usb key for that and simply boot up again this time running the 7 installer. 7 goes on and call it a day!

Since the UtraISO tool works fast you won't be spending a day trying to see 7 installed after any reformat or repartitioning. The guide for this has been put to use several times here already for Linux keys as well as GParted and 7. There's fuss about copying files over from a dvd onto the flash drive and ending up not being made bootable. UltraISO takes care of all of that for you.

chuckr · 03 Aug 2009

Night Hawk said:

The usb key made for GParted would see the present partitions removed in favor of a new single primary.

Afterwards the UltraISO program is used to reformat the flash drive where you then see the 7 iso ...

UltraISO takes care of all of that for you.

While formatting with GParted, where are the UltraISO files, and where is the Win7.iso ?

Does UltraISO 'automatically' include the USB-stick "Boot sector", or does this have to be "specified" to him, or are you still using the "old GParted" BS?

Is 4 gb USB-stick enough, or need bigger? Thank you...

iseeuu · 03 Aug 2009

ChuckR said:

While formatting with GParted, where are the UltraISO files, and where is the Win7.iso ?

Does UltraISO 'automatically' include the USB-stick "Boot sector", or does this have to be "specified" to him, or are you still using the "old GParted" BS?

Is 4 gb USB-stick enough, or need bigger? Thank you...

ChuckR; If I am following the process correctly, one would need to put GParted on the USB/Flash drive (this is easy to do with "System RescueCD" a bootable iso/zip that can be copied to the USB drive) to boot to the USB drive and use GParted. Then those files would need to be erased and the 7 (or as BigFanWin7 intended Vista) files are copied to the USB drive. Then booting to the USB drive again will allow the OS to be installed.

UltraISO is a program that would need to be installed on a computer and would aid in setting up the USB drive. However, in this case, I believe the Asus bios will recognize and boot to the Flash drive without aditional preparation. This is not true with some other systems. They will need to have the boot image put on the USB drive, which is what UltraISO can do.

Yes 4GB is big enough. I put the DVDs of the 7 isos I downloaded from Microsoft in my DVD drive and was able to copy the files (with out extraction or other iso manipulation) in my 7 OS. The files use about 3 - 3.5 GB of room. So you should be able to copy the files to your 4GB USB drive.

chuckr · 04 Aug 2009

I think I see now.

You just need a second computer to do the USB-stick workings,
after the first computer has had it's HDD reformatted by GParted...

I followed the process with my one (single) computer and didn't understand certain things.

Thanks for the reply.

Night Hawk · 04 Aug 2009

BigWin7Fan is limited to working "very lightly" with someone else's machine there until his is up and running. The UtraISO shareware is a light weight and easily removed utility for preping the flash drive used. The iso images would simply be downloaded into a new temp folder for both GParted and 7 until his laptop is up and running.

Once that is done you simply wipe the flash drive. If BigWin7Fan's grandfather's system has a dvd burner that could still be used to burn a 7 install disk which would be needed in order to see 7 running from but not installed on a usb flash drive. To answer that one simply look at how the XP mode works in the new Virtual PC.

The first step once the VPC is on is to what? Create a new VHD=Virtual Hard Disk which in turn is a self expanding file of a different type! You can also create a new vhd and actually see Vista or 7 installed on one of those which in turn is a drive stores on another drive. The same priciple applies to a vhd on a flash drive!