OK, The light is getting brighter! If you would please, describe what OS, partitions, and or hard drive space are on your grandpa's computer. Then describe what we have to work with on your Acer, what OS, what kind of hard drive room, if any. You say you only have a flash drive available for the Acer? What OS do you want on the Acer?
Robert
Install ACRONIS v 12. True Image. on the GDs computer.
make a RESTORE image of Win7. then verify the image is 100% correct.
2. copy the image made with Acronis to external HDD.
3. move the external HDD to your ACER
4. remove/uninstall ACRONis from the GD's computer.
5. FORMAT the partition where copy of Win7 from the GD's computer.
This should put the GD's computer back 100% to what it was.
6. install Acronis on ACER.
7. open acronis and search for the backup. (win7.tib).
then you can simply tell Acronis to install win7.tib to Acer C:\
8. Acronis will say I have to REBOOT to do this.... click OK
when Acronis is finished. your Acer will boot into Win7.
This is the same method that almost every computer shop will install -clone the HDD.
I think I see more of what you are looking at here after Googleing Aspire1. You have no floppy, CD, DVD, only the flash drive. How big is it?
So you will need to use the DVD on Grandpa's PC to transfer stuff to the aspire. You have three choices 1) create a home network to link the PC and the Aspire (needs a $40 router switch), 2) make your own external usb hard drive (buy a hard drive and a cheap usb case to put it in) then use USB to transfer the stuff, 3) use the flash drive if it is big enough.
What ever you decide to do, here is a link that might help you install the OS of your choice:
Included are more links to help you with your research.
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Here's another version:
1. You cannot install windows 7 -TO- any USB or Firewire device.
I have done XP Pro, but Win 7 won't.
2. The BIOS does not look-up and does not process boot.ini.
The BIOS will boot from the specified external device and initiate CPU activity from that device:
MBR on HDD/USB_stick_disk, etc, or from boot-sector on CD/DVD.
Mine also does MBR on SD-card. Don't know about MMC, CF, or the others.
3. You've been given links on how to install Windows 7 FROM USB stick.
The tutorial here appears to work (as far as I took it to):
The USB stick did boot, showed install screen, etc.
I took it as far as clicking on my various partitions, but never initiating the actual install.
Don't know anything about Vista.
4. Don't know anything about Vista, or, any particulars about 'grandpas' computer.
Your post began with Win7, asked questions about Vista, and never stated what 'the problem' is...
We know you mentioned Windows 7, XP, and Vista.
(I think you missed DOS and Microsoft Bob...)
If you're going to mention error messages, be precise as to exactly what they are.
Seems this thread is getting NO WHERE.I would really like Vista but I don't know if the solution I was given for seven would work. If you think it will I will try it.
The original request seems to be misdirected.
Would you again list in order exactly what you want to try or do.
In reference to your Acer, Model ?, specs, reason is my Acer(s),
the oldest has CD-DVD and 1 USB port, my newest has 5 USB Ports, CD-DVD, also what OS is installed.
It seems your trying to make a very simple procedure extremely complex.
lets start over and
1. specs on Acer
2. what do you want to do?
3. almost any OS can be installed from USB. if you know how to do it,
4. the main thing is SET the BIOS as to how you want BOOT options.
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
I think our new friend has been going around in clrcles since once the 7 iso image is downloaded that can be made into a usb key. USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create
The problem on the netbook with two installations not working is seeing those removed in order to repartition if a single primary for one OS is desired. A usb key made from the GParted live iso would allow booting, if booting is supported from a usb key?, live from that long enough to see that done before the usb key is reformatted and made into the 7 key.
The 7 iso can simply be downloaded to a folder on one machine while the UltraISO tool itself would need to be installed on the system the iso is downloaded to long enough to prepare the one or more usb keys. UltraISO can easily be removed afterwards!
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
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