How to make windows 7 dvd SL (4.7gb) uefi bootable

Volume license is meant to be used by organisations ( single key for hundreds of installs ) and MS can't simply kill it. But rather they changed the volume activation process. In XP time, you can simply type a CD key and Windows will be activated even without internet verification !. Now they changed it so volume licensed products will be activated only for 6 months and Windows will re-verify it's licence on every 180 days against a configured MS KMS server ( Key Management Server ) .

As a side note, most of the retail Windows 8 DVD may not have a "EI.CFG" file but some will do ( like Enterprise trial ). If there is one, modify it with the contents i posted above. Otherwise use notepad to create a new "EI.CFG" file and save it to the "Sources" folder.

Anshad what is difference between ei.cfg in 7 and 8 that requires that file vs. no file needed in 7. Thanks.

Anshad what is difference between ei.cfg in 7 and 8 that requires that file vs. no file needed in 7. Thanks.

With Windows 8, MS changed the behavior of the setup program.

1. If there is no "EI.CFG" file in "Sources" folder, entering a product key is mandatory. Then setup will validate the product key with the "Install.wim" image and proceed to install if it matches. For example, MSDN multiple editions DVD will contain both "Core" and "Pro" unlike retail version DVD. If user enter a "Pro" key, that version will be selected for install and vice versa.

2. If "EI.CFG" file is present, setup will auto select the edition specified on the file. This is much like "Windows 7" where key is not mandatory for install.

3. If there is no edition is specified on the "EI.CFG" file, setup will examine the "Install.wim" and present a dialogue box to select one of the image. Similar to deleting "EI.CFG" from "Windows 7" media.

Mate, i will tell you a secret that many peoples are not aware of. You can simply use either "Windows 8" or "Windows 8.1" install media (either USB or DVD ) to install "Windows 7" !. Yes, "Windows 8.1" installer officially supports installing all NT6 family operating systems including "Windows 7" , "Server 2008" and "Server 2008 R2" - only exception is Windows Vista ( If you don't know, "Windows 7" installer can install Vista too).

I just tried putting a vista wim on a 7 disc and didnt really work. On the 7 disc I deleted the "install.wim" and "ei.cfg" then put the vista wim with home premium, business, and ultimate on the 7 disc then resaved it as iso and tested in vm. When I get to the screen that lets me select what images I click either on home premium and ultimate and for both of those it moves onto the ms licenese terms but says its windows 7 home premium or windows 7 ultimate sp1 not vista. Then when I click business it just displays an error. I also just quickly put 7 wim on the 8.1 disc and got a recovery screen on boot!! Im disappointed its not working I have attached a few images.

Btw, here is the link to Microsoft's official documentation confirming that "Windows 8.1" installer can install all NT6 family operating systems except "Vista" and "Server 2008".

Windows Setup Supported Platforms and Cross-Platform Deployments

Refer "Using Windows setup to install previous versions of Windows".



Moreover i tested it personally and found to be working. I strongly recommend testing this on a real machine or if you lack one, use "VMware" and allocate 1 GB or more RAM for it( Pro or free Player version ).In my testings, "VirtualBox" doesn't seems to like "Windows 8" much.

Combining "Vista" and "7" requires some additional steps but i don't want to confuse you by explaining that. If you can try and succeed installing 7 on a real machine, i will explain about Vista later.

ok you were right it just doesnt cooperate with virtual box very well but I did succeed with install from iso in Hyper-V. Also with the integrated updates into the wim it now only accepts dvd dl as a burning media no dvd r or other 4.7 discs. Any way I can change that so I can burn it to dvd -r or at least explanation why it wants a dvd dl. The iso is only 4.40gb so I dont know why it wants a dual layer dvd??

Also with the integrated updates into the wim it now only accepts dvd dl as a burning media no dvd r or other 4.7 discs. Any way I can change that so I can burn it to dvd -r or at least explanation why it wants a dvd dl. The iso is only 4.40gb so I dont know why it wants a dual layer dvd??

I quit using optical discs for installation a long time ago mostly because of the lower life span of DVD discs. So i am not sure why you can't use a normal 4.7 GB DVD. I guess the WIM file grows too large to fit on a single layer disc after integrating a large number of updates. Like the 4GB size limit of FAT32, CD file systems also has size limitations.

ISO 9660 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is, however, possible to circumvent this limitation by using the multi-extent (fragmentation) feature of ISO 9660 Level 3 and create ISO 9660 filesystems and single files up to 8 TB. With this, files larger than 4 GB can be split up into multiple extents (sequential series of sectors), each not exceeding the 4 GB limit. For example, the free software such as InfraRecorder and mkisofs as well as Roxio Toast are able to create ISO 9660 filesystems that use multi-extent files to store files larger than 4 GB on appropriate media such as recordable DVDs.

I would suggest splitting the WIM files to multiple SWM files using DISM. Then the image may fit on a single layer DVD.

Split a Windows Image (WIM) File to Span Across Multiple DVDs

ok thanks Ill try that. Now can you please explain how to put vista on a w7 disc?

k thanks Ill try that. Now can you please explain how to put vista on a w7 disc?

While integrating 8 and 7 install images is what i practically tested, i never had a chance to try combining 7 and Vista myself ( nobody here uses Vista though you will even find lot of XP machines ! ). Currently i don't have a Vista disc in hand for testing but i expect to get one either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.