Windows 7 installation ISO on USB won't boot

traggles · 03 Dec 2015

Hi there - I've been having problems with hard drive for a couple of months - numerous '"your disk is damaged" messages, increasingly slow behaviour, freezing, not booting - which I've been able to fix temporarily using a fresh windows installation downloaded from digital river which I'd put on USB.

After it broke for umpteenth time, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new hard disk which I've now swapped with the broken one. I thought the Windows installation would be a straightforward matter of booting up with the USB and installing a fresh copy on the new drive but all that happens is that I get message saying "An OS hasn't been found - try disconnecting any drives that don't contain an OS".

I've checked the boot order, and tried to directly boot the installation USB, tested the hard drive using whatever I can use in the BIOs and nothing seems to be working - it just doesn't seem to want to boot the installation USB.

Weirdly, it will recognise and run a system recovery disk (well, USB as well actually) I'd set up, but all the options are greyed out once I get in, so that isn't much use.

Any ideas?

ICIT2LOL · 03 Dec 2015

Hello and welcome traggles mate sounds like something is wrong with the ISO's you have - an alternative is this Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
All you need is to borrow someone's Windows DVD - and pick the version because the DVD's have all versions on it and the only thing you need is to pick the version you have a code for and use the ei.cfg removal tool to be able to load from the DVD

Have a read of the tutorial is is quite lengthy but good.

mitchell65 · 03 Dec 2015

There is a link to the ISO in the tutorial but here's the direct link:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/soft...nload/windows7
It does work if you put the OEM key from the sticker at the back of your PC. There has been talk in another thread on this Forum suggesting that only a retail key will work but I have successfully downloaded my version using my OEM key. Personally I would not use somebody else's install disc it might contain bloatware that I don't need. A clean version from MS would surely be better! IMHO, of course!

AddRAM · 03 Dec 2015

Put the ISO file on the stick again with this program, it never fails, try again.

WiNToBootic bootable usb drive windows vista/7/8 - Bootable USB | Bootable USB

Don`t change the boot order in the bios, you should leave that at dvd drive #1 and your boot drive #2

Use the one time boot menu key to bring up the boot menu, ususally F8, choose the usb stick in the boot menu, you only choose the usb stick one time and that`s it :)

traggles · 03 Dec 2015

Thanks for all the suggestions guys - I'm pretty sure AddRAM is right though...there's nothing wrong with the ISO, I just forgot to make it bootable. Of course, I'm using my wife's laptop to do all this, had to restart Windows because it needed to update something for WINToBootic and now can't get back on because I can't remember her password and she's asleep!

AddRAM · 03 Dec 2015

Never had to restart the PC for an update for Wintobootic.

Are you sure ?

traggles · 03 Dec 2015

Well, used the link you provided - and the laptop needed some Windows update - my wife never really uses it.

AddRAM · 03 Dec 2015

Well then, that is a windows update, not a Wintobootic update :)

And you never have to restart the PC to update if you don`t want to, you can simply delay it.

Sounds like it`s on Auto update, unless this is a work PC, I would change that toot sweet :)

ICIT2LOL · 04 Dec 2015

Yep well the disk mentioned in my post and that link is using a genuine Microsoft disk / DVD so bloatware doesn't come into it and all you need is the ei.cfg removal tool as described. .

ThrashZone · 05 Dec 2015

Hi,
Just a inquiry,
But is the iso a 32 or 64 bit ?
Is the laptop that created the usb 32 or 64 bit os ?

I believe only a 64 bit machine can create a 64 bit install usb or disk :/