Installing Windows 7 via DVD on Motion Computing Tablet

[lgoodman123]

I bought an old Motion Computing Tablet J3500 but it came with no OS and I need to install Windows 7.

Though the computer can read NTFS, it can't when you're booting up into the BIOS. I have only had success getting it to recognize USB keys formatted with FAT32.


So next I tried a DVD player. I know it can read this because it reads it when Linux is installed, but the BIOS itself doesn't seem to be able to read a DVD burned with a Windows 7 iso on bootup.



Is there a specific way I need to burn the Windows 7 iso to get the BIOS to recognize it on startup? Otherwise I am screwed because I can't burn the iso to a USB key in FAT32.


Thanks!

 

[SIW2]

Otherwise I am screwed because I can't burn the iso to a USB key in FAT32.

Format usb stick to fat32 - best use win7 or newer to do that - or any decent partition manager so the boot sector is nt60.

Then extract/copy the iso contents to the usb stick. Easy with 7-zip

 

[Megahertz07]

You can make a Win 7 installation drive on a Fat32 USB.

- Format a USB drive as Fat32
- With 7zip extract ALL files and folders to the USB Fat32 drive.
- Open a CMD window as administrator and type:
diskpart
list disk (take note the drive number assigned to the USB drive)
select disk n (replace n with the number found above)
list part (take note the partition number assigned to the USB drive)
select part m (replace m with the number found above)
active
exit (to exit diskpart)

Insert the USB drive on the tablet and boot from it.

Rem.: Win 7 64 bits can be installed as UEFI-GPT or Legacy-MBR. Win 7 32 bits can only be installed as Legacy-MBR.

 

[SIW2]

Is there a specific way I need to burn the Windows 7 iso to get the BIOS to recognize it on startup?

Some ancient hardware can't load the sectors required by win7 etfsboot.com The solution is often to use vista etfsboot.com.

One way is to extract the win7 iso contents into a folder ( call the folder e.g. ISO or DVD or something sensible )

Then create an .iso file from that folder using vista version of etfsboot.com . Much more likely to work on old machines.

View attachment VistaETFSboot.zip

I haven't tested this , but maybe just replacing the iso boot info using something like gburner gui will also do the job.
Download gBurner

 

[lgoodman123]

Thanks for the help.
The problem now is that when I type in "active" it tells me it can't find the partition on the disk.
Someone elsewhere said you need to clean the disk but that erases it and I am back where I started.

Any advice?

 

[lgoodman123]

Never mind. You have to also select partition 1 after selecting the disk.

 

[SIW2]

You have to also select partition 1 after selecting the disk

If you are using diskpart commands, yes you need to select a partition or volume or disk by typing.

If you are using something graphical, selecting can usually be done by clicking.

 

[Megahertz07]

Never mind. You have to also select partition 1 after selecting the disk.

Yes, you're right. I edited to correct.
Normally I list volume and select volume

diskpart
list volume (take note the volume number assigned to the USB drive)
select volume n (replace n with the number found above)
active
exit (to exit diskpart)