Solved Windows 7 Bootable Image

[Mani]

I am trying to remove the ei.cgf file from the untouched Win7. After doing so and making an ISO file, it becomes unbootable. Please let me know step by step how to make it bootable.

I have the following programs: UltraISO 9.33, Ashampoo Burning Studio 9.

Thanks,

Mani

 

[zigzag3143]

Mani
1-extract all the files to a folder of your choice.
2-find ei.cfg, remove
3-use ultraiso to create and iso (make sure you check the bootable/system box not sure what its called in ultraiso)
4-burn dvd from iso at slow speed
done

There is also a tutorial here at sevenforums in the tutorial section.

Feel free to ask if you need help

Ken

 

[Mani]

I don't know how to use the UltraISO because I just got it today. Would it locate the boot file itself?

 

[DataMan47]

Or you can just use ImgBurn. It's better, and it's free. For the boot sector, if you open the ISO with 7-zip, you can extract the boot sector file. Select that boot sector file when burning with ImgBurn, and you're good to go.

 

[Mani]

The boot folder in the Untouched ISO has many files in it. It's all very confusing, is there only one file I need? Is it the "bootfix" file that I require?

Thanks

 

[DJG]

1. Make sure UltraISO is the default ISO app and double-click on the Win 7 ISO image file, or right-click / Open With and select UltraISO.

2. In UltraISO you'll see the ISO contents in the top half, Win-Explorer-like.

3. Navigate to the ei.cfg and remove it.

4. Do a file save.

5. U-ISO will create a backup image file before changing the original in the same folder.

But if you're using the wzt image you don't need to do this - it ain't there .

Edit: never mind that last, you said you have the (currently) untouched ISO ...

 

[Mani]

1. Make sure UltraISO is the default ISO app and double-click on the Win 7 ISO image file, or right-click / Open With and select UltraISO.

2. In UltraISO you'll see the ISO contents in the top half, Win-Explorer-like.

3. Navigate to the ei.cfg and remove it.

4. Do a file save.

5. U-ISO will create a backup image file before changing the original in the same folder.

But if you're using the wzt image you don't need to do this - it ain't there .

Edit: never mind that last, you said you have the (currently) untouched ISO ...

When I clicked on save, I get this screen:

http://i31.tinypic.com/1z56jc4.jpg

 

[Zidane24]

vLite is also a solution...just look at my tutorial and don't do anything besides loading the sources and choosing to make it into an ISO

 

[masterB]

1. Make sure UltraISO is the default ISO app and double-click on the Win 7 ISO image file, or right-click / Open With and select UltraISO.

2. In UltraISO you'll see the ISO contents in the top half, Win-Explorer-like.

3. Navigate to the ei.cfg and remove it.

4. Do a file save.

5. U-ISO will create a backup image file before changing the original in the same folder.

But if you're using the wzt image you don't need do this - it ain't there .

Edit: never mind that last, you said you have the (currently) untouched ISO ...

4. Do a file Save As. You need to save as a new image(ISO)

 

[Mani]

4. Do a file Save As. You need to save as a new image(ISO)

I've just spent 4 hours trying to solve this problem. Getting to the point of nearly destroying my laptop, all because I didn't click "Save As"? I don't know how to feel, relieved or horrified...

Anyway, thanks a lot masterB. There's just one last thing, I don't understand why UltraISO wouldn't load the .bif file it created so I can create a bootable image...oh well.

Edit: I spoke too soon! VirtualBox still says No bootable medium found! Help...save me...

 

[DJG]

If U-ISO opened the image, and you were able to navigate it and remove the ei.cfg, then you should have no problem saving - that's how I've done mine. So something else is amiss.

Hmmm - did you get the UAC admin elevation prompt when UltraISO opened the original image? You should have.

Also, is the image currently open somewhere else? Is it mounted in a virtual drive or something? Is it possibly read-only?

Edit: never mind the UAC prompt.

 

[Mani]

If U-ISO opened the image, and you were able to navigate it and remove the ei.cfg, then you should have no problem saving - that's how I've done mine. So something else is amiss.

Hmmm - did you get the UAC admin elevation prompt when UltraISO opened the original image? You should have.

Also, is the image currently open somewhere else? Is it mounted in a virtual drive or something? Is it possibly read-only?

Edit: never mind the UAC prompt.

It did allow me to save as after deleting the ei.cfg file, and it then made the ISO file. The problem is that the ISO file is not bootable. I cannot install it on virtual machine.

Edit: I really think this is a bug. Because sometimes the ISO it saves can be mounted. Then other times it can't. It must skip some parts of the original ISO. I'm going to try MagicISO to see if that helps.

 

[masterB]

When you open the image with UltraISO does it say (top left corner) Image: Bootable UDF?
Maybe something is wrong with your ISO.

Edit: You can try to write the image to an USB flash drive after removing the ei.cfg file and make it bootable.

 

[billdo]

I used UltraISO to delete ei.cfg and save.Did not affect ability to boot at all.
Did you Open the ISO with UltraISO or copy files from extracted/mounted ISO?

 

[SIW2]

Step by step screenshots - make bootable .iso with vlite :

http://www.sevenforums.com/news/4704-first-windows-7-build-7048-screenshots-leak-61.html#post43886

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Download/110106,vlite-116.aspx

 

[DJG]

When you open the image with UltraISO does it say (top left corner) Image: Bootable UDF?
Maybe something is wrong with your ISO.

This would be a good check at this point. I know UltraISO works, as I've used it to do exactly this, and so have others such as Billdo. And it can't get much simpler with any other process - open ISO image, modify files inside as needed, save image. I really think there's something wrong with the ISO.

Mani,

- As masterB suggests, what do you get in U-ISO next to "Image" above the DVD title top-left?

- How dependable is the source of the "untouched ISO"?

- Can you use the original "untouched ISO" and install it in a VM as bootable, the same way you can't with the "touched" one you created?

- Can you burn a DVD from your "untouched ISO" and boot from it?

Basically I'm trying to ascertain if your original ISO image is actually bootable. Any info you can provide will be helpful.

 

[Mani]

This would be a good check at this point. I know UltraISO works, as I've used it to do exactly this, and so have others such as Billdo. And it can't get much simpler with any other process - open ISO image, modify files inside as needed, save image. I really think there's something wrong with the ISO.

Mani,

- As masterB suggests, what do you get in U-ISO next to "Image" above the DVD title top-left?

- How dependable is the source of the "untouched ISO"?

- Can you use the original "untouched ISO" and install it in a VM as bootable, the same way you can't with the "touched" one you created?

- Can you burn a DVD from your "untouched ISO" and boot from it?

Basically I'm trying to ascertain if your original ISO image is actually bootable. Any info you can provide will be helpful.

1. It says "Bootable UDF" on the top left.

2. The untouched ISO is real, the hashes match with ones from Microsoft.

3. Yes I can install the untouched ISO on VM.

4. Yes I can burn and boot from Untouched.

5. I really think this is a bug in UltraISO, everything leads me to believe this.

 

[zigzag3143]

1. It says "Bootable UDF" on the top left.

2. The untouched ISO is real, the hashes match with ones from Microsoft.

3. Yes I can install the untouched ISO on VM.

4. Yes I can burn and boot from Untouched.

5. I really think this is a bug in UltraISO, everything leads me to believe this.

Mani

are you trying to run win 7 install on a "VM" or was that a typo? are you trying to install from a virtual drive?

Ken

 

[Tews]

Bootable Shmootable!! Simply extract the files to a seperate drive/partition, remove ei.cfg and run setup.exe.. Done and done ..

 

[poin2]

Though I haven't tried it fully, I'd expect the easiest thing to do is to use a USB flash drive.

Use UltraISO to burn the image to it as bootable (there's a guide just for this here on sevenforums). I know it works perfectly this far.

After that you should be able to just delete ei.cfg from the USB drive while it remains bootable. That's the part I haven't tried but don't know why it wouldn't work.

And otherwise you really truly shouldn't need it bootable unless you have partitioning to do during installation to a fresh drive or something. Otherwise indeed just create a partition, put it on a USB drive, etc. and run setup.