Windows7How

How to create Windows 7 Bootable USB Drive

November 12, 2009

Creating a Flash Drive Installation

With any Windows install, you usually need a media drive like a DVD-ROM. However, there are many times these days when a PC does not have this drive – especially the compact travel laptops also known as the netbooks out on the market now. If you have a USB DVD-ROM, well you have no issues here for the most part. But, would it not be nice to have a tiny and portable device from which you could install Windows 7 on any number of computers as long as they have a USB slot? Well, that can be done and it is easier than some posts on the web make it seem.

NOTE: Make sure you have a USB key drive or other device which is at least 4GB in size which you do not mind having formatted. Also, be sure to have the Windows 7 DVD available as you will need to copy the setup files from it to the USB key drive.

First of all, of course, you need a PC or notebook PC which you can use to make the USB flash install. Simply insert the USB key drive into the USB slot, making sure you have the Windows 7 DVD in  drive or copied to the hard drive, and we can begin:

• Now that you have your USB key drive and the Windows 7 installation files ready, go to the Start menu and get to a CMD window open. You will need Administrator rights for this process, so make sure you are logged in as such. (In Windows Vista or Windows 7, go to the Start menu, put “cmd” into the instant search bar, then right-click on the “cmd” entry and select ‘Run as Administrator’.)
• Now that the cmd prompt window is open, type “diskpart” at the command prompt and hit Enter. At the ‘DISKPART’ command prompt type “list disk” and you will see a table with your drives listed. Make sure to not which disc number your USB key drive is assigned.
• Now to clean the USB key drive, type “select diskX”, where X is the number associated with your USB key drive. Next, type “clean” at the prompt. Windows will now clean your USB key drive.
• Type “create partition primary” at the prompt.
• Type “active” at the prompt to set the USB key drive partition as active.
• Now it’s time to format the new active partition. Type “format FS=Fat32” and Diskpart will format you partition. This should be a quick process, but it can take a few minutes in some cases.
• Once the above step is done, go ahead and close the CMD window. (Type “exit” at the DISKPART prompt and then type it again at the next prompt and you should see it go away.)
• Now we have to put the Windows 7 install files onto the USB key drive. To do this, opne the drive which contains the install disk, select all files, choose to Copy and then Paste them into the newly formatted USB key drive.

Once you have done that process, you will now have a USB key drive from which you can install Windows 7 on any PC or notebook which allows booting from a USB drive. Almost all modern computers – thus ones which can run Windows 7 in the first place – have this ability. It must be accomplished in the computer’s BIOS. You may need to refer to the computer’s documentation or online Help section to figure this out, but it is not hard at all.

Once the computer you wish to install Windows 7 is ready – set to boot from USB and setup for the Windows 7 install – make sure you have the USB key drive you just created in the USB slot and boot that computer to the drive. You will then be presented with the standard Windows 7 Install screen. Now, just follow those steps and have yourself a great time installing a new OS!

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