Guide: Installing Windows 7 via USB - Overclock.net

NrGx · 04-27-09

For those of us with netbooks or those who don't want to install it via DVD (which make no mistake is easier) this is a good way of installing Windows 7 via a USB flash drive.

What you need:

Windows 7 Installation ISO - Created with Alcohol 52% easily from your Windows 7 Retail DVD
USB Drive (4GB or more)
Patience

Ok so here we go:

This software you need is HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool to format the USB and MBRWizard to make the live USB (make sure you download the 2.0b and not the x64 version).

1. Extract the Windows 7 ISO to the Desktop (with WinRAR),

2. Use the HP USB Disk Storage Tool to formate the flash drive to NTFS.

3. Open the command prompt (run + cmd) and type in the following:

Code:

cd Desktop

Code:

cd Windows 7 Folder

(obviously replace the "Windows 7 Folder with the folder that you extracted)

Code:

cd boot

Code:

bootsect /nt60 H:

where H: is your USB drive. Yours may be different.

Now to run MBRWiz2.0:

Code:

cd Desktop

Code:

cd MBRWiz2.0

Code:

mbrwiz /list

This will now give you a list of drives. Look for the drive that suits your drive's size (should be close to 4GB) and make note of the disk number.

Code:

mbrwiz /disk=X /active=1

where 'X' is the disk number you found before.

Here we go, we need to now copy the files. Do not do this by dragging and dropping!

Run the following:

Code:

cd Desktop

Code:

cd Windows 7 Folder

(obviously replace the "Windows 7 Folder with the folder that you extracted)

Code:

xcopy *.* H: /e

where 'H:' is your USB drive.

This takes AGES! So bear with it and then bam! You have yourself a bootable USB with Windows 7. Now just boot up you computer with the USB in it and make sure you set the first boot device.

-iceblade^ · 04-27-09

nice guide.

pretty useful. +rep

kazakia · 04-27-09

nice. But what would be killer is an guide to install Windows on an external and let it run on any PC.

Ulquiorra · 04-27-09

Would this work on a 2GB flsh drive?

Tis that ive bene trying to do this for Win XP but i cnt get the bugger to work =/ (ps if theres a thred here can sonome post it pease (diuble bracket! sorry i cnt look im at college and seach dosnt work ¬_¬))

NrGx · 04-27-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulquiorra

Would this work on a 2GB flsh drive?

Tis that ive bene trying to do this for Win XP but i cnt get the bugger to work =/ (ps if theres a thred here can sonome post it pease (diuble bracket! sorry i cnt look im at college and seach dosnt work ¬_¬))

Well most Windows 7 images are bigger than 2GB so no, that's why 4GB is the minimum.

Ulquiorra · 04-27-09

Okis thx

ill have anopther look at the Xp way of doing it

quicksilv3r · 04-27-09

Question for you guys then. I have an external 500GB usb drive, can I use it since I don't have a 4GB jump drive?

NrGx · 04-27-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by quicksilv3r

Question for you guys then. I have an external 500GB usb drive, can I use it since I don't have a 4GB jump drive?

There really aren't any guides on this, but if you follow the same steps as above and format as NTFS, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Higgins · 04-27-09

Visit my thread did you?

not really the same thing so whateva

Nice guide, and will probably use once Windows7 goes RTM. I'm curious, however, as to any speed improvement over a conventional DVD.