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Using the USB flash drive as the prime installer replacing the floppy disk drive, CDs and DVDs has becoming more and more common in the current PC world. It is one of the best known storage medium for transferring files in view of its more-than-average?s storage capacity, fast transfer speed, significant?s accessibility speed and portability. Therefore, installing something like Windows 7 will work that much faster from a USB drive than from a DVD. Or in another aspect, user without the optical drive (DVD drive) will be greatly benefited from it.
This guide will show you three different ways to create a USB flash drive that works just like a Windows 7 DVD. But, before you following the guide, you?ll need a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space and a copy of the Windows 7 installation disc.
i. Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool (Mode: Automatic, Source: Microsoft)
Step 1. Download and install the Windows 7 USB DVD Tool installer from Microsoft.com. You can put it on the computer you plan to install Windows 7 on or another one, it doesn?t matter.
Step 2. Create Windows 7 .ISO file by ripping your Windows 7 DVD using the software like Ahead Nero. Please refer to the full detail if you not sure how to do it at DVD Ripper.
Step 3. Goto desktop and Double-Click on the newly created icon Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool to launch the program. (If you can?t find it, use the search function in the Start Menu with a keyword ?USB? to locate it)
Step 4. Locate the Windows 7 .ISO file by click on the Browse option. (The tool only accepts .ISO images, recommended you convert yours if it?s in a different DVD image format)
Step 5. Choose ?USB device? from the screen.
Step 6. In Step 5, If you have not yet attached your USB stick, then plug it to your machine and then click on the refresh button.
Step 7. After that, the plugged in USB drive will be displayed, click on ?Begin copying? to start the operation.
Step 8. The USB flash drive will be first formatted and it will begin the files copying operation after that.
Step 9. Finally, creating the USB device will be completed, click on the X button to close the tool.
The new Windows 7 is ready on your pen drive. For simple verification, you may want to open up the USB drive and double click on setup.exe to see if everything looks okay.
ii. Using WinToFlash (Mode: Automatic, Source: Third Party Software)
Step 1. Download the latest version of ( http://wintoflash.com/download/en/ ) from Novicorp.
Step 2. After download, extract and run WinToFlash.exe.
Step 3. Click the green check button to begin the Windows setup transfer wizard.
Step 4. Click Next. Specify the locations of Windows files and USB drive then click Next. The Windows files path is the drive letter of your Windows 7 DVD drive location and the USB drive is the drive letter of your USB flash drive.
Step 5. Select ?I Accepted the terms of the license agreement? and click Continue.
Step 6. Click OK to start formatting your USB flash drive and the files will be automatically transferred from your Windows 7 install disc to your USB flash drive.
Step 7. Click Next when finished copying and boot up the computer with USB flash drive. You will need to go into your BIOS and make sure it is set to boot from flash devices. If you got it right, the Windows 7 installation should load from your USB flash drive.
Besides Windows 7, WinToFlash could be used for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista setup from CD or DVD to USB
iii. Windows 7 Manual Command (Mode: Manual, Source: Windows 7)
Step 1. Plug-in your USB flash drive to to the PC.
Step 2. Open Command Prompt with admin rights by using any of the below methods to open Command Prompt.
*Hit Win+R, type cmd and click OK.
Or
*Type cmd in Start menu search box and hit Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter.
Or
*Go to Start menu > All programs > Accessories, right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Step 3. Type diskpart and hit ENTER.
Step 4. Type list disk and hit ENTER to identify the disk number for your USB flash drive. You MUST be very sure of this or else you?ll be formatting the wrong drive later on. If you have only one hard drive, then normally yourUSB flash drive will be disk 1.
Step 5. Assume your USB flash drive is disk 1. Type select disk 1 and hit ENTER.
Step 6. Type clean and hit ENTER.
Step 7. Type create partition primary and hit ENTER.
Step 8. Type select partition 1 and hit ENTER.
Step 9. Type active and hit ENTER.
Step 10. Type format fs=fat32 and hit ENTER.
Step 11. Type assign and hit ENTER.
Step 12. Type exit and hit ENTER.
Step 13. Insert the Windows 7 installation DVD disc and copy everything from the DVD to your USB flash drive.
Step 14. Boot up your computer with USB flash drive. You will need to go into your BIOS and make sure it is set to boot from flash devices. If you got it right, the Windows 7 installation should load from your USB flash drive.
This guide will show you three different ways to create a USB flash drive that works just like a Windows 7 DVD. But, before you following the guide, you?ll need a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space and a copy of the Windows 7 installation disc.
i. Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool (Mode: Automatic, Source: Microsoft)
Step 1. Download and install the Windows 7 USB DVD Tool installer from Microsoft.com. You can put it on the computer you plan to install Windows 7 on or another one, it doesn?t matter.
Step 2. Create Windows 7 .ISO file by ripping your Windows 7 DVD using the software like Ahead Nero. Please refer to the full detail if you not sure how to do it at DVD Ripper.
Step 3. Goto desktop and Double-Click on the newly created icon Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool to launch the program. (If you can?t find it, use the search function in the Start Menu with a keyword ?USB? to locate it)
Step 4. Locate the Windows 7 .ISO file by click on the Browse option. (The tool only accepts .ISO images, recommended you convert yours if it?s in a different DVD image format)
Step 5. Choose ?USB device? from the screen.
Step 6. In Step 5, If you have not yet attached your USB stick, then plug it to your machine and then click on the refresh button.
Step 7. After that, the plugged in USB drive will be displayed, click on ?Begin copying? to start the operation.
Step 8. The USB flash drive will be first formatted and it will begin the files copying operation after that.
Step 9. Finally, creating the USB device will be completed, click on the X button to close the tool.
The new Windows 7 is ready on your pen drive. For simple verification, you may want to open up the USB drive and double click on setup.exe to see if everything looks okay.
ii. Using WinToFlash (Mode: Automatic, Source: Third Party Software)
Step 1. Download the latest version of ( http://wintoflash.com/download/en/ ) from Novicorp.
Step 2. After download, extract and run WinToFlash.exe.
Step 3. Click the green check button to begin the Windows setup transfer wizard.
Step 4. Click Next. Specify the locations of Windows files and USB drive then click Next. The Windows files path is the drive letter of your Windows 7 DVD drive location and the USB drive is the drive letter of your USB flash drive.
Step 5. Select ?I Accepted the terms of the license agreement? and click Continue.
Step 6. Click OK to start formatting your USB flash drive and the files will be automatically transferred from your Windows 7 install disc to your USB flash drive.
Step 7. Click Next when finished copying and boot up the computer with USB flash drive. You will need to go into your BIOS and make sure it is set to boot from flash devices. If you got it right, the Windows 7 installation should load from your USB flash drive.
Besides Windows 7, WinToFlash could be used for Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista setup from CD or DVD to USB
iii. Windows 7 Manual Command (Mode: Manual, Source: Windows 7)
Step 1. Plug-in your USB flash drive to to the PC.
Step 2. Open Command Prompt with admin rights by using any of the below methods to open Command Prompt.
*Hit Win+R, type cmd and click OK.
Or
*Type cmd in Start menu search box and hit Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter.
Or
*Go to Start menu > All programs > Accessories, right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Step 3. Type diskpart and hit ENTER.
Step 4. Type list disk and hit ENTER to identify the disk number for your USB flash drive. You MUST be very sure of this or else you?ll be formatting the wrong drive later on. If you have only one hard drive, then normally yourUSB flash drive will be disk 1.
Step 5. Assume your USB flash drive is disk 1. Type select disk 1 and hit ENTER.
Step 6. Type clean and hit ENTER.
Step 7. Type create partition primary and hit ENTER.
Step 8. Type select partition 1 and hit ENTER.
Step 9. Type active and hit ENTER.
Step 10. Type format fs=fat32 and hit ENTER.
Step 11. Type assign and hit ENTER.
Step 12. Type exit and hit ENTER.
Step 13. Insert the Windows 7 installation DVD disc and copy everything from the DVD to your USB flash drive.
Step 14. Boot up your computer with USB flash drive. You will need to go into your BIOS and make sure it is set to boot from flash devices. If you got it right, the Windows 7 installation should load from your USB flash drive.
