EDIT 2009/12/11: Microsoft Provides a tool to do this for you – Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. See the Microsoft Store Help on the ISO-Tool (http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool).
It surprised me to find that there are very few dead-simple guides to creating a bootable USB thumb/pen/flash drive for a Vista and/or Windows 7 installation. I cobbled together the following from VistaPCGuy and another source I don’t remember right now.
This will walk through the steps to create a bootable USB flash drive for the purpose of installing a Vista or Windows 7 OS. These instructions assume that you have a computer with Windows Vista installed on it.
Required:
- USB Flash Drive (4GB+)
- Microsoft OS Disk (Vista / Windows 7)
- A computer running Vista / Windows 7
Step 1: Format the Drive
The steps here are to use the command line to format the disk properly using the diskpart utility. [Be warned: this will erase everything on your drive. Be careful.]
- Plug in your USB Flash Drive
- Open a command prompt as administrator (Right click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”
- Find the drive number of your USB Drive by typing the following into the Command Prompt window:
diskpart
list disk
The number of your USB drive will listed. You’ll need this for the next step. I’ll assume that the USB flash drive is disk 1. - Format the drive by typing the next instructions into the same window. Replace the number “1” with the number of your disk below.
select disk 1
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=NTFS
assign
exit
When that is done you’ll have a formatted USB flash drive ready to be made bootable.
Step 2: Make the Drive Bootable
Next we’ll use the bootsect utility that comes on the Vista or Windows 7 disk to make the flash drive bootable. In the same command window that you were using in Step 1:
- Insert your Windows Vista / 7 DVD into your drive.
- Change directory to the DVD’s boot directory where bootsect lives:
d:
cd d:\boot - Use bootsect to set the USB as a bootable NTFS drive prepared for a Vista/7 image. I’m assuming that your USB flash drive has been labeled disk G:\ by the computer:
bootsect /nt60 g: - You can now close the command prompt window, we’re done here.
Step 3: Copy the installation DVD to the USB drive
The easiest way is to use Windows explorer to copy all of the files on your DVD on to the formatted flash drive. After you’ve copied all of the files the disk you are ready to go.
Step 4: Set your BIOS to boot from USB
This is where you’re on your own since every computer is different. Most BIOS’s allow you to hit a key at boot and select a boot option.
I used these instructions to get my new Dell Mini 9 laptop loaded with Windows 7 (the PDC bits). HTH.
Hello! Please help me to do boot flash drive for xp x32 bit !!!
Unlike the various canned tools I tried, this actually works if you're preparing the USB stick on Window 7. Thanks Kevin.
@racethesun
Thanks! Your instructions to convert fat32 to ntfs on windows xp worked like a charm.
Now, I can create a windows 7 bootable usb from xp too and it worked.
Thanks
Pardeep
I went through these steps and successfully created a bootable drive, however one small problem – I'm running 64-bit Vista on my main system, and I'd like my boot drive to be 32-bit. My install CD says it's for both versions, but when I tried the boot drive on my laptop, it said it was 64-bit (and my laptop is 32). Any ideas here?
if you follow the instructions it works….
i have all of the files extracted from the disk and you can skip step two
you just skip step two and drag and drop
if you cant get it to work… you shouldnt be on a computer
After I use the bootsect.exe /nt60 g: it doesn't show something like it completed or any activity was successful… it just says type bootsect /help to learn how to use it.
How come?
thanks ! finally was able to boot from flash after many tries with all kinds of dos and FAT16 bulllshit over the web.
Now the big question is how do i install win7 on a USB flash drive and get rid of my HD? is possible to run free HDD Laptop like knoppix? Tx
THANKS a lot!!!
don't know if this will help anyone.. but there is a command in diskpart that you can use : list volume and it will show everything when list disk doesnt.
I have a 200 GB ext hd. I want to make it a USB windows 7 installer, plus use it as a normal portable drive. What do i do to do that? coz if i follow whats given here, i can use my ext drive only for booting installer.
I tried using this method with my antique 4GB ipod nano. First with ntfs, then with fat32 (Took much longer to copy the dvd files unto the usb drive). Still can't get the computer to boot from the usb.
My bios has usb fdd/zip/cdrom/hdd options, but neither works. I also tried just using the boot menu (f12), and everyime I get win xp booting from my hard drive, even when it is not enabled anywhere in the bios boot order.
I've been trying the usb approach after every try I've made with dvd ended with error 0x80070570, even though I am %100 sure my medias were ok, and so is the dvd drive (Used the exact same media elsewhere, and tried connecting a drive that I used elsewhere also).
Anyone here has any more tips for me? Why can't I boot from my ipod?
Ive looked at other instructions and I been stuck at boosect for the past hour. mine somehow seems to open and close. How in thew fuck am I doing this wrong. I even tried to use usbprep8 and it was fuckin hopeless.
Thanks dude!!
Thank you Kevin! You are AWESOME!
step 3: What files (Vista CD)do we need to your USB? thx
Thanks a lot Kevin, this worked perfectly.
nice one. was a life saver for me after cd drive went bad
Hi
I'm from Iran.
It was verry useful information for me.
Thanks alot
Thanks a ton for posting this! Works perfectly!
Can you put Linux on a usb drive too? Is there a way to put the iso file on the flash drive instead of buring a dvd and then doing this procedure?
There are several ways to run linux from a usb device. One of the more popular choices is Pen Drive Linux: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
There's also an Ubuntu installer-from-USB method: http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-install-ubuntu-l…
i have 2 hard disk's 120+160 GB when i use list disk it show my 2 hard disk no usb drive now ?
Great guide, but is there any way to make this do a quick format rather than waiting a few minutes for it to fully format the usb drive? Kind of defeats the time saving sitting here waiting for it to format lol.
Thanks, it helps a lot!!
Anyway is it possible for WinXP also to make bootable in USB Flash Drive???
Yes it is but you need to use MBRwiz just google it. You'll find it. There's also directions for using it on a windows 7 usb installer if you google it.
THX alot
You are a real Genius!!!
Best guide EVER
You rock MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This gude looks good, hope it works for virtuell dvd's mounted with daemon too. I will try shortly, still in the format part… I will let you know how it goes
wicked just wicked – have been though all sorts of rubbish. This just worked ( once i run CMD with admin perms ! ) cheers m8
Awesome. thanks!
One of the few places where the directions work as indicated… GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!
T H A N K Y O U ! ! !
can i seperate the file into two parts… like usb(1) and usb(2) for installing?
My god, thank you very much, this post of yours helped me very very much :)