Repost from 5/6/2009 How to Install Windows 7/Vista from a USB Flash Drive.
Many people have been following WIndows 7 since the PDC Leak (Build 6801) or even before.
If you have been since then, that’s a total of at the very least, 9 DVDs you have burned.
I have not burned a single DVD for installing Windows in 2009. Here’s how:
What you need:
- A Windows 7 Disc Image.
(most likely .iso) - A USB Flash Drive.
(4 or more Gigabytes) - A Program capable of Extracting the data from the Disc Image.
(I pick UltraISO Premium, For a free app, grab 7-zip) - A Computer Running Windows 7 or Vista.
(this tutorial uses a tool built-in to these Operating Systems) - A Computer capable of Booting from a USB Drive.
(Check your bois!)
Preparing the Drive:
- Plug-in your 4+GB USB Flash Drive.
- Verify the Drive Number.
(in the Start Menu search for “Computer Management” then in the Computer Management window navigate to “Disk Management” and Remember the Drive Number for your USB Drive) - Open the Command Prompt in Admin Mode.
(search “cmd” in the start menu, right-click and select “Run as Administrator”) - Type “Diskpart” in the command Window.
- Enter “Select Disk <drive number> “
- Now Enter “Clean”.
Important! Make 100% Sure you enter the Correct Drive Number! This will erase ALL data from the Drive! - Now type “Create Partition Primary”.
This Will Create the Primary Partition. - Now Type “Select Partition 1” then “Format fs=NTFS”, And Wait.
This will start formatting the Partition on the Drive using the “NTFS” File System. It will take a while. - When done, Type “Active” to mark the Partition as Active.
Extracting the Disc Image:
UltraISO Method:
- Create a Folder on your Desktop named “Windows7”.
- Open the Disc Image in UltraISO.
- Copy all the files from the root directory to the “Windows7” Folder on your desktop.
7-zip Method:
- Create a Folder on your Desktop named “Windows 7”.
- Open the Disc Image using the 7-zip file manager.
- Extract contents from the root directory of the Disc Image to the “Windows 7” folder.
Now All you have to do is copy the Contents of the “Windows 7” Folder to the root directory of the USB Drive, Reboot, and Install.
You will find that Windows will install Much Faster than before.
Tips:
- You can speed things up by putting the installers for the apps you love into the USB Drive. So you don’t have to hook up a different Drive, You just open the USB drive after installation.
- When you next are going to install a build, Don’t repeat the Prep for the USB Flash Drive, Just Delete the Old Build from the Drive and copy the files from the new one over. (makes for REALLY fast upgrading)
- This method also works for Vista.
- And is a great way to get Windows 7 onto your netbook.
-Benjamin. 05/06/2009
