Create A Bootable Windows 7 USB
Key
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If you're tired of playing around with Windows 7 DVD's,
keeping track of them and making sure they don't get
scratched, I'd recommend making yourself a bootable USB key
that contains everything you need for a Windows 7
installation. They are easy to keep track of, very
transportable, and it has been ages since I have seen a
system that didn't have USB ports; and the majority of
systems still in service these days have the capability to
boot from a USB key. There is a trend these days for smaller
form factor and low end systems like netbooks and cheap
laptops not to have optical drives so the practical and
convenience aspect is huge. As a bonus, installation times
are reduced substantially thanks to the flash memory chips
used in USB keys.
Just like any other procedure, there are a number of
different ways to go about creating a bootable Windows 7
installation key. There is the easy way and there's the way
where you actually learn something other than how to push a
few buttons. I'll go through both methods. The second method
where you learn something isn't a difficult procedure, but it is
important not to skip any steps and if you're not an
accurate typist, go slow and check each entry you make to be
sure the end product will be functional. Here we go - let's
get it made and tested. |
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| Short Quick and Easy Method |
| This method uses the free
Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. Its sole
purpose is to take an .iso file of Windows 7 and place it on
a USB key or DVD so Windows 7 can be installed. Obviously
for this to happen you need an .iso file containing Windows
7. If you're working from a Windows 7 DVD you can easily
create an .iso file of it by any number of free downloadable
software programs. If you need instruction on how this is
done, see Create Win 7
Install DVD with Multiple Versions / Step One for a
method I use to create .iso files as part of creating a
multiple version Windows 7 DVD, or if you prefer, the
relevant part to this tutorial is shown as Step One below. |
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Step One
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If you already have a Windows 7
.iso format image, skip Step One and move on to Step Two. Once you have the source media for Windows 7 and gBurner
or some equivalent program, open up gBurner and pop the
Windows 7 DVD in the drive. On the left side of the screen
switch to the [Copy] tab and then click [Make Image] in the
options.
- Make sure the Windows DVD is in the DVD drive.
That's the DVD that's going to be imaged.
- Set the output file location and give it a name. The
name makes no difference, nor does the location. I
called it W7_64Bit_Image.iso and put it on the desktop
for convenience.
- When you have everything set, click the [OK] button
to get the .iso file image creation started.
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| Step Two |
- Download and install the
Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
- Once that's done open the tool
via the desktop shortcut or through the link at Start >
All Programs > Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool > Windows
7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
- Use the [Browse] button to navigate to where the .iso
file of Windows 7 is located.
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- You can make either a USB key or a DVD. In this case
it will be a USB device
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- If the USB key isn't already inserted, do so at this
point. The USB key must be 4GB minimum size or larger,
but no smaller.
- Use the drop down box to locate the USB key.
- Click the [Begin Copying] button.
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- If there are any files or data on the USB key you'll
see a couple of screens saying the device must be erased
and requesting confirmation you are sure it's alright to
delete the files. You can still cancel at this point,
save the data on the key, and start over.
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- A progress indicator follows the file copy and USB
key creation process.
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- The process completes and the USB key has been
created. It can now be used just like a bootable DVD to
install Windows 7.
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| Longer Manual
Method [But You Learn a Few Things] |
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The two primary differences between this method of
creating a bootable Windows 7 USB key and the short, quick,
and easy method above is in this method you do all the
behind the scenes work of prepping the USB key the quick
method does for you automatically, and you don't have to
convert the DVD to an .iso image. No secondary programs are
needed to complete the procedure.
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I've received a number of e-mails telling me that many
sites offering similar instructions on how to create a
bootable USB key make a big deal about having to format the
USB key as the first step in the process. I haven't bothered
to look up any of the other articles, but I do know that if
they are using the [diskpart] command from a command prompt
window, then formatting the key prior to starting is a waste
of time. What you do want to check is that nothing is on the
key you want to save because it will be erased during the
procedure.
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Step One -
Copy the Windows 7 DVD
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- Insert the Windows 7 DVD in the optical DVD drive.
- Create and name a new folder somewhere on the
system. I called it 'Windows 7 File Copy' and placed it
on the desktop, but the name of the folder and where you
create it makes no difference, with one exception. DO
NOT create it on the USB key you'll be using for the
bootable USB key.
- Copy the entire contents of your Windows 7 DVD into
the newly created folder.
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Step Two - Partition and
Format the USB Key
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- Plug in the USB key. The
USB key must be 4GB minimum size or larger, but no
smaller.
If there is anything on it you
want to save, do it now. Partitioning and formatting will destroy any data
on the key.
- Open a Command Prompt window with administrative
privileges. To do so;
- Click Start > All Programs > Accessories then
right click on Command Prompt and click Run As
Administrator.
- The Administrator: Command Prompt window will
open, as shown below.
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At this point it becomes a series of commands, each one
either providing information or acting
directly on the USB key. I've provided a screen capture of
the command prompt below and suggest you follow it as you
read this section. Wherever user input is required I've
placed the text in red inside brackets and marked each
accompanying screen capture with a red arrow to denote the
insertion point. Spelling and spaces
are important for a successful outcome.
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- When you open Administrator:Command Prompt it
'should' open to C:\Windows\system32>
- The command to be entered is [diskpart]
to access the disk partitioning function. Press enter
after it's entered.
- You'll see a version of DiskPart open, some
copyright information, and the name of the computer.
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The next command to be
entered is [list disk] to
access a list of the available disks. Press enter after
it's entered.
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- You'll see a list of all the available disks on the
system.
- You need to identify the USB key that will be used
to create the bootable USB key. It should be a
relatively easy process based on the size of the key and
the disk structure. Since I'm using a 4GB key in this
example, the only logical choice would be Drive 7 which
is shown as 3820MB which is roughly equivalent to 4GB,
the sixe of the USB key.
- If you aren't certain which is the USB key, you can
open Computer Management (via Administrative Tools),
select Disk Management and then identify it there in
combination with Windows Explorer.
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- With the disk number noted, the next command to be
entered is [select disk **]
where ** is replaced with the disk number determined in
the previous step.
- Verify the message returned that the disk you
entered is now the selected disk. In this example it's
disk 7.
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- I can't stress enough how important it is to make
sure you're on the proper disk at this point. Double
check your work.
- The next command to be entered is [clean]
which wipes out all partitions on the selected
disk.
- Because this step does wipe out all the partitions,
that's why it's imperative you be on the right drive or
you could be in for a major data loss you never
anticipated, so again -- make sure you haven't
skipped the previous step to select the USB key.
- The returned message verifies DiskPart successfully
cleaned the disk.
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- The next command to be entered is [create
partition primary] to -- you guessed it -- create
a primary partition on the USB key.
- The returned message verifies the partition was
created.
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- The next command to be
entered is [select partition 1]
to -- right again -- select primary partition 1 on the
USB key.
- The returned message verifies the selection.
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- The next command to be
entered is [active] to mark
primary partition 1 as active on the USB key.
- The returned message verifies the current partition
has been marked as active.
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- The next command to be
entered is [format fs=ntfs]
to format the primary partition 1 on the USB key with
the NTFS file system.
- The formatting process is going to take a few
minutes. A percentage counter will be displayed as the
format proceeds.
- The final returned message will be the volume has
been successfully formatted.
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- The next command to be
entered is [assign] to
give, or assign, the USB key a drive letter.
- The returned message verifies a drive letter or
mount point has been assigned to the USB key.
- Some users have said the assigned drive letter
actually appears in the Administrator:Command Prompt
window although that has never been my experience. You
will need to open Windows Explorer and see what letter
was assigned, or alternatively, you can get the same
information in Computer Management
(via Administrative Tools), select Disk Management and
then identify it there in combination with Windows
Explorer.
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- The next command to be entered is [exit]
which exits DiskPart and returns you to the
C:\Windows\system32 prompt.
- The returned message verifies that DiskPart has been
exited.
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The next step is to make the USB key bootable. If you
need to take a break you can close the Administrator:Command
Prompt window at this point, but there is no need to do so
if you can leave it open. The tutorial picks up again in
Step Three.
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Step Three - Make the USB Key Bootable
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If you closed the Administrator:Command Prompt window at
the end of the previous step, open another one using the Start
> All Programs > Accessories then right click on Command
Prompt and click Run As Administrator method. I'm just going
to continue on from the point where I left off in the
previous step.
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- The next command to be
entered is [cd] which
allows you to change directories, however in this case
the cd command is going to be appended with the path to
the directory that was created way back in Step One. I
placed my directory on the desktop and named it Windows
7 File Copy.
- In this case my command is
going to read [cd
C:\Users\Jim\Desktop\Windows 7 File Copy] but you
will need to change, at the minimum, the username, and
very likely the name of the folder where you copied the
Windows 7 DVD.
- Since this step seems to be a real sticking point,
here's another example. If the folder I created had been
named "GlennBeckIsAPatheticJoke" and I created it on
drive F in a subfolder called "FauxNews", then the
command line would read [ cd
F:\FauxNews\GlennBeckIsAPatheticJoke ].
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- The next command to be entered is [cd boot] to move
to the boot directory. All this does is move you into
the boot directory.
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- The next command to be entered is [bootsect.exe
/nt60 **:] where ** is the drive letter that was
assigned to the USB key during Step Two when the
[assign] command was issued. In this example it's going
to be "S" for the drive letter. Don't forget the colon
that comes after the drive letter.
- After the command is issued, quite a bit of
information will be returned. The numbers are
inconsequential and don't need to be noted. The
important part is that bootcode was successfully updated
on targeted volumes.
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Officially, that's all that needs to be done from the
Administrator:Command Prompt window. It can be closed.
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At this point the USB key has been partitioned,
formatted, and made bootable. There is one more step to go
and then the key will be finished and ready for use.
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Step Four - Import the Windows 7 Files to the Key
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All that's left to do is copy the files from the folder
created in Step One onto the USB key. Make sure you copy
over everything contained in the folder. For those that have
asked, yes -- this operation could have been done in the
Administrator:Command Prompt window while it was open, but
why bother. It's just another step that's prone to error and
copying the files this way is just so much easier.
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Using the Bootable USB Key
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Using the bootable USB key is just like using a DVD to
install Windows 7, with one exception; it's much faster.
When you use a DVD to boot the system, you have to set the
BIOS to recognize the DVD before the hard drive. The same
holds true with a USB key. You have to enter the BIOS and
set the boot order so the USB key is recognized before the
DVD drive or the hard drive. From that point on, there is no
difference between the key and the DVD, except for the
speed. If you need help on how to change the boot order in the
BIOS, see
Set BIOS to Boot from CD/DVD Drive
for an illustrated explanation.
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On some systems there
is an alternative option available rather than setting the
boot order from inside the BIOS. Watch as the system is
first booted when the manufacturer splash screen appears and
you may see an option that says something like [Boot Order
(F10)] or [Boot Menu] with a function key listed for access.
Pressing the designated function key will display a menu
listing all the hard drives, optical drives, and USB drives
so you can choose any one of them to boot from during this
one particular system startup session. Obviously this is a
very handy option that can eliminate having to monkey around
with the BIOS settings.
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The USB key in this tutorial is a 4GB key. After it was
ready for use there was still 680MB of free space on the
key. While it certainly isn't required, you might consider
creating a folder that contains drivers and utilities you
know will be used either during or after the Windows 7
installation. Doing so won't impact the functionality of the
key and save you having to look for the drivers later. The
space is available so why not use it for something that will
be handy.
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Just because the USB key is bootable, that doesn't mean
it can't be used from anywhere to initiate a Windows 7
installation. It's no different than a DVD. It can be used
to start installations from inside Windows, initiate full or
upgrade installations, be used on netbooks with no optical
drive, and any other situation where a DVD is used. It can
also be used to initiate repairs if a system refuses to boot
normally by booting from the key. Simply select the [Repair]
option rather then the [Install] option.
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