How To: Install Windows 7 from a USB Key!

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How To: Install Windows 7 from a USB Key!

Posted 10/22/2009 at 6:00am| by Norman Chan

119

Comments

Print

So after reading our review of Windows 7, youre ready to take the plunge and upgrade to
Microsoft's new OS. Youve read our upgrade guide, decided whether you want32- or 64-bit
Windows 7, and bought your retail box. But what if you want to install Windows 7 on a netbook or
other computer without an optical drive? Fortunately, youre not out of luck, because Windows 7
(and Vista, for that matter) can be installed from a USB storage key. Not only does installing from a
USB key remove the need for a DVD drive, the install time is also greatly reduced we shaved off
minutes from the total install time. Our step-by-step guide will have you rocking the new version of
Windows in no time!

Time = 1 hour
What you need:
4GB USB key
$10, www.newegg.com
WinRAR
Free Evaluation Copy, www.rarlab.com
Windows 7
$99 (OEM)

Note: This guide will only work within Windows Vista or 7.

1. Format Your USB Key

Plug in your USB key and back up any existing data stored on it. Youll need to format the key before
you can make it a bootable device.

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119

Comments

+ Add a Comment

supercourier
February 04, 2014 at 5:25pm

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This was a great tip for the longest time. It no longer works with a 4gb USB key as it's 424mb short
with all updates rolled in as of January 2014.
Just a heads up for those "saving time."

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MAXIMUM-PC.com
October 24, 2013 at 9:10am

Watch this video for

install windows 7-8 from usb & selected file is NOT A VALID ISO file
http://youtu.be/6kBcyS36EEs

Win an OCZ Vertex 460

Series SSD
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knossos9
July 31, 2013 at 11:38pm

Thanks for the informative How to guide it works great!!! Props to the author!!!

aniyanmon1
July 09, 2013 at 11:47am

Hi there
First of all thank you for the easy steps to install win 7 from USB drive.
My issue here is after installing windows 7, I tried formating the USB drive but says WRITE
PROTECTED.

Submit
Also, send me e-mail announcements and special

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Please hep me to solve this issue. I was able to delete the windows 7 inatallation files from the usb but
i not able to either format it or copy new files.

offers from Maximum PC and trusted partners.

Thankyou in advance.
aniyanmon2@gmail.com

takingmytime
January 04, 2012 at 2:04am

I'm getting stuck at the boot/bootsect part.

My command line will be like

C:\Users\Brit\Desktop\Win7

but when I type cd boot it says 'The system cannot find the path specificed"

If I just leave it at c:\Windows\System32 then CD boot will work but the whole bootsect stuff won't
work.

Mendryz
February 08, 2012 at 10:16am

I got the same thing did you find a fix ?

hoop11
December 04, 2011 at 8:16pm

At the step where I had to copy the files from the disc over, it prompted me to keep the auto run on the
usb, use the auto run from the disc, or use both.
I guess somewhere during the guide i made an auto run file on the USB drive i didn't know
about...which one should i have used?

FEATURES
4K Computing

hamzuz

Geek Quiz

November 30, 2011 at 1:20am

AMD Kaveri APUs

Did every thing you said but couldn't get it to work.

HOW TO

after searching found a web site that i had to translate from hebrew.

Set up a Virtual Help Desk

It's a computer hardware web site called www.pcpc.co.il

REVIEWS
Xidax M6 Mining Rig

Go to the laptop section and look for the guide called "Win 7 To USB - 3 Easy Steps & Less Than 2
Min".

Lenovo ThinkCentre E93Z

NZXT H440 Chassis

Good Luck !!

Email:

Name:

silent_sentinel
November 14, 2011 at 12:27am

Barely fits on my 4GB USB drive

Address:

Microsoft must use one hell of a compressing program to fit ~20GB of OS onto 4GB of DVD

Address 2:

City:

Mesh24
November 02, 2011 at 11:15am

My attempt also failed. It got pretty much to the end when it gave me "invalid license key" so I had to
reformat and do it over with just the disc... then it was ok. I guess you cannot use an OEM disc, it has
to be files from the downloaded ISO image.

State:
Select A State

Zip:

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pot
October 27, 2011 at 3:11am

Thank you for the leading information.

114
Comments

aspergers
August 23, 2011 at 10:44am

97
Comments

NSA Reportedly Hijacks PCs to

Install Spyware, Has...

The Beginner's Crash Course on

Computer...

Hey everyone,
I followed those instructions to a T and had no issues until I plugged in the usb stick. I get this error:
Intel UNDI, PXE-2.1 (build 082)

95
Comments

Copyright 1997-2000 Intel Corporation

This Product is covered by one or more of the following patents:
US5,307,459, etc

92
Comments

For Realtek RTL8101E/8102E(L)/8103E(L) PCI-E Ethernet Controller v1.13 (081016)

Microsoft Pushing Users To Adopt

Windows 8 Over...

Rumor: Microsoft May Offer Free

Version of Windows 8.1...

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable

PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM.

90
Comments

I'm trying to load from a Corsair 64gb Survivor GTR (yep its big) to a Toshiba NB205-N310BN-G
(NetBook).

'The Day We Fight Back' is an

Internet...

We have a corporate license for 32bit Windows 7 and just can't get it to boot properly from the USB
as that message is the first thing that comes up as it attempts to boot.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

pot
October 27, 2011 at 3:13am

Hi.
This site is nice.
Nice to meet you!
http://musyuuseiadarutdouga.blog104.fc2.com/

rainhard
June 27, 2011 at 1:08pm

The simpler way to install Windows 7/Vista/XP from USB is FlashBoot utility.
It automates everything.
http://www.prime-expert.com/flashboot/

Maximum PC

252.189 orang menyukai Maximum PC.

david77
May 30, 2011 at 3:42am

The maximum pc is the magazine that every computer nerd, pc gamer or content creator must
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cartzar
May 17, 2011 at 2:22pm

it doesnt work!!! i followed all the steps, it even showed on the cmd prompt it said that bootcode was
successfully updated on all targeted volumes. and i plugged it into the my desktop and it says
BOOTMGR IS MISSING. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!! my old hard drive has some sort of partition
issue, so i cant upgrade windows. i bought a brand new 500gb hard drive, and its not recognizing the
flash drive...

Maximum PC
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Anonymous1980
May 16, 2011 at 9:10am

Wonderful to be visiting your blog again, it has been months for me. Well this article that ive been
waited for so long. I require this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has exact
same topic with your article. Thanks, amazing shareGeneric drug list

patjebond
February 25, 2011 at 3:49am

Can this be done the same way with a windows XP install?

xxxbillybobxxx
February 19, 2011 at 10:58pm

The guide works great until it asks me for my product key.

I have a Win7 Pro 64-bit .iso file I got from MS when they did the student discount.
I extracted the files using ISO Buster, then copied them to the USB key as described in the guide.
Win7 installed fine from the USB key, rebooted, then when it got to the product key input part, it said it
was invalid (quadruple checked I typed it correctly).
I ended up installing with the same ISO burned to a DVD with the same product key successfully.
Any ideas why the key wouldn't work when installed from a USB key, but would work when installed
from a DVD?

Compaqsonly
February 01, 2011 at 5:41pm

This is a great article. Very helpful. But I'm wondering, how do I make it so I can install windows
ONTO a flash drive so I can use it as the C: drive in a pc? Instead of installing from the USB.

nekollx
February 20, 2011 at 1:48pm

look up bootice

BeVar
January 16, 2011 at 11:31am

IDIOT MAC user.

We like PC's BECAUSE we can tinker.

Nice article Norm.

monaco
January 14, 2011 at 9:33pm

1. Open Disk Utility (it's in your Utilities folder) and click the "Restore" tab.
2. Select your USB drive from the list and then select your disk image and you're done.
Oh wait, that only works for Mac. :(
It must realy suck to be a Windows user. Sitting around all day, endlessly configuring your computer to
do simple time saving tasks, only to find... You've wasted more time configuring your computer. I
guess that's the price you pay to be a hardcore gamer... That is what PCs are for, right? Playing video
games? o_0

Zantozuken
April 21, 2011 at 12:26pm

It's not every day I find a reason to join a forum and comment, but I have to say, this is
worthy.
I am an avid Mac user; in fact, Macs are my primary work machines. Coupled with my

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iPhone and iPad, I'm pretty much always connected away from the office. I manage three
different Mac Labs, and support over 800 Mac Notebooks. My personal laptop is a
MacBook. In short, I love Macs, and use them all the time.
I also have a custom built PC (from the ground up) that does the things my Macs can't.
And I love it.
That being said, I'm not sure you understand how the process you provided is both
incorrect and fulfills the stereotype that hardcore PC users see Mac users as.
Although it is true that Disk Utility can easily create a bootable disk image (.dmg) from an
.iso, it would not function for this process. First the USB drive has to be formatted with a
Master Boot Record (MBR) so that non-Apple device can even boot from it. Without this
step you are dead in the water. Secondly, Macs are incapable of natively partitioning a
drive with NTFS (New Technology File System) that was created and patented by
Microsoft in 1993. To do so, you'll have to purchase software that allows you to format
the Thumb Drive correctly. You can attempt to use FAT32, but I'm not confident that it
will compile correctly (it hasn't ever worked for me).
In truth, I prefer GParted for Linux to do my partitioning work. Both Windows partitioning
options and Disk Utility are curiously limited.
You have to realize that while Macs may be easier to use and may require less
knowledge of how it works to operate it, it's changing us as a culture and making us more
ignorant to a computer's basic operating process. These people who build, tinker,
explore, fail, break, rebuild, and tweak will ultimately be the people you come to for help
when you can't figure out why your Mac is beeping at you when you press the power
button (three beeps means memory problem, five means battery problem). Macs appeal
less to PC users not because of the OS (Operating System), but because Macs are
closed, non-customizable systems. No, you cannot have a Mac that is liquid cooled
(unless you have a G5 tower!) with blue LED's running through it. No, you may not have
more than two case fans. No, you may not upgrade the components - what you bought it
what you have.
You will never go beyond using your computer as more than a giant calculator until you
get underneath the GUI (Graphical User Interface), or break open the case and get to
learning.
I understand if you don't have that kind of time, but it's tough to tolerate pop-shots against
Windows users when you can't even get the details of your Mac down correctly.

Teknobenji
January 28, 2011 at 8:00am

I believe you should redirect your comment to the " Maximum MAC" website, hosted by
the same people as Geometroracing.com and imadbag.org
Feel free to enjoy your 2nd generation double the price hardware that requires you to
personally stroke Steve Jobs if you want to make any changes, modifications, additions,
subtractions, or "gulp"....be productive at more than misguided hatred of the "PC" which
worldwide still holds >92% (that means "greater than" in case you are not familiar with
such symbols) of the market and a staggering 98% in business.
Compatibility, usability, and END USER CONFIGURABILTY willalways be king for the
same reasons democracy trumps communism....that's right - I just made that analogy. If
ignorance is bliss then why do MAC users seem to carry such big chips on their
shoulders? (that's rhetorical - which means I don't want an answer, I just want you to think
about it, if you are allowed to do that on your own)
GFY DB FF

BTW thanks for this article (and every other thing I have learned and used!), it works like
a champ and makes one hell of a quick install!

Compaqsonly
February 01, 2011 at 5:44pm

LOL well said Teknobenji, well said. :)

jareddd
January 06, 2011 at 6:30pm

THANK YOU!!! This worked perfectly! BUT, I had trouble with step 2 where you say "Use the 'CD
command..." I had no idea how to do that, so I had to google how to use cmd. Please update this step
to say: "Enter: "cd C:\Users\Username\Desktop\Windows 7". THEN it will be a perfect guide for any
non-tech savvy person. THANKS!

furrybadit
December 22, 2010 at 3:54pm

works great thanks to the poster.

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roman horol
November 14, 2010 at 4:30pm

i am using 32-bit edition of windows 7 and needed to upgrade to 64-bit, just for work with adobe
aftereffects cs5my pc is an I5- quad core 760 - 2.80 GHZ , with 4 gigs of ram , iam actually using autodesk maya ,
and after effects graphic application , and really needed to know how much i can get from this pc, i
think this 64-bit will help alot , your instruction was really good , though i think you should need to add
this 32- 64 bootsect to the instruction for people to know how to fix this , thanks to one of the persons
that remind this part, i got actually to do it , thank for this man ! so thanks again it was intresting
knowledge and i was register my self to this site just to say thank you, so .... have anice day ! cya

rawr
October 23, 2010 at 10:46pm

Im running windows 7 on my laptop, can i use this method to create a windows XP bootable usb? (i
need to repair my desktop but my CD drive is broken on the desktop - which is why i need to make a
xp usb).
btw, I have the windows XP CD disk

Midien
October 11, 2010 at 2:09pm

I'm another who registered just to say thanks. XD You saved my install, sir. Thanks a million. :)

Jenny James
September 19, 2010 at 11:27pm

Honestly i was tired of searching step by step instructions to install windows, just found this articles.
thanks much

Jenny
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blindhorizon
September 14, 2010 at 11:15am

tracking this message for future use.

prema11
August 17, 2010 at 6:38am

I heard that the above method is applicable for Os above Xp Am I right?I firmly believe that its better
to use some softwares to get the job done otherwise you might end up loosing valuable data.I heard
that WintoFlash can get your job done like this guy who has posted it in his
blog:http://sunil-bhaskar.blogspot.com/2010/08/windows-7-installation-from-usbflash.html

halloween2010
July 08, 2010 at 2:27pm

Halloween Costumes for 2010

angelsix
July 01, 2010 at 6:07pm

Really, I have read the article and the comments. I can't see how/when/where extracting (with Winrar
or otherwise) comes into it. When I put in the Win7 disk, I don't see ISO files, just a lot of directories
and files. I copied those to my hard drive (in a Windows 7 named subdirectory of Desktop). Windows
Explorer now reports that I this Windows 7 directory has 3.01 GB, consisting of 874 files in 199
folders. Does having Winzip installed mean somehow that it skipped the extract phase and just gave
me the files? Or, ...???

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I was dealing with the USB key installation in preparation to installation, which I haven't tried yet
(haven't finished building the system), but am bothered that I can't see what everyone else apparently
can see (extraction using Winrar).
If there's a step saying all the files have to be compressed into an .iso file, please let me know.
Gently, if possibly.
Could some nice, patient person explain what I fear is going to be pointed out as obvious for me?
Thanks.

lc084302
July 08, 2010 at 10:34am

Winrar is for folks that downloaded the iso. Mine was downloaded as an iso from
Microsoft's college discount program. Well, MS provided a tool to make a bootable usb
from the iso so those people really don't need to go through all these. If you have the
physical disc, don't worry about it.
MSI X58 Pro-E, Intel core i7 920, HIS Radeon HD 5850, 6GB Corsair Dominator 1600
MHz

itzabo
June 23, 2010 at 4:23pm

I followed the instructions.

It worked 1st time.
Awesome!!!

Thanks for the article.

Big_MARK
June 19, 2010 at 9:05am

These instructions didn't work for me either until I tried it at work and built the installer from one of our
Win7 iso images downloaded directly from MS.

kamikaze33
June 17, 2010 at 4:07pm

my desktop doesnt have a cd drive, this command prompt is confusing the hell out of me. im trying to
do this except with a version of linux. its in a folder called 'puppy'. heres what the console tells me:
c:\users\joel\desktop\puppy\cd bootsect.exe /nt60 j:
' bootsect.ex' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

jakesty@aol.com
June 29, 2010 at 1:01am

Before the file BOOTSEC.exe, remove the CH.

barberbarianbob
May 17, 2010 at 10:44pm

every time i try to type in the commands to make the folder with the iso image to be found all i get is
"the system cannot find the path specified" i don't know what else to doBob K

corourke
April 15, 2010 at 3:42pm

@plam plam

type cd C:/ and then cd users, then just follow the rest

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corourke
April 15, 2010 at 3:42pm

@plam plam

type cd C:/ and then cd users, then just follow the rest

plamplam
April 04, 2010 at 11:14am

please help. it says: "could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device obhects:
Accesss is denied."

WWHYY???????? also, when i run as admin it shows prompt as C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe

instead of the c:\users... etc etc..

please help, thanks. also i have email:michael_c223@yahoo.com pls send any thing to help :'(

PeachZ90
September 10, 2013 at 9:40pm

I dunno if you would still want to know the issue to the problem, but I found out after about
15 minutes of messing around with command prompt.
You have to use cmd as an ADMIN, and when you are using it, you have this:
C:\windows\system32>
You have to re-route yourself back to the Users\(USERNAME)> section by doing the
following:
C:\windows\system32> CD C:/Users/(USERNAME)
This will route you back to the correct section of files so that you can continue on updatng
the bootsect.exe file.
Also, to save on steps, you can do the following:
C:\windows\system32> CD C:\users\(USERNAME)\Desktop\Windows 7\Boot

PeachZ90
September 10, 2013 at 9:07pm

I am having the same issue. Does anyone know the fix?

tysonius
March 04, 2010 at 5:49pm

Win XP recognizes my usb devices, both in the front panel and at the rear. They show up in explorer,
system info, etc., and I can freely transfer files to and from them. Diskpart doesn't show them in "list
disk." Is there something I'm forgetting?

Big_MARK
June 19, 2010 at 9:05am

Yeah, you forgot to do this IN WINDOWS7!! these instructions won't work

in XP, linux or OSX! Sheesh people are you all that ignant?

scotthomas
January 25, 2010 at 4:26am

Really a very great article explains about the instalation in a very effective way.I have been wondering
to get the solution for this problem for a long time.So could you explain the upgadation of vista to
windows 7.It really helped me a lot.Thanks ..........

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