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Insert the Windows 7 install DVD into your drive, and view the files that it contains. Copy all of the files here to a folder on your Desktop. We put the disc contents in a folder named “Windows 7”
Go back to your command prompt, running it as an Administrator. Using the “CD” command, find your way to the folder where you extracted the ISO files. Your command line path should look something like “C:\Users\USERNAMEHERE\Desktop\Windows 7\”.
Type the following commands:
CD Boot (This gets you into the “boot” directory)
Bootsect.exe /nt60 L: (where ‘L’ is the drive letter assigned to your USB key from the previous step)
Bootsect infuses boot manager compatible code into your USB key to make it a bootable device.
IMPORTANT: If you’re currently running 32-bit Windows Vista or 7, Bootsect will only work if you use the files from the 32-bit Windows 7 install disc. The Bootsect executable from the 64-bit version will not run in 32-bit Vista.
Copy all of the extracted ISO files into the USB drive. You don’t need to do this from the command prompt. Just drag and drop the files from the “Windows 7” folder into the drive using Windows Explorer.
Your USB key is now all ready to go! Plug it into your target system and make sure you enter the BIOS (typically with F2 or F12) to temporarily change the boot order to allow booting from the USB key before your primary hard drive or optical drive. On the next restart, your system should automatically begin speedily loading setup files off of the USB key and entering Windows 7 installation.
[Editor's Note: This article was originally posted as "How To: Install Windows 7 Beta from a USB Key!" It has been updated and reposted for the official launch of Windows 7 on Thursday.]
Comments are closed on this article
norman
January 15, 2009 at 11:41am
it'll work on any PC that'll let you boot from a removable USB storage device. - Norm
thefuzz4
January 15, 2009 at 9:29am
I don't know about MPC but I can tell you this much. Installing Kubuntu from a USB key saves me about 15 mins compared to installing from a CD.
lifanus
December 21, 2009 at 5:47pm
I brought a used computer which had a broken DVD, this article saved my butt when I needed to install windows 7 on that machine.
Thank you a bunch to aurthor.
mikemckay
January 15, 2009 at 8:53am
great guide as always.....worked for me and NO CRASHES YET :)......but what i would really like to see is a step by step for how to install windows 7 to a bootable usb drive
I Jedi
January 15, 2009 at 8:19am
Days after I asked this question on the MaxPC forums this comes out. Ha. Ha. Good! I'm definitely going to learn this for future reference. Good update.
Havok
January 15, 2009 at 7:59am
Just wondering about your great guide, I don't know if it was part of aninside joke or a hangover, but was it supposed to be "BETTA" on the frontpage or "BETA"? Please don't hate me or mock me or mock me too much or kick me from theTF2 group!
OMGWTFBBQ
SysAnalyst
January 15, 2009 at 6:05am
Why suggest a trial version of WinRAR when 7-zip (www.7-zip.org) is a free, opensource archive manager? Not to mention a native 64-bit Windows build of 7-zip is also available, which is not the case for WinRAR. I have a legally purchased copy of WinRAR I have abandoned for 7-zip.
Yusonice
January 15, 2009 at 5:11am
Great guide!!!
Im speechless. Still some things are better left unsaid.
