What you will need:
- Windows7/8 ISO image or DVD
- 4GB or 8GB USB flash drive
- This guide
CAUTION – The actions below will erase all data from the USB flash drive.
For the purpose of this guide we will assume that:
- Your “D” Drive is your virtual DVD drive or DVD drive letter.
- Your “E” Drive is your USB flash drive.
In the steps below when a word is in UPPERCAES this indicates that the word is a command that you would type at the command prompt and and execute with the return or enter key.
- Insert your USB flash drive into your computer and backup all the data from the flash drive.
- Run command prompt with administrator rights
- DISKPART
- LIST DISK (Once you enter the LIST DISK command, it will show the disk number of your USB drive)
- SELECT DISK 1 (don’t forget to Replace DISK 1 with your USB flash drive’s number)
- CLEAN
- CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
- SELECT PARTITION 1
- ACTIVE
- FORMAT FS=NTFS (Format may take more than a few minutes)
- ASSIGN
- EXIT (but keep command prompt open)
- insert your Vista or Windows7 CD/DVD or Mount your bootable ISO image in Daemon Tools or any other similar application
- Go back to command prompt
- D: (Don’t forget to replace “D” with your CD/DVD/virtual DVD drive letter)
- CD BOOT
- BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 E: (Don’t forget to replace “E” with your USB flash drive’s letter)
- CD D:\ (Don’t forget to replace “D” with your CD/DVD/virtual DVD drive letter)
- XCOPY *.* E: /S/H (Don’t forget to replace “D” with your CD/DVD/virtual DVD drive letter & “E” with your USB flash drive’s letter)
Well done, you have created a bootable Vista or Windows 7 install USB flash drive.
The last step is to configure your bios to boot from the USB flash drive then sit back and enjoy as Vista or Windows 7 installs from your USB flash Drive.