Aug 21, 2015 - This is how to create a Windows 7 install USB drive. You can NOT create the actual OS bootable usb, unless you would like a Bootable.
First of all, holy shit this was a miserable experience. The tl;dr version is that on a (2 x 3.2GHz Quad-core) running a freshly installed OS X 10.6.6 with I couldn’t successfully install a Windows 7 x64 ISO from USB. To successfully install Windows 7, I ended up driving out to buy some DVD-Rs and burning the ISO in a Win7 VM (VMWare Fusion 3.1.12) installed from the ISO via Boot Camp. If you are trying to install on a machine without a DVD drive, I suggest either simply using a VM or if you must Boot Camp, acquiring an external drive. Additional caveats: once I was able to boot was that the Windows 7 installed did not recognize the BOOTCAMP NTFS partition, and the after formatting, threw an on install (the solution for this was to shut down and pull out my 3 other drives out so the Windows installer didn’t get confused). At the end of the ordeal, I ended up with a working Windows 7 install that used 28.4GB of space. OO Disabling components actually only increased usage.
There is a tool called (must be ) that can manage packages, but appears to treat almost the entire Windows 7 install as one big package. The only way to strip Windows 7 down seems to be using a tool like to create an ISO that removes the packages entirely beforehand.
Note: if you need to zap the BOOTCAMP volume during the Windows 7 install, you’ll need to grab the Boot Camp drivers from the Snow Leopard CD or from BitTorrent (Apple doesn’t offer 3.0 drivers standalone, and 3.1 and 3.2 require 3.0 to be installed) and run those manually. (You may need to do this anyway as apparently Boot Camp 3.0 may fail by trying to installing the x86 instead of the x64 drivers). In case you didn’t get it by now, this experience has been a pretty convincing argument for continuing to stay away from Windows as much as possible, certainly on Macs where the unholiness combination of EFI, Boot Camp, and Windows just makes a complete mess.
For your edification/amusement/horror, additional things that did not work on my Mac when trying to install from USB: dd The recommendations to use dd if=$iso of=/dev/$usbkey -bs=1m is a total fail as it’ll create a UDF image on the USB key, which apparently the Mac’s EFI won’t detect I had an older Windows XP partition, so I was able to try Microsoft’s ISO tool. This created an image that was bootable in the sense that rEFIt could see and select it, but subsequently did not show up as a boot device (DOS prompt for inserting a bootable disk) Another try once I started down the WinXP path, I tried using UNetbootin to make the USB stick bootable, but to no more success. Same result as the Microsoft ISO tool. Next into my increasingly desperate descent into madness was to use an app that could write Vista/7 boot procedures using EFI.
Unfortunately, these resulted in an “Error: Unsupported while loading bootmgr.efi” message when booting in rEFIt Windows 7 in VMWare Fusion + DISKPART Finally, I decided to install the ISO in VMWare Fusion on OS X, and then (you can’t do it in XP because it’s version of DISKPART doesn’t recognize removeable drives as disks). This also failed spectacularly (also, ), at which point I threw in the towel on USB booting. UPDATE: Here’s a that might work, although I haven’t tested it at all and it’s probably also dependent on how old your Mac is if it does work UPDATE 2: On a recent PC, I was able to which may be helpful, but may not be applicable w/ old Macs w/ 32-bit UEFI.
When you download Windows from Microsoft Store, you have two options: You can download a collection of compressed files, or you can download an ISO file. An ISO file combines all the Windows installation files into a single uncompressed file. If you choose to download an ISO file so you can create a bootable file from a DVD or USB drive, copy the Windows ISO file onto your drive and then run the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool. Then simply install Windows onto your computer directly from your USB or DVD drive. When you download the ISO file, you must copy it onto a USB or DVD. When you're ready to install Windows, insert the USB drive or DVD with the ISO file on it and then run Setup.exe from the root folder on the drive. This allows you to install Windows onto your machine without having to first run an existing operating system.
If you change the boot order of drives in your computer's BIOS, you can run the Windows installation directly from your USB drive or DVD when you first turn on your computer. Please see the documentation for your computer for information about how to change the BIOS boot order of drives. Making copies. To install the software, you can make one copy of the ISO file on a disc, USB flash drive, or other media. After you’ve installed the software and accepted the license terms that accompany the software, those license terms apply to your use of the software. The license terms for Windows permit you to make one copy of the software as a back-up copy for re-installation on the licensed computer. If you do not delete your copy of the ISO file after installing the Windows software, the copy of the ISO file counts as your one back-up copy.
If you need to download the software again, you can go to your Download Purchase History in your Microsoft Store account and access the download there. To install the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool: 1. Click to open the page. Click Download then Run.
Follow the steps in the setup dialogs. You'll have the option to specify where to install the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool. You must be an administrator on the computer on which you are installing the Windows USB/DVD Download tool.
It requires the Microsoft.NET Framework version 2.0 or higher. System requirements. Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit). Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300MHz is recommended). 50MB of free space on your hard drive. DVD-R drive or 4GB removable USB drive For Windows XP users The following applications must be installed prior to installing the tool:.
Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0 must be installed. It can be downloaded. Microsoft Image Mastering API v2 must be installed. It can be downloaded. Before you run the Download Tool, make sure you have purchased the Windows ISO download from Microsoft Store and downloaded the Windows ISO file to your drive.
If you have purchased Windows but have not yet downloaded the ISO file, you can download the ISO file from your Microsoft Store Account. To make a copy of your Windows ISO file: 1. Click the Windows START button, and click WINDOWS USB/DVD DOWNLOAD TOOL in the ALL PROGRAMS list to open the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool.
In the SOURCE FILE box, type the name and path of your Windows ISO file, or click BROWSE and select the file from the OPEN dialog box. Select USB DEVICE to create a copy on a USB flash drive or select DVD disk to create a copy on a DVD disk. If you are copying the file to a USB flash drive, select your USB device in the drop-down list and click BEGIN COPYING.
If you are copying the file up to a DVD, click BEGIN BURNING. When your Windows ISO file is copied to your drive, install Windows by moving to the root folder of your DVD or USB drive, and then double-click Setup.exe.
Where can I download.NET framework 2.0? The.NET framework can be downloaded. Where can I download Image Mastering API 2.0? The Image Mastering API can be downloaded. What size USB drive is required?
You need a USB drive with a minimum of 4GB of free space. Can I use my newly created USB drive to install Windows on someone else's computer? The Windows ISO file on the USB drive is only intended to be used to install Windows on the licensed user’s own computer. Can I back up to a CD-ROM? The Windows ISO file is too large to fit on a CD. Can I back up to a Blu-ray Disc?
Yes, as long as your DVD drive can write to a Blu-ray Disc. If I have other files on the USB drive will the Windows USB/DVD download tool delete them? This tool requires the USB drive to be completely blank before the Windows files are copied.
This helps ensure that the device is bootable after the copying has completed. Can I backup to an external hard drive or other device with enough free disk space? Yes, but this is not recommended. The device must be formatted in order for the device to be bootable. A dedicated USB flash drive would be a better option. Can I use the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool to back up other files?
This tool is only for use with the Windows ISO file purchased from Microsoft Store. Does the tool support dual-layer DVD discs for burning? Currently, the tool does not support dual-layer DVD discs.
The tool is asking me to install the.NET framework and Image Mastering API before I install the tool If you’re running Windows XP, you must install the.NET Framework 2.0 and the Image Mastering API 2.0 before installing the tool. You can download.NET framework and you can download the Image Mastering API. A restart may be required after installing the.NET framework and the Image Mastering API. When creating a bootable USB device, I am getting an error about bootsect To make the USB drive bootable, you need to run a tool named bootsect.exe. In some cases, this tool needs to be downloaded from your Microsoft Store account. This may happen if you're trying to create a 64-bit bootable USB device from a 32-bit version of Windows. To download bootsect: 1.
Login to your Microsoft Store account to view your purchase history. Look for your Windows purchase.
Next to Windows, there is an Additional download options drop-down menu. In the drop-down menu, select 32-bit ISO. Right-click the link, and then save the bootsect.exe file to the location where you installed the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool (e.g. C: Users username AppData Local Apps Windows USB DVD Download Tool). Once the file has been saved, go back to the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool to create your bootable USB device.
My USB drive is not in the list of available devices If you don't see your USB drive in the list of available devices, please make sure the drive is inserted in the USB port, and then click the Refresh button beside the list of available drives. I inserted a blank DVD in my DVD-ROM drive, but the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool doesn't recognize it If there are multiple drives on the system, the tool will select the first one that is capable of burning DVDs. If you have multiple DVD-R drives, try inserting the blank DVD into another DVD-R drive.
If that doesn't help, please make sure that your disc isn't damaged and that your DVD-R drive is operational. Contact Product Support if issues continue to arise. I inserted a blank DVD in my DVD-ROM drive, but the tool won't let me burn it Make sure the disc isn't a dual-layer DVD disc. Currently, dual-layer discs are not supported within the tool.