Anatomy Hammerhead Shark

Windows 7 installation from USB stick

It will happen so, that you must install Windows 7 on a computer without an optical drive.

Microsoft provides at a tool that consists of a shop on their online purchases ISO image of a bootable USB stick created. Unfortunately, the tool has two drawbacks (except that it requires the NET Framework.): First, it apparently accepts only ISO images, which are distributed by Microsoft, which one does not help, if only the Windows there are 7 DVD has, on the other hand (at least under Windows XP) the installation of a " Image Mastering API v2.0 " provided. So a different solution ago.

Here I found the following working procedure:

• all important data on the USB drive to safety (eg with USB Image Tool in Device Mode).
• The following commands assume that the connected USB flash drive is a "drive 1" is detected by Windows! To find out what ID was recognized under the stick is, at the command prompt, type diskpart, and then type the command "list disk". Under "data medium is point to the inserted USB drive is assigned! The line "select disk 1" (highlighted in bold below) must then be adjusted accordingly! Enter
• following at the command prompt:
  

diskpart
select disk 1 (.! possibly the value must be adapted)
clean
create
partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs = fat32
assign
exit copy

• Now the contents of the complete Windows-7-DVD to the USB stick:
  

xcopy (DVD-ROM drive letter): \\ *.* / s / e / f (USB-stick drive letter): \\

If
• is enabled in the BIOS to boot from a USB flash drive, starts at the start with an inserted stick the Windows 7 installation program.

Here's what I've found out yet:
War unpartitioned hard disk first or only Windows unknown partitions (such as ext3) were available, it is possible that refuses the installation program to install Windows on the hard disk, because the stick is already the drive letter C : has gotten. To create a partition on the hard disk and format (works within the Windows setup with the advanced settings), reboot and delete the partition again. Windows can then unpartitioned in these Area to be installed (partition is automatically created and formatted).