Want to install Windows vii on your computer without an optical bulldoze? Perhaps you're using a laptop without a built-in DVD drive, or even an quondam netbook or Windows tablet. Whatever the case, y'all'll need to make a USB installation deejay.

You can do this without any extra software, or you tin can use tools provided by Microsoft and third parties.

Notation: Despite the legacy that Windows 7 left backside, it's time to upgrade to Windows 10! With Windows 11 on the fashion, Windows 7 isn't desirable as a personal operating system. Even so, for older hardware, or for those who just like Windows 7, read on.

2 Ways to Brand a Bootable USB Windows vii Installation Disk

Y'all have 2 choices for making a bootable USB drive that can install Windows seven.

  1. Create a bootable disk using Windows tools: this requires no boosted software
  2. Download the install from Microsoft: this is a far simpler solution

Let'due south have a look at each option.

What Yous'll Need to Install Windows 7 From a USB Drive

Without an optical drive on the target computer, installing Windows 7 equally your preferred operating organization is impossible. But if yous accept the original installation media and a USB flash bulldoze, you lot can make it work.

To become started, y'all'll demand:

  • A working Windows 7 computer with a DVD drive and administrator rights.
  • A Windows vii installation DVD.
  • AUSB flash drive with 4GB of space or larger.

This will also piece of work with external USB hard drives instead of a USB thumb drive. However, all the data on the bulldoze will be formatted and deleted.

The following steps can exist completed on a Windows 7 computer. Nonetheless, they're almost the same whatever operating arrangement yous're using, including Windows ten.

1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt

To offset, insert your USB flash drive in your main PC---the one with the optical drive. You should too insert the Windows 7 installation DVD.

Click First > All Programs > Accessories and correct-click on Command Prompt. Select Run Every bit Administrator. Of course, you need to be able to authenticate as the administrator on the PC you're using.

On Windows 10, click Starting time then type "command". Right-click the get-go result and select Run as administrator.

In the black command prompt window, open the disk partitioning tool with the command:

          diskpart

This will open in a new command prompt window. Here, phone call up a listing of disks attached to your PC.

          listing disk

I of the drives listed will be your USB drive. You'll probably be able to spot it based on the drive's chapters. Make a note of the disk number of the USB drive.

screenshot of disk part in windows 10

This is important to get right; otherwise, you'll end upwards losing data on other drives.

Next, partition the disk. Begin past selecting the deejay and cleaning it.

Where you see the # sign, substitute it with the deejay number of your USB device.

          select disk            #            
clean

You lot can and so create a new partition.

          create sectionalisation primary
select partition 1

Brand the partition active, so format as NTFS:

          active
format fs=ntfs quick
screenshot of formatting usb for windows 7 iso

Side by side, upshot the single command to fix the deejay as drive E:

          assign letter east

Finally, exit the DiskPart tool.

                      go out

The USB wink drive is now ready for Windows 7's installation files.

2. Make Your Windows 7 USB Bootable

The format step may take some time, depending on your computer's specification.

In the command prompt type

          d:/boot/bootsect.exe /nt60 e:

(This assumes D: is your DVD drive with the install DVD inserted, and you lot named E: your USB drive. This may differ on your PC, so check earlier entering the command.)

This will make your USB drive bootable.

three. Copy Windows seven Installation Files to the USB Bulldoze

The final step tin can be done from My Computer. Merely open the installation DVD, highlight everything, and elevate it across to the USB drive.

This can as well take a while. When consummate, yous should be all set. Insert the USB disk into your new PC, then enter the BIOS to adjust the kicking order. Your target computer may even have the Cull Kicking Device option during showtime-upward.

If y'all desire a simpler solution to installing Windows 7 from a bootable USB bulldoze, effort Microsoft's dedicated, downloadable tool.

The tool is no longer hosted on Microsoft's official servers, so nosotros will discover a mirror to the same programme hosted on annal.org.

Download: Windows vii USB Download Tool

The main download is simply 2.8MB in size, so this should complete apace. While yous expect, insert your USB wink bulldoze into your main PC. A 4GB drive should be large enough.

Meanwhile, you'll also demand an ISO version of Windows 7. Like the USB Download Tool, these files are no longer easily accessible from Microsoft'south official servers. Below are two versions hosted on archive.org.

Download: Windows seven Ultimate Edition

Download: Windows 7 Professional Edition

Note: You will still demand a valid product key to activate these products!

While you wait for the download, install the installer tool, and so launch from the Outset menu.

You'll be prompted to find the ISO image file for Windows 7. Observe the ISO file on your difficult disk drive, and so click Side by side.

screenshot of the windows 7 usb dvd download tool

Hither, select USB device for the media type you plan to create. In the next screen, apply the dropdown menu to select the USB drive, then Begin Copying. Wait while the process completes.

When the bar reaches 100%, you'll spot some status information. Any issues that occurred are listed hither. If you need another bootable USB Windows 7 installation deejay, click Offset Over to echo the process.

Otherwise, click the X in the top-right corner to shut, earlier safely ejecting your USB disk. It is now ready to install Windows vii on a suitable computer of your pick.

It'due south Easy to Create a Windows 7 USB Installation Deejay

If you lot've been stuck trying to become an operating organisation gear up upward on your old laptop or netbook, you lot'll be relieved to encounter how unproblematic it really is. Indeed, Windows 7 and later already have the tools congenital in to aid you brand a bootable USB installer.

Failing that, you can take the unproblematic option by grabbing Microsoft'southward ain USB installer tool for Windows 7 and later. And if yous love the portability of the USB drive, be sure to cheque out all the other portable apps you tin put on one likewise.

100 Portable Apps for Your USB Stick for Windows and macOS

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About The Author

Jason Currie (41 Articles Published)

Jason is a former freelancer and tech blogger. Driven and knowledgeable about all things tech, he has a desire to make things simple and digestible. When Jason isn't writing for MakeUseOf, he volition usually exist flexing his creative muscles in other forms of writing.

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