How to install Windows 7 from a USB flash drive

Recently, PC users of various qualifications are increasingly using flash drives rather than optical disk media. This is easy to explain: such technical means are reliable, not subject to aging, and working with them is quite simple. Previously, installing the operating system required a special disk with a Windows image; now you can use a USB device. Further in the text, detailed instructions will be given on how to implement this in practice.

Installing Windows 7 with flash

To create a bootable flash drive, you must have the following elements and software:

• Windows 7 OS image in ISO format;
  
• Storage media with a capacity of at least 4 GB;
  
• Work PC;
  
• Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
  

The system image must be exclusively in ISO format; others will not work. It is important to consider this point before you start creating a bootable USB flash drive. Apart from the specified volume, there are no special requirements for the media itself.

Typically, most drives that support the USB 2.0 specification can be formatted and used as installation media without any problems. Therefore, there is no point in focusing on this.

Stage 1: Formatting the flash drive

The first step is to format the media. The procedure is familiar to many users, so it is not worth dwelling on it separately. You can do this simply using standard Windows tools:

1. Right-click in the context menu and select "Formatirovat".
   
   
   
   
   
2. Push the button "Format".
   
3. In the window that opens, information about the media size and file system type will appear (you need to select "NTFS").
   
   After clicking the button "Begin" all data on the flash drive will be irretrievably lost, so before formatting you need to make sure that all important information is saved on another drive.
   
   
   
   

Step 2: Install Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool utility is downloaded from the official Microsoft website. You need to select the required version and start downloading. Installing the utility goes without any particular difficulties: the archive is unpacked for installation in the system directory (drive C by default, but you can choose any other location, for example, external media).

Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool from the official website https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56485



The whole process is divided into 4 steps:

1. Selecting the path to the ISO file;
   
2. Determining the location of the bootable media;
   
3. Selecting the device type (USB or DVD);
   
4. Creating an OS image.
   

Using the menu, you select the location of the Windows 7 archive in ISO format.



Two active blue illuminated buttons “USB device” /i] and [i]“DVD” Allows you to select the storage medium - flash drive or optical disk. Clicking the label "Start over" returns the user to the previous step (in case something was done incorrectly).



When you select a USB drive, the path to it is determined on the next screen - if the required device is not displayed in the pop-up window, then you need to click the button "Refresh".



The required flash drive for recording the image has been specified, all that remains is to start copying by pressing a button "Begin copying".



If you do not format at the beginning, the smart utility will definitely offer to clean the media before recording the image. Before the process begins, the user will be asked again if he is ready to delete all data from the flash drive.



The progress of the operation is indicated by a percentage counter and inscriptions on the screen. Now you need to be patient and refrain from loading the system with other tasks until the process is completely completed. The complete image transfer may take up to 1 hour.



At the end of the procedure, the flash drive becomes bootable media, and when you run the installation file, the familiar Windows 7 installer welcome window appears on it.

Step 3: Install Windows

The formatting of the media is completed, the flash drive is completely ready for use. And this is where the fun begins. To install the OS, you must enter a special mode - BIOS. This English abbreviation means a set of input-output programs; it is after they have been worked out that the operating system itself begins to launch.

All operations with installation, reboot, and recovery of Windows are performed after entering the BIOS menu. Modern PCs and laptops use subroutines from 3 well-known manufacturers: Phoenix, Award, AMI. The difference between them is insignificant; it consists in the appearance of the menu.

The purpose of the button to go to the BIOS depends on the manufacturer, usually it is F2 or F10 (there may be others).

Read also: How to enter BIOS

Next, in the boot menu, you need to select installation from a USB drive, after inserting it into the slot. If this is not done, the system will not recognize the device. The flash drive should be the first one in the list that opens, this is very important. To do this, press the button "Enabled", accordingly all other disks must be "Disabled".



The manufacturer Phoenix calls the required tab - removable devices ("Removable devices"). All you have to do is select what you need and activate it.



Read also: How to set boot from a flash drive in BIOS

At the end of the procedure, exit to the main BIOS menu and reboot, saving the changes made ("Exit Saving Changes"). Otherwise, all adjustments made will be reset.



Before installation, be sure to copy all important data from the hard drive of the computer on which the OS will be installed, otherwise they will be irretrievably lost. The installation itself from a flash drive is practically no different from the usual one: the user confirms his acceptance of the license agreement and specifies the path to the hard drive (logical or physical).


Modern drives are much more durable and easier to use than conventional optical disks. The reflective surface of the laser disc is sensitive to scratches and damage, which means it can fail when you urgently need to reinstall the OS.

The absence of the Russian language in the BIOS menu and the utility for creating bootable media will not be a problem: with the help of the above tips, even a person who does not speak English perfectly can cope with them. By creating a bootable flash drive, the user receives a compact, trouble-free and reliable medium with a system image that can be carried with him.