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Installing Windows 7 From USB Stick

Installing Windows 7 From USB Stick

  1. BSchwarz
    Follow these steps to install Windows 7 from a USB stick. This method is a fast way to install Windows 7. In my tests it takes 20-30 minutes on my system to install Windows 7 from the DVD. With this method it takes 10-15 minutes for a clean install. Upgrade installs are also much faster. Follow these steps to install Windows 7 from a USB stick.

    You need a USB stick 4 gigs capacity or more. Once you have the USB stick you need to prep it by following these steps.


    1. Click Start > Accessories > Command Prompt.
    2. Right click command prompt and select Run As Administrator
    Once you have cmd running as administrator use these commands to prep the USB stick.

    list.jpg

    1. diskpart
    2. list disks ( this will give you a list of all disks on your system. The usb stick should be the last listed. See note and attachment below. )
    3. select disk # ( this should be the disk number listed in list disk options )
    4. clean
    5. create partition primary
    6. select partition 1
    7. active
    8. format fs=fat32
    9. assign
    10. exit
    Once you follow these steps to prep the drive then copy all the files from the Windows 7 ISO to the USB drive. I use UltraISO to open the ISO and extract the files. You could also burn the ISO to DVD and then use Windows Explorer to copy the files from the DVD to the USB drive. I prefer using UtraISO since I have no use for a DVD copy.

    After all the files are copied to the USB stick then restart, enter the bios and set it to boot from removable disk. On most computers you can hit F12 to get the boot menu. If your motherboard has this option then select the USB disk you prepared. Windows 7 Install will start. You'll be amazed at the speed it will install.

    If you prefer to do an upgrade install then just open the USB drive in Windows Explorer and start the installer.

    If you have any problems or questions post them and I'll help you with them.