Advertisement Did you ever format a hard drive, only to realize that the computer doesn’t have a DVD or CD drive? Maybe you thought the computer could be booted from a USB drive, but the version of the BIOS doesn’t allow for that? Having a bootable version of Windows on a DVD and a USB drive can be a real lifesaver.
Today you’ll learn how to create bootable versions of Windows ISOs on DVD and USB. What’s an ISO?
May 3, 2018 - This tutorial will help you with the installation of Windows from image (.iso and.img) file using USB Drive. It is step by step method with pictures. I have only windows 7 installation files. How to make a bootable iso image from windows 7 installation file? I want bootable iso image for installing windows7 on virtual box. I have only windows 7 installation files. Report Abuse.
Any file that ends in.iso is an exact copy of a disk. It’s a virtual copy of a CD or DVD, with the same file structure and the same data. ISO copies are referred to as “images” of the original.
The acronym ISO comes from the name of the organization responsible for creating industry standards— International Organization for Standardization. Yes, that should be IOS, but they figured ISO was better across all languages as ISO is derived from the Greek isos, meaning “equal”. In this case, the ISO is a perfect copy of what would be on an original Windows CD or DVD. What Does Bootable Mean?
Any media, whether it’s a hard drive, USB flash drive, CD, or DVD is bootable if you can use it to boot your computer. In this case, we are creating portable media which boots from the USB drive or disc, instead of the computer’s hard drive. When installing Windows, the media you use must be bootable. You are given the option of downloading a 64 bit version, a 32 bit version, or both. There is also an option to Use the recommended options for this PC. If you don’t know which one you need, use this setting! For 32 bit Windows installations, 4GB is the minimum size USB stick that will work.
For 64 bit, you’ll need 8GB minimum. It is advised to use something a little larger where possible. Note that this will wipe the contents of the USB drive so be sure to back up any data you want to keep first. Download: (Windows).
What If I’ve Forgotten My Product Key? When you purchased Windows you will have received either a 25 character product key or a digital license. You can install an operating system without either of these, but you won’t be able to activate it. If you lost your product key, there are ways to find it again. The Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder has a free version which will display your CD Key as shown above.
Alternatively, you can follow the advice provided by Microsoft on. Download: (Windows) Where to Download a Windows 8.1 ISO Windows 8.1 is still available to download from Microsoft. Getting the ISO requires no product key, though you will need one when you try to install it for the first time. Download: How to Make a Bootable USB Flash Drive The simplest way to create a bootable USB drive is with. Download, and open it by right clicking on it and selecting Run As Administrator. Using Rufus takes four simple steps:. Select your USB drive from the Device dropdown menu.
Click Select by the Boot selection drop down and locate your Windows ISO file. Give your USB drive a descriptive title in the Volume Label text box. Click Start. Rufus gives you the option of using a GPT file system for UEFI systems, and MBR for BIOS systems.
Rufus can detect what system you have, and usually picks the right one for you. If you don’t know what kind of system you have, let Rufus choose for you! There are Installing an operating system from a USB drive is quick and portable. We test a few ISO to USB tools to find the best one for you., and if Rufus doesn’t work for you, one of them will! How to Make a Bootable DVD There are several programs out there which will burn an ISO to a DVD and make it bootable. If you're looking for a free disc burning utility that's fully-featured, BurnAware is for you. And has a free version for home use.
To create a bootable DVD, open Burnaware and click on Burn ISO. Click Browse and locate your Windows ISO file. Insert a DVD and click Burn. Alternatively, you can use Window’s native ISO burner. Right click on your ISO file and select Burn disc image. This will open the native burner. It couldn’t be simpler to use, just enter a DVD and press burn!
Note that whatever method you choose, DVDs only work for 32 bit Windows installations due to their small capacity. Using a USB installation instead is strongly recommended. Download: (Windows) Now What?
Now you have a bootable version of Windows in your pocket or on DVD. To use it, you might want to brush up on first! USB booting is essential in modern computing, and you can even A single USB flash drive is all you need to boot, install, and troubleshoot multiple operating systems. We'll show you how to create a multiboot USB, including Windows and Linux installers and recovery tools.
On USB sticks! Explore more about:,. 'Note that whatever method you choose, DVDs only work for 32 bit Windows installations due to their small capacity.' Please be aware that dual-layer DVDs hold up to 8.5GB, enough for any 64-bit Windows installation media, and although almost any DVD burner will handle them, I've found a couple of blu-ray burners that are supposed to handle them but error out (burn failure) when it's time to switch layers (about 50% done). USB drives are still the best option, though, especially since Windows is changing twice a year now.:). Rephrased: Hi Guy, I have tried to download Windows 7 Professional Edition 64 bits ISO File from the Microsoft Software Recovery site. My Product Key was verified successfully and ask to choose the language from dropdown menu.
Surprisingly, there was no English language on offer. I am download from Brunei and although English is not our first language but everything in this country is in English.
Note: I bought my Windows 7 DVD in box while I was on business trip to New York few years back. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Hi Guy, I have tried to download Windows 7 Professional Edition 64 bits from the Microsoft Software Recovery site. My Product Key was verified successfully and ask to choose the language from dropdown menu. Surprisingly, there was no English language on offer. I am download from Brunei and although English is not our first language but everything in this country is in English. Note: I bought my Windows 7 DVD in box while I was on business trip to New York few years back. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Considering that we’ve explained what are, you shouldn’t be surprised if we tell you that you could install Windows 7 on your PC with the help of an iso file, and you don’t even require the installation CD for that purpose. You can purchase and download it easily from the (the iso file that is). Once you purchase a copy of Windows 7 ISO file and download it on your computer, you have two options to go with. First, you can create a bootable DVD. Second option would be to create a bootable USB flash drive. After creating the bootable media, you can install Windows 7 easily from it. You could burn the iso file on a DVD using the built-in.
Now the question is how to create a bootable USB flash drive from this file? As always, we are here to help. This article will teach you the step by step procedure to make it by using a tool known as Windows 7USB/DVD download tool. Here are the steps.
Download and install 2. Open it and click on “Browse” button to select the ISO file from the location where it is downloaded. After selecting ISO file, click on “Next” button. Now you have to select the storage device to create a Windows 7 bootable drive.
If you select USB drive then you can burn the ISO file to a thumb drive and if you select DVD then a bootable DVD could be created. Since, here we intend to make a bootable USB drive therefore we choose the first option.
Insert the NTFS formatted USB device. Note that the device size should be more than 4GB. Click on “Begin copying” button. It will start the burning process.
It will take some time. When the process is finished (100% copying complete), close the application. Now go to windows explorer to open the USB drive. You will see all the installation files inside the drive. You can use this thumb drive as a bootable device. Only thing you need to do is restart your computer, go to BIOS settings and change the boot order inside BIOS settings from CD/DVD to USB flash drive.
That’ll make sure that the system checks the USB drive first when starting up. If you want are going to purchase Windows 7 then you could make use of this process. It reduces the shipping cost and saves you time.
You may also before purchasing it. Last updated on 8 Feb, 2018.