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Windows 7 professional installation from a flash drive. Preparing your computer for installation

Already recorded bootable USB flash drive, but don’t know how to boot from a flash drive? There is nothing complicated here. Booting Windows from a flash drive is very simple, and all you need to do is go into the BIOS and change one setting.

If you have not yet recorded a license digital copy Windows, I recommend reading – ?

If you simply connect a USB flash drive to your PC or laptop and reboot it, Windows installation will not start. After all, to do this you need to enable booting from a flash drive in the BIOS.

This is easy to do. But there is one nuance here. The point is that Windows download from a flash drive on PCs and laptops is done differently. Firstly, it depends on the BIOS manufacturers. And, secondly, from the laptop brand (Asus, Acer, Samsung, Lenovo, HP, etc.).

However, loading from a flash drive into the BIOS follows the same principle. Yes, the BIOS menu will always be different, and this can cause difficulties. But below we will look at several examples so that you understand how to install booting from a flash drive and can independently navigate the BIOS menu (in case you have another option).

So let's begin. To enter the BIOS, you must immediately press a certain button on the keyboard when you turn on your computer or laptop. Which one exactly? This can be found on the loading screen.

You can find out that you have entered the BIOS by seeing the corresponding menu in front of you. The following options are usually found:

If loading the BIOS failed, then wait until the PC or laptop turns on, reboot it and try again by pressing a different key.

IN in this case“Boot” was selected, and then “Boot Device Priority” (i.e., device startup priority). As a result, a menu similar to this will open:

As you can see, they are different, but in each case there are the lines we need - First (1st), Second (2nd) and Third (3rd) Boot Device. It indicates which device boots first, which is second and third in turn. As a rule, the first one always goes hard drive(HDD), and then the drive (CR-ROM).

When you connect the flash drive, the USB-HDD option will also appear. And to configure booting from a flash drive, you need to go to First Boot Device select the option – USB-HDD. Example:

Next, you must save the changes, otherwise you will have to repeat everything all over again. Which save button? This information is written at the bottom of the screen. For example, in the screenshot above: F10 – “Save”, ESC – “Exit”. Save the changes and exit the BIOS. Congratulations, setting up the BIOS to boot from a flash drive is complete.

The computer (or laptop) will automatically reboot, after which the following line will appear:

Press any button and it starts Windows installation dows.

If you have a UEFI BIOS (i.e. you recently bought a new PC or laptop), then loading Windows from a flash drive is as easy as shelling pears.

Go to BIOS and you will see something like this:

To configure booting a flash drive into UEFI, we are interested in the “Boot Priority” item. Drag the USB device icon to the top of the list (so that it is first) and exit (the exit button is in the right top corner). When you exit, the system will ask you whether to save the changes. You agree, after which the PC or laptop will reboot and Windows will begin loading from the flash drive.

By the way: it doesn’t matter at all what kind of image you have on a USB flash drive - Windows 7, 8, 10 or XP. This doesn't affect anything. The OS will start loading from the flash drive in any case (provided, of course, that it is recorded correctly).

And finally one more very important point. When unpacking Windows files will be completed - the computer will reboot.

After this, you need to go into the BIOS again and return the previous device startup priority. That is, put the hard drive (HDD) in first place, and the USB flash drive in last place. There shouldn’t be any problems with this, because you already know how to boot from a flash drive, right?

In principle, you don't have to do this. In this case, when the black screen appears, NOTHING don't press.

Otherwise, the Windows installation will boot again and you will install the operating system again.

But when Windows is installed, you still need to go into the BIOS and return the previous device startup priority. Otherwise, the computer (or laptop) will always load data from the flash drive first (provided it is connected).


Installing Windows on a laptop from a flash drive or disk via BIOS, Windows 7 installation problems are the most common problems when installing Windows 7, we will look at everything here. These recommendations and installation instructions also work not only for a laptop, but also for a computer and for installing any version of Windows. Since a laptop is essentially no different from a computer, installation of all versions of Windows works according to a similar scheme.

I myself don’t like to read a lot, much less write a lot. That's why everything is described here as much as possible. in clear language, without fluff and verbiage for SEO search engines. Even an autistic person will understand it.
- So, download the image itself from Windows 7 to your laptop or computer, the image format is ISO, the most stable windows assembly 7 or the original image of Windows 7 can be found on our website and downloaded via torrent client. To make sure that the file has been downloaded entirely and without errors, we check checksums, if you don’t know what it is, then don’t bother and don’t check, most often the image is downloaded without problems.

Now we need to create bootable USB flash drive, or a bootable DVD disc (blank). To do this, you need to use the UltraISO program or the Rufus program.

We insert our boot disk into the disk drive of a laptop or computer, or the created bootable USB flash drive into USB connector. On relatively new PCs there are two USB type. USB2.0 and USB3.0. So you need to insert it into USB2.0. If you don’t know where which ones are, try inserting them into different connectors and see what works.

Now we need the laptop or computer to boot from our boot DVD disk or flash drive. Besides how to do this through the BIOS, there is a much simpler and faster option. We just call BOOT menu and there we select the media from which we want to boot.
The keys that call up the boot menu are different for each laptop, look at the picture with the table below and determine which button calls up the boot menu on your computer or laptop.

If you still want to configure the BIOS for installing Windows 7, then keep in mind two things: after the first installation stage, at the time of reboot, do not forget to remove the USB flash drive or remove the disk from DVD drive, otherwise the first installation stage will be repeated endlessly. And that after installation you will have to change it back to BIOS priority from a flash drive to your hard drive.

The BIOS window is called up by the button indicated in the same table above, slightly different for each manufacturer. Either the DEL or F2 button. Next, select the Boot tab and there we see the line Boot device Priority. We go there and put our storage media, either a flash drive or a DVD drive, in the top place, and don’t forget to go to the Exit tab and select the Exit & Save Changes line there so that all changes are saved.

That's it, our BIOS is configured for Windows installation 7. Now we boot from our flash drive or disk and install Windows 7 in semi-automatic mode, choosing our parameters.

Upon completion of the installation of win7, do not forget to activate windows 7, then install windows drivers and update the system from the Internet or from standalone package windows updates 7 SP1.

A netbook is a great thing, as long as it works, as long as Windows 7 runs on it. The real problems with all the ensuing troubles arise when you need to reinstall this very Windows 7.

Where should I put the disk? There is no DVD drive, and you don’t always want to buy an external one, although their cost is not that bad. But OUR man is different from THEIR, because he does not look for easy ways. Give us “cleaner”, “more hemorrhagic” methods, but so as not to pay anything. For those who want to save on buying a drive for a netbook, but reinstalling Windows 7 is painless, this lesson is written.

Ways to install Windows 7 from a USB flash drive at least I know 3. This article will probably not be entirely for beginners, but rather for those inquisitive minds who want to try everything in the world.

Method 1. Use the command line.

First, let's prepare the appropriate USB flash drive(flash drive) for future download and Windows 7 installations. Please note that some flash drives cannot be put into download mode:

  1. Connect a USB flash drive (flash drive) of at least 4 GB to the USB port.
  2. In the Start menu search bar, enter cmd.exe, click on the found one right click mouse and click Run as administrator
  3. Launch the disk management utility diskpart, wait for the invitation DISKPART>
  4. Execute the command list disk(displays a list of all PC drives)
  5. Are you looking for yours among them? USB disk, in my example this is Disk 2
  6. Execute the command select disk #(where # is the number of our USB drive obtained in the previous command). For our case - select disk 2. This command indicates diskpart that all further operations will be carried out with this disk.
  7. Execute the command clean(erases all data and partitions on the USB drive)
  8. Execute the command create partition primary(creating a new partition on the disk)
  9. Execute the command select partition 1(selecting a section as a further object for manipulation)
  10. Execute the command active– make the selected section active
  11. Execute the command format fs=NTFS– format the partition to the NTFS file system
  12. Execute the command assign– activate the process of connecting the device, receiving letters for the created partitions (if the autostart option is enabled, a window pops up as if you had just connected a USB drive)
  13. exit- get out of diskpart to the command line.

    14. 14) Insert your existing Windows 7 distribution into the drive, or mount the image into a virtual disk.

  14. Let's say that you have it installed in drive H:, then in command line(not in diskpart!!!) run the command:

    15. H:\Boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 I:

    H:\Boot\bootsect. exe/nt60I:

    where I: is the letter received by the newly prepared USB drive.
    This command replaces the bootloader files on disk I: with those that are necessary for Windows boot 7.
    Bit size of the base OS and Windows distribution should be the same.

  15. Copy all files from your distribution to your USB flash drive (flash drive). For this use either Windows Explorer, or the command:

    16. xcopy H: I: /s /e /h /

    xcopy H : I : / s / e / h /

      That's it, the USB drive is ready. Boot your PC from the resulting USB flash drive.

      To speed up the copying process experienced users can use the program RichCopy, she is graphical shell robocopy commands, and includes large number settings. Numerous options include sorting files by attributes and folders, error prevention, changing attributes, copy timing, editing the timestamp, setting the number of threads and the size of the cache to use.

      Method 2. Using a program from Microsoft - Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

    1. Download the program Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
    2. Install and run the program.
    3. In the first step, specify the path to your ISO file and click the button Next.
    4. Select the item in the second step USB Device
    5. Click the button in the third step Begin copying
    6. The fourth step will begin the process of creating an installation bootable flash drive.
    7. When the creation process is complete, close the program.

    and finally...

    Method 3. Using a third-party program - UltraISO.

    1. Insert your flash drive into the USB port.
    2. Open Windows ISO image UltraISO program

      3. Right-click on the ISO file and select Open using UltraISO

      In the UltraISO program in the menu File click on the item Open, select the Windows 7 image you need and click Open.

      3) After making sure that the image is open, select the item in the menu Write down image of Hard disk

    3. On the list Disk Drive :, select your flash drive in the Recording method: USB-HDD+ and press Write down.
    4. In the window that appears about the destruction of information Clue, press the button Yes. Wait for the recording to complete (5 to 20 minutes).
    5. Restart your computer without removing the flash drive from the USB port.
    6. Immediately after the restart begins, press Delete (Del) on your keyboard to get into the BIOS.
    7. Set the BIOS to boot from USB-HDD first.
    8. Save the settings and exit the BIOS. The computer will restart and begin booting from the flash drive.
    9. The installation itself is not much different from installation with bootable DVD, but there is one point. When the copying and unpacking of files is completed, and the computer reboots for the first time, you need to go to the BIOS again and set the boot priority back (from the hard drive by default) or remove the flash drive. Otherwise, it is possible that the download will start from the flash drive again.

    I hope you can install Windows 7 on your netbook from a flash drive. If not? Write, ask questions - I will help you in any way I can. Good luck to you.

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If you are the owner of a compact netbook and sincerely believe that CDs and DVDs will soon take pride of place in the museum of storage media (next to cassettes and floppy disks), you definitely need to know the answer to the question “how to install Windows 7 from a flash drive? » And not only for this reason! There are more than enough motivations to study this computer wisdom.

An installation distribution on a USB drive is, at a minimum, convenient and compact. And most importantly, it’s reliable: you don’t need to worry that due to some scratch or speck of dust, a few bits will be lost and the OS installer will fail (again, as often happens with disks).

This article discusses in detail all the steps of installing Windows 7 from a flash drive: from selecting the media to setting up the distribution.

Preparing bootable USB media

Volume installation flash drive must exceed 4GB. Since some assemblies of the “seven”, in contrast to the standard distribution, include many updates, patches, applets, integrated components (Framework, WinRAR, DirectX, etc.) Accordingly, they are larger in size.

1. Connect the flash drive to the PC.

2. Open the Start menu (the first icon on the taskbar).

3. On the right side of the menu, click Computer.

4. In the "Devices with removable media» Click on the flash drive’s shortcut.

5. Select the “Format...” command in the context submenu.

6. In the formatting settings window, in the option " File system:" install "NTFS". Necessarily! Installing Windows 7 from a flash drive is most stable and correct on this system.

7. Click the "Start" button.

8. Wait until formatting is complete.

Selecting and downloading Windows 7 distribution

To create an installation flash drive, you will need a distribution image in ISO format. It can be downloaded from specialized websites or popular torrent trackers (nnm-club.me, torrent-windows.net, etc.)

Advice! Installing Windows from a flash drive is a responsible and extremely serious matter. Success of this event guarantees comfortable and safe work on PC. Therefore, before downloading any ISO image of a system, or, simply put, an assembly, onto your computer, find out what other users think about it. Better yet, consult with IT specialists (if, of course, there is such an opportunity).

Creating a bootable USB flash drive

In addition to a formatted 6-8 GB flash drive and a Windows 7 distribution in ISO format, you will also need UltraISO program. And don’t let it bother you that this digital product paid - no need to buy it. For making bootable media The demo version of UltraISO will also work. Download it from the developer’s official website - ezbsystems.com/ultraiso/.

After downloading and installing the utility, do the following:

1. Launch UltraISO.

2. In the "File" menu, activate the "Open..." function.

3. Specify the path to the OS image:

  • go to the section/folder where it is stored;
  • select it with a mouse click;
  • click the "Open" button.

4. Open “Boot” (third section of the UltraISO main menu) and click “Burn image” hard drive… ».

5. In the settings window, in the “Recording method:” option, set the value to “USB-HDD+”, and then click the “Record” button.

6. When recording is complete, close the program. Make sure that the distribution package is installed on the flash drive (visually view its contents; do not edit or change anything!)

Installing Windows 7 from a USB flash drive

Before installing windows from a flash drive , transfer from the system partition (drive C on which the OS is installed) data that is valuable to you (photos, videos, game saves) to logical partition(to drive D or E). Otherwise, they will be destroyed during the installation process.

So, to install windows 7 from a flash drive:

1. Restart your PC and hold down the F8 key until the display shows the boot selection ( Select boot device).

Attention! On your PC, this function can be activated by another key (for example F12, F2). Please check this specification in the manufacturer's data sheet.

2. Using the cursor keys, highlight the “USB” item in the menu (boot from a flash drive). Press the "ENTER" key.

4. In the "Windows Installation" window, click on system partition(on which the OS will be installed). In its column, in the “Type” column, there should be the value “System”.

5. Check again that the settings are correct! And only then launch the “Format” function.

Upon completion of the installation - after the PC automatically reboots - you can begin installing the software.

That's all the instructions, dear reader! As a result of minor efforts, you have a self-made bootable USB flash drive and a “fresh” Windows 7 on your PC. What's bad?!

The Windows installation process can hardly be called something complicated. However, there are many myths circulating among PC users about this incredibly difficult process. If installation operating system from a disk may seem like something traditional, but performing exactly the same actions from a flash drive terrifies many. Mainly due to simple ignorance that the USB input can be used as a full replacement for a CD\DVD drive. There can be a huge number of reasons for this:

  • Initial lack of a disk drive (netbook, ultrabook).
  • Drive failure.
  • Disk failure.
  • Infection with a virus that prevents the device from reading disks, etc.

Having and installing Windows from a so-called bootable USB flash drive can be a complete replacement boot disk. As a rule, the win 7 installation process consists of several main steps:

  • Preparing the computer for installing the operating system.
  • Preparing a USB drive.
  • Changing BIOS settings.
  • Installation of the operating system itself.


Each stage has its own nuances and features. Therefore, we strongly recommend that before you start installing Win 7, you read the article carefully to the end, or better yet, print it out or download it to your mobile device.

Installing Windows may be complete or partial. It depends on what goals you plan to achieve by reinstalling it. Full formats both of your disks (the one on which the OS is located and other additional ones) if you have them, of course. Partial allows you to reinstall only system files. Helps if you accidentally deleted system files or folders (for example, win 32 or *. dll files), but you simply don’t have the time or ability to transfer all the information from your computer.

In any case, before installing the operating system from a disk or flash drive, always reset important information to other media or cloud services. If you plan to perform a partial installation of Windows (and you have 2 disks, “C” and “D”), you can move all the important information to a disk that is not a system one. This is quite easy to do.

How to find out which drive the OS is installed on

To understand which of your system drives the operating system is installed on, just open the Start menu and launch “My Computer”. Or go to your computer settings from the shortcut on your desktop. After you start the “computer”, you will see everything hard drives, which you have, as well as connected flash drives. Where Windows is installed, a small win icon will be drawn.

If for some reason this method does not work, then there is another way to find out the location of the OS on the computer. To do this:


To avoid this need in the future, try to install the operating system on the “C” drive, and also create an additional directory for storing files.

Copying files

After you have determined which of your drives is the system drive, you can, if necessary, copy all your information to an additional drive (in my case, it is drive “D”). It is advisable to carry out this procedure in advance before installing Windows. Especially if you have a habit of not organizing your files. Therefore, immediately check the main directories related to system disk C, by default it refers to:

  1. Desk.
  2. Library (images, documents).

If you are going to perform a partial reinstallation of wines, then create additional disk new folder and copy everything there important files(don't try to copy installed programs, they still won't work!). If the installation of Windows from a flash drive is complete, then copy your data to other USB drives, external hard drives and cloud services.

The main thing a computer is used for is storing information. Therefore, the most important thing here may be saved passwords, details, and so on. Don't forget to write down all important logins and passwords (as well as files for WebMoney works Keeper) from browsers after all reinstalling windows this information cannot be returned. Of course, if your computer is completely new and you just want to install another Windows version, then it obviously won’t contain important information.

Driver preparation

The next point that also needs to be taken into account before installing Windows is the availability of all the necessary drivers. As a rule, some of them are located in the operating system distribution itself and are installed along with Windows. Sometimes it happens that they are installed incorrectly or are completely absent in the installation package(it is assumed that the user has a disk with all the necessary drivers).

The main thing that needs to be provided is the presence of a fresh network driver. It is necessary for correct operation Internet and Wi-Fi adapter. Therefore, it is not necessary to download absolutely all drivers to an additional disk or flash drive. If you have a network driver, you can easily download the rest from the Internet.

Preparing USB media and BIOS

The stage of preparing a flash drive for installing wines represents its immediate creation. As a rule, this is a rather long and labor-intensive process with many nuances. It includes:

Therefore, this article assumes that you have already created a bootable USB flash drive and are ready to install Windows itself. However, to start this process, it is not enough to simply insert a flash drive into a USB port.

Default BIOS settings displayed in such a way that, if available, disk drive disk, the computer booted from it. If, at the time Windows boots into USB input there is a flash card, this fact is ignored by the system, and loading occurs as usual. To start installing Windows from a USB flash drive, you need to change these settings.

How to enter BIOS

To change the device boot priority, just go into the BIOS and set required parameters. To do this:

  • Insert your bootable USB flash drive into the USB port.
  • Restart your computer.
  • Immediately after the screen turns on, press the button to enter the BIOS settings (most often this is delete).

If you did everything correctly, you will see the BIOS main menu. It looks something like this:

If you pressed the delete button several times, but the BIOS did not appear, then perhaps your laptop or computer model uses a different default key to call up this menu. To find out exactly how to enter the BIOS from your computer, use the search or random dialing method (try the F2, F12, Escape, etc. buttons).

Changing BIOS settings

After you manage to get into the BIOS, you need to change the boot order of the devices. Management in this menu carried out using the “arrows”, the “confirm” key - “enter”, back - backspace or escape. Once you open the BIOS, the control buttons will be marked on the screen.

The next thing you might notice when you get into the BIOS is that it is not Russified. Therefore, to change the boot priority of devices, you will need to know the simplest terms in English that will help you find and correctly change the necessary parameters. So follow these steps:


After you correct the necessary parameters, you can exit the BIOS menu. However, do not forget to save all changes made. Therefore, when exiting, be sure to select Save and Exit. After this, your computer is completely ready to install Windows from a USB flash drive. However, you still have time to copy some files or work on your computer.

Installation does not occur

Once you have prepared the BIOS, the USB flash drive and the computer itself, you can start installing win 7. To do this, insert the bootable USB flash drive into the USB port and reboot the device. An inscription should appear on the screen prompting you to press any button to boot the system from a flash drive or disk. If similar loading screen did not appear and the computer started as usual, then perhaps you configured the BIOS incorrectly, or forgot to save the changes you made. Therefore, open the BIOS again, and then make the necessary changes again. If you are sure that you have configured the BIOS correctly, then the problem may lie in the image itself, the flash drive, or even a malfunction USB port. In this case, you may need another USB storage or wine distribution.

Installing Windows 7

After the required loading screen appears, follow the system’s recommendations and press any button to continue the installation.

It should be immediately noted here that depending on the version and build of your operating distribution win systems, the setting of different parameters may be slightly different. There may be additional settings or the absence of those that will be mentioned in the article. In any case, don't worry about it. If you encounter such a situation, just carefully read the information that win offers you to choose and mark the parameters you need. As a rule, for such cases, the Windows 7 system explains that in the future all the parameters you select can be changed or offers a choice of “default” settings (if you don’t know what to choose).

The first thing you will be asked to select is the operating system interface language, date and time settings, and keyboard layout. After selecting the settings you need, click the “next” button.

Let's start the installation

An information screen will appear on which you can familiarize yourself in detail with the procedure for reinstalling win 7, after which you can click “install”.

The Windows 7 installation wizard will prompt you to select one of the operating system versions. It all depends on which image distribution you copied to the flash drive. If you originally downloaded win 7 from the Internet Home Edition or Professional, this window will not appear. If you have downloaded a collection of various packages, then from the list select the one for which you have license key(you can find it in a laptop box or on back cover). If you cannot find it or are in doubt, you can enter this information later, within 30 days. Therefore, choose required version and click "next".

Read the text in detail license agreement, accept its terms and continue the installation by clicking “next”.

Win 7 will prompt you to select an installation type:

  • Partial (updating system files, saving information on an additional drive “D”).
  • Complete (all user information will be permanently erased).

Depending on the purpose of installation, choose desired item. If you are in doubt about making a decision, you can read more detailed information in the "decision aid" menu. In principle further actions won't be much different. The article assumes full installation Win 7, then we will consider the parameters that are equivalent for the selected “full installation” item.

Then you will be asked to select the disk on which the Windows 7 operating system will be installed. Select the desired one with the right mouse button and click on the “disk settings” line.

Select the partition in which Windows 7 will be installed and click “Disk Setup”. If you have never installed an operating system, then this is where you may have difficulties.

Hard drive setup

Usually, in addition to the main disk partitions that are visible to the user (the so-called drives C, D, etc.), there are so-called hidden sections. This is especially common with new laptop models. Usually the so-called recovery system, which allows you to return the operating system settings to factory settings. There may also be a special section created by win 7. It is necessary for data encryption settings system settings. Therefore, it is better not to change this parameter during OS installation. And if the need arises, then change it using third-party utilities.

In the same “disk setup” menu, format each partition.

This procedure will remove all custom settings. But since you have previously saved all the important information, this procedure is absolutely not scary. The data formatting procedure must be carried out in mandatory. Therefore, we confirm the removal of all data from the computer.

After the system completes the removal, you can exit the disk settings menu and click “next”. It will begin automatic installation Win 7.

Configuring operating system settings

After the system finishes installing Windows 7, you will be prompted to enter the computer name and username.

Here you can also configure other administration settings (password, additional accounts).

Then you will be asked to enter the license key (depending on the distribution build, this item may be missing altogether). You can also skip this step and install a trial win version 7 and enter the activation key within 30 days.

Now select settings windows security. Let's celebrate the most top line, automatically check and install updates.

The next item is setting the date and time (time zone). Here you can enable or disable automatic transition systems for summer or winter time. Plus, you can always change your time zone settings at any time.

If the win 7 distribution had built-in network drivers, the computer will automatically detect your network connection and prompt you to select security settings. Otherwise, this window simply will not appear.

After you have checked all the parameters you need, the installation of Windows 7 from a flash drive can be considered successfully completed. You can immediately start working on your computer, as well as download and install everything necessary drivers and programs.