Want to install Windows 7 on your calculator without an optical drive? Perhaps you're using a laptop without a congenital-in DVD drive, or even an sometime netbook or Windows tablet. Whatever the case, you'll need to make a USB installation disk.

You can practise this without any extra software, or y'all tin can use tools provided past Microsoft and third parties.

Note: Despite the legacy that Windows 7 left backside, it's time to upgrade to Windows 10! With Windows 11 on the way, Windows 7 isn't desirable every bit a personal operating system. Withal, for older hardware, or for those who but like Windows seven, read on.

Two Ways to Make a Bootable USB Windows 7 Installation Disk

You have 2 choices for making a bootable USB drive that tin can install Windows 7.

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

Let's take a wait at each option.

What Yous'll Demand to Install Windows seven From a USB Drive

Without an optical bulldoze on the target estimator, installing Windows 7 every bit your preferred operating system is impossible. Only if yous accept the original installation media and a USB wink drive, you tin can make it piece of work.

To get started, yous'll demand:

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

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

The post-obit steps can exist completed on a Windows 7 computer. However, they're almost the same whatever operating system you're using, including Windows 10.

1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt

To kickoff, insert your USB wink bulldoze in your main PC---the i with the optical drive. Yous should also insert the Windows 7 installation DVD.

Click Outset > All Programs > Accessories and correct-click on Command Prompt. Select Run Every bit Administrator. Of form, you need to be able to cosign equally the administrator on the PC you're using.

On Windows 10, click Showtime then type "command". Right-click the first result and select Run equally administrator.

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

          diskpart

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

          list disk

One of the drives listed volition be your USB drive. You lot'll probably be able to spot it based on the bulldoze's chapters. Make a annotation of the disk number of the USB drive.

screenshot of disk part in windows 10

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

Next, segmentation the disk. Begin past selecting the disk and cleaning information technology.

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

          select deejay            #            
make clean

Yous tin then create a new segmentation.

          create division primary
select partition one

Brand the segmentation agile, then format as NTFS:

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

Next, issue the unmarried command to set the disk as drive E:

          assign letter e

Finally, leave the DiskPart tool.

                      get out

The USB flash bulldoze is at present ready for Windows seven's installation files.

two. Make Your Windows seven USB Bootable

The format step may have some fourth dimension, depending on your calculator'south specification.

In the control prompt type

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

(This assumes D: is your DVD drive with the install DVD inserted, and yous named E: your USB bulldoze. This may differ on your PC, so check before entering the control.)

This will make your USB drive bootable.

iii. Copy Windows 7 Installation Files to the USB Bulldoze

The final step tin be washed from My Reckoner. Just open up the installation DVD, highlight everything, and drag it beyond to the USB bulldoze.

This can also take a while. When consummate, you should exist all set. Insert the USB disk into your new PC, then enter the BIOS to adjust the kick order. Your target computer may even have the Cull Kick Device option during start-up.

If you want a simpler solution to installing Windows seven from a bootable USB bulldoze, try Microsoft's defended, downloadable tool.

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

Download: Windows 7 USB Download Tool

The main download is merely 2.8MB in size, then this should consummate quickly. While you expect, insert your USB flash bulldoze into your main PC. A 4GB drive should exist big enough.

Meanwhile, you'll also demand an ISO version of Windows 7. Similar the USB Download Tool, these files are no longer easily accessible from Microsoft's official servers. Below are 2 versions hosted on archive.org.

Download: Windows 7 Ultimate Edition

Download: Windows vii Professional Edition

Note: You will nevertheless need a valid production key to activate these products!

While you wait for the download, install the installer tool, then launch from the Start menu.

You'll be prompted to find the ISO image file for Windows 7. Detect the ISO file on your hard disk drive, then click Side by side.

screenshot of the windows 7 usb dvd download tool

Here, select USB device for the media blazon you plan to create. In the adjacent screen, utilize the dropdown menu to select the USB drive, then Brainstorm Copying. Look while the process completes.

When the bar reaches 100%, you'll spot some condition information. Any issues that occurred are listed hither. If you need another bootable USB Windows 7 installation disk, click First Over to repeat the procedure.

Otherwise, click the X in the top-right corner to close, before safely ejecting your USB disk. Information technology is now ready to install Windows vii on a suitable computer of your choice.

It's Piece of cake to Create a Windows 7 USB Installation Deejay

If you've been stuck trying to go an operating arrangement set on your erstwhile laptop or netbook, y'all'll be relieved to see how simple information technology really is. Indeed, Windows 7 and later already have the tools built in to aid you make a bootable USB installer.

Failing that, you can take the simple pick by grabbing Microsoft'south own USB installer tool for Windows seven and later. And if you love the portability of the USB drive, be sure to check out all the other portable apps you tin can put on 1 too.