Bootable flash. Create a bootable USB drive
Hello, our dear visitors and regular readers. A bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7 is simply irreplaceable. Today, on the Internet there are a huge number of articles that explain the image of Windows 7. Many of them contain redundant information, and many are already outdated. How to create a bootable USB flash drive for this operating system? offers a simple and convenient solution that will help you install Windows 7 on any computer or laptop using a flash drive.
Creating a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive from ISO
In fact, creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 is very simple. All you need to do is download a special program that allows you to create a bootable USB flash drive from an ISO image. Moreover, it does not matter at all what version of the Windows 7 operating system you have (Starter, Home, Professional or Ultimate).
This utility was developed by Microsoft itself and allows you to burn an image of Windows 7 to a flash drive or DVD. What do you need to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7?
- ISO image of the Windows 7 operating system.
- A program for creating a bootable USB flash drive.
- Flash drive with a capacity of 4 gigabytes. If your image is larger than 4 GB, then you will need a larger flash drive. Moreover.
Let's look at the step-by-step creation of a bootable USB flash drive from iso using the program, which can be downloaded from this link.
Have you downloaded it? Let's look point by point at a few simple steps that will help us make a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7. Install the program on your computer or laptop and run it.
Step one. A program window will appear in front of us in which we need to select the ISO image of Windows 7.
Step two. In the second step, we need to indicate what exactly we want to receive - a flash drive or DVD with an image of Windows 7. Feel free to select “USB device” and move on to the next item in the program.
Step three. Using the program menu item, select the desired flash drive. As we wrote above, the flash drive must be of the appropriate size.
The program will ask you to confirm erasing all information on the flash drive onto which the Windows 7 image will be written.
Step four. After your confirmation, the creation of a bootable USB flash drive will begin.
Everything, as you can see, making a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive is absolutely easy. Fortunately, Microsoft itself provided a wonderful tool for creating it.
Since almost no one uses CDs and DVDs these days, it is logical that it is best to burn the Windows image for further installation onto a USB drive. This approach is indeed much more convenient, because the flash drive itself is much smaller and is very convenient to store in your pocket. Therefore, we will analyze all the most efficient methods for creating bootable media for further installation of Windows.
For reference: creating bootable media means that an operating system image is written to it. From this very drive, the OS is subsequently installed on the computer. Previously, when reinstalling the system, we inserted a disk into the computer and installed it from it. Now you can use a regular USB drive for this.
To do this, you can use proprietary Microsoft software, the already installed operating system itself, or other programs. In any case, the creation process is not difficult at all. Even a novice user can cope with it.
All the methods described below assume that you already have a downloaded ISO image of the operating system on your computer, which you will write to a flash drive. So, if you haven't downloaded the OS yet, do so. You must also have suitable removable media. Its volume should be sufficient to accommodate the image you downloaded. At the same time, some files may still be stored on the drive; it is not necessary to delete them. All the same, during the recording process, all information will be irretrievably erased.
Method 1: Use UltraISO
There is a detailed description of this program on our website, so we will not describe how to use it. There is also a link where you can download it. To create a bootable USB flash drive using Ultra ISO, do the following:
If any problems arise during recording, errors appear, most likely the problem is in a damaged image. But if you downloaded the program from the official website, no difficulties should arise.
Method 2: Rufus
Another very convenient program that allows you to very quickly create bootable media. To use it, follow these steps:
It is worth saying that Rufus has other settings and recording options, but they can be left as they are originally. If you wish, you can check the box "Check for bad blocks" and indicate the number of passes. Thanks to this, after recording, the installation flash drive will be checked for damaged parts. If any are detected, the system will automatically correct them.
If you understand what MBR and GPT are, you can also indicate this feature of the future image under the inscription “Partition scheme and system interface type”. But doing all this is completely optional.
Method 3: Windows USB/DVD Download Tool
After the release of Windows 7, developers from Microsoft decided to create a special tool that allows you to make a bootable USB flash drive with an image of this operating system. This is how a program called . Over time, management decided that this utility could well provide recording for other operating systems. Today, this utility allows you to record Windows 7, Vista and XP. Therefore, for those who want to make media with Linux or another system other than Windows, this tool is not suitable.
To use it, follow these steps:
Method 4: Windows Installation Media Creation Tool
Microsoft specialists have also created a special tool that allows you to install on a computer or create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7, 8 and 10. The Windows Installation Media Creation Tool is most convenient for those who decide to record an image of one of these systems. To use the program, do the following:
In the same tool, but for Windows 10, this process will look slightly different. First, check the box next to the inscription "Create installation media for another computer". Click "Further".
But then everything is exactly the same as in the Windows Installation Media Creation Tool for version 8.1. As for the seventh version, the process there is no different from that shown above for 8.1.
Method 5: UNetbootin
This tool is intended for those who need to create a bootable Linux USB flash drive from Windows. To use it, do this:
Method 6: Universal USB Installer
Universal USB Installer allows you to burn images of Windows, Linux and other operating systems to drives. But it is best to use this tool for Ubuntu and other similar operating systems. To use this program, do the following:
Hello, friends! Today we’ll talk again about creating a bootable USB flash drive.
How to create a bootable USB device? For what purposes should I use it and what program should I use to record it?
A brief overview of the five most popular and free programs for creating a bootable USB flash drive.
Modern developments do not stand still, and yesterday's technologies are slowly but surely losing their relevance. So the once popular CDs and DVDs no longer seem like such a clear solution for storing, transferring and working with information. High data reading speed, versatility and reusability are just a small part of all the advantages of a flash drive as a bootable medium over disks. Already today, almost all personal computers and laptops, if they are no more than ten years old, support the ability to boot from USB devices. And in some cases (for example, a netbook), a flash drive may be the only boot device from an external drive.
By the way, the new Windows 10 operating system will be the first axis, the distribution of which will be officially distributed on a USB drive. And if you suddenly need to recover files from a flash drive, read about it. I also recommend paying attention to, which will help you take your mind off everyday work and lift your spirits.
With the help of additional software, a flash drive can be used not only as a boot device for installing, reinstalling and restoring the operating system, but also to create an emergency device (Multiboot). This is a kind of resuscitator, a tool from which you can boot at any time and cure your computer of viruses, restore system files or save important data. I described how to create such a flash drive resuscitator in the article “Creating a bootable Live CD/DVD/USB device and its use.” You can read this article.
Despite all the obvious advantages and the growing popularity of a flash drive as a boot device, there are not so many programs for creating it. Nevertheless, they exist, and today I will introduce you to them in more detail, but first a few words about the preparatory stage.
Preparing a flash drive
We will need the flash drive itself, plus knowledge of some important aspects. First, you need to make sure that your computer supports booting from USB devices. There is a misconception that if in the bios (boot section) there is no option to select boot from usb (there are only floppi, hdd and dvd-rom options), then boot from usb is not supported. This is wrong!
More precisely, this is not always the case. The only correct solution is to refer to the manual (user manual) of your motherboard or using specialized software (AIDA64 as an option) to obtain a detailed report on the hardware used.
The second point is the size of the flash drive. Here everything will depend on what we write on it. For example, to create a Live-USB, Linux or Windows 7 installation disk, a 4 GB flash drive is enough. To create a bootable device with the latest versions of Windows, it is advisable to have a flash drive of at least 8 GB on hand.
The third point is transferring files from a flash drive. Typically, the process of creating a boot device involves completely formatting it. If there are important files on the flash drive, transfer them to another device in advance. To create a bootable USB flash drive and then work with it as a boot device, use the USB-2.0 port (Windows 7 does not support USB 3.0).
How to create a bootable USB flash drive
Let's look at five different methods using five free programs for Windows as an example.
A small but quite functional utility with the self-explanatory name WinSetupFromUSB. Equally well suited for recording a bootable and/or multiboot flash drive (up to 10 operating systems) and creating Live devices. Official site .
Among the shortcomings is the lack of support for the Russian language. Among the advantages, as I already said, is its versatility. The utility can work not only with Windows distributions, but is also suitable for burning an installation disk with Linux.
The usual option for creating a bootable flash drive, for example, with a Windows distribution, involves selecting the flash drive itself, the option to automatically format the media, and the ISO image of the operating system in the appropriate boxes. The recording process starts after pressing the “Go” button. You can read more about how this program works.
To create a multiboot flash drive (several OS), you need to specify the path to the ISO images of the operating systems. At the time of writing this article, the Windows 10 selection item is missing by default, but in reality everything is written and works, you just need to select the appropriate box with the available versions - Vista, 7, 8.
2. Rufus
Perhaps the simplest solution for creating bootable USB drives. Everything is simple and intuitive. Suitable for working on systems that do not have an installed OS. Official site rufus.akeo.ie.
The main advantages are speed, simple interface, Russian language. An excellent solution if you need to create a bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive with UEFI support. By the way, I wrote in detail about how to do this in.
Distributed in the format of a regular installer and a portable version. To create a bootable USB flash drive, in the utility window you need to specify the path to the ISO image to be written and click the “Start” button.
On new systems that use UEFI instead of BIOS, set the Partition Scheme and System Interface Type menu to GPT for computers with UEFI.
In other cases, the default settings will be sufficient. The option to format a flash drive is assigned by default.
3. Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
This utility is an official application from Microsoft. The interface is minimalistic, simple and clear, it is easy to work with. Download from the official website wudt.codeplex.com.
Perhaps the name of the utility (Windows 7 USB) will mislead many that with its help you can only write the Windows 7 distribution to removable media. However, this is not the case. In addition to the seventh version, Windows 8.1 and 10 distributions can be stored on a flash drive.
The downside is that the utility is not Russified, but the simple and intuitive interface is designed to offset this drawback.
All that is required from the user is to insert a USB drive in advance, select an ISO image with the operating system and specify the path to the media (flash drive) to which this image should be deployed.
The operating principle of this program is based on standard tools of the Windows operating system - these are “diskpart”, “bootsect /nt60”, unpacking ISO onto a flash drive. The program acts only as a graphical interface.
UltraISO is one of the best and most functional programs for working with disk images. A universal “harvester” that supports work with almost any known formats. Can work in tandem with Nero Burning Rom and integrates with virtual emulators. It will help if the boot disk image is not in ISO format.
The program can convert other image formats into ISO files - NRG, MDF, MDS, IMG, CCD, etc. With UltraISO you can edit ISO files without unpacking them. The UltraISO interface has been translated into many languages, including Russian. For downloading, you are offered several editions of UltraISO, adapted for individual versions of Windows, as well as a portable version of the program. Download link www.ezbsystems.com.
By and large, the program does not care what boot devices will be created with its help, with what operating system, what software and from what manufacturer. The ISO image to be burned must be opened in the program window either using the Open command in the File menu or using the browse button on the toolbar. This can also be done using the Ctrl + O key combination.
Then in the window that appears, if the program automatically selects the desired flash drive, you should click the “Burn” button.
Daemon Tools Ultra is a professional tool for working with images. The program itself is familiar to many users from the free Lite version, which allows you to mount virtual drives for reading disk images. Its more functional version - Daemon Tools Ultra - offers, among other features, the creation of boot devices.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting that it is paid, but to create a bootable flash drive, you can download a free 20-day trial version on the program’s official website. Official website of the program.
Go to the official website and download the program. During installation (installation), you need to select a trial license type.
The program works with a huge number of disk image formats and can be used both to create a boot device with subsequent installation of the operating system, and to restore it (Live disk).
To create a bootable flash drive, in the main window of Daemon Tools Ultra, select the “Tools” menu item, and among its commands is “Write bootable image to USB”. Or the hotkey combination Ctrl+B.
In the recording parameters window, specify the path to the image, enable the MBR overwrite option and click “Start”.
When the flash drive is ready, all that remains is to boot from it. The easiest way is to use the boot menu keys. The table below shows a clear example of such keys.
Of course, this is not the entire list of programs designed to create bootable devices, but for the vast majority of users, the capabilities and functionality of the listed software will be sufficient.
For example, the Rufus program can be used as the simplest and fastest tool for creating a bootable USB drive with one Windows distribution or for flashing BIOS from DOS.
Hello everyone, I continue the series of articles about bootable USB media. In the last episode I told and showed in four different ways.
There will be a lot of interesting things, so read the article to the end, repeat all the simple steps and you will have your own multi-boot usb device. At the end of the article I recorded and posted a detailed video lesson on this topic.
Perhaps some of you will think that the information is very chewed up, but not all people understand computers, and even more so in matters of creating such portable USB devices.
In today's review:
- Preparations
- Creating a bootable USB flash drive
- Adding Windows XP and Windows 7
- Copying files and utilities
- Adding required programs
- Kaspersky Rescue Disk
- Doctor Web Live CD
- Working with a graphical boot list
- Changing and creating a background image
The last point is optional, since the image will already be by default.
Preparations
The entire process will take a different amount of time for each person. If all the program distributions and images are already at your fingertips, then you will need much less of it. If you are making a bootable or multiboot flash drive for the first time, it can take a lot of time. So get ready and be patient, we'll need it today.
The first question that may arise in your mind is: What kind of flash drive should I buy? To create a regular multiboot flash drive with a minimum set of programs, 1 Gigabyte should be enough.
If you want to add operating system distributions, hard disk programs, boot shells, utilities for changing passwords and programs for treating your computer from viruses. It is advisable to have a USB drive with a capacity of 8 GB or more on hand.
In the examples, I will have an 8 GB flash drive, you may have a different size, or even a portable USB hard drive.
If you have any data on your usb device, then save it somewhere else as we will be formatting our usb storage device.
Create a bootable USB flash drive
To create a multiboot flash drive we will need additional software. There are many programs for creating multiboot devices, but unfortunately most of them are in English.
I decided to use the MultiBoot USB program, which is in Russian. It’s more pleasant to work with; anyone who gets confused or doesn’t understand something can use the instructions for use.
To unpack this archive you will need the 7Zip program. Perhaps your archiver programs will not be able to open some of the archives presented in this review, then I recommend using 7Zip.
After downloading the program, install it on your computer. A “MultiBoot USB” shortcut should appear on your desktop.
We go into it and a small menu opens in front of us with a characteristic welcome sound like on Windows, with 7 seven tabs.
Formatting a flash drive
We connect the pre-prepared flash drive to the computer and format it. Go to the first menu item HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool.
The formatting utility starts, under the word Device we indicate our flash drive. I have this Chipsbnk UDisk, volume (7800 MB), you may have a different designation and size.
Select a file system. If you have a flash drive with a capacity of up to 4 gigabytes, you can install
In the Format options, check the box next to Quick Format, thereby indicating quick formatting and click Start.
We are asked, do you really want to start the formatting process, we answer Yes. This process shouldn't take much time.
After the program formats the flash drive, the following HPUSBFW window will appear, in which we click OK.
If an error appears - the device is being used by another program, use normal formatting.
You can also format a portable USB device using Windows. Go to My Computer >>> right-click on the flash drive >>> Format >>> Quick (cleaning table of contents) >>> Start.
Warning window - click OK.
The following window may appear - This disk is being used by another program or process. Click Yes to format it.
This message may appear after the flash drive is already bootable. In the first steps of creating a multiboot USB device, such a window should not appear.
Installing the bootloader
The Grub4Dos Installer 1.1 window appears. In the top Disk Name tab, put a dot next to Disk, indicate the usb device and click Install.
I have two disks on my computer, this is the main 2 terabyte hard drive and an 8 GB flash drive, we select the second one. This program will install the bootloader on our device.
When choosing a disk, be sure to select your flash drive; if you make a mistake and select the main hard drive on which the operating system is installed, Windows will not start the next time you turn on your computer.
When the operation is complete, the The MBR/BS has been successfully installed window should appear. To continue please click
Adding operating system distributions
Let's move on to the fourth point WinSetup From USB.
I will add two operating systems Windows XP and Windows 7 to the flash drive. You can add others by clicking on the appropriate items.
Windows XP
If you do not have a disk image with the operating system distribution, you can find it yourself on the Internet. I can suggest downloading the licensed product Windows XP Prof SP3.
Then we mount the operating system disk image into a virtual drive, I will use the Daemon Tools program, you may have a different one.
We mount Windows XP Home, you can use Windows XP Professional.
Click on WinSetup From USB, which will help us copy the distribution files of the required operating systems.
In the window that appears, select the desired portable usb device and check the box next to Windows 2000/XP/2003 Setup.
Click the browse button (three dots) and select a disk image prepared in advance and already mounted in the virtual drive. Mine is a BD-rom drive (H:), yours may be different.
We are waiting for completion, at the end a small window should appear with the inscription Job done - the work is done.
This process took me about 20 minutes.
Windows 7
If you do not have a disk or image of the seven, then you can download Windows 7 from the link below:
In order to add Windows 7 or Windows 8 to our flash drive, you need to do almost everything the same as for Windows XP, only when you select Add to USB disk: you need to check the box next to Vista / 7 / Server - 2008 Setup / PE / Recovery ISO .
Select the mounted disk image, start the process and wait for it to complete.
Making a multiboot flash drive
We return to MultiBoot USB and go to the fifth point: Copying files and utilities.
The multiboot flash drive window opens, click the browse button.
Select our portable USB device and click OK.
Then click the Extract button to begin the file copying process.
A small file replacement confirmation window appears, replace the existing usbdrive.tag file, click Yes for all.
We perform the same action for all subsequent files that we are asked to replace.
If you want to see what came out of this, then go to the fourth item WinSetup From USB, click the button
This is what your boot menu should look like.
There are points here that need to be edited a little, and some that need to be removed altogether.
Adding the necessary program images
I decided to remove Symantec Ghost and Windows XPE - full version, since I do not need them, but we will return to this later.
First of all, let's add images of the following programs that are on the list, namely Acronis, Windows XPE - mini version and Windows 7PE - mini version. You can download images of these three programs from the links below:
Now you have downloaded all three images, now we need to replace the empty files with working images. To do this, go to the multiboot flash drive, to the folder
Alternatively, you can not delete them, but simply replace them with working images, but to do this, the downloaded file Acronis Disk Director 11 Acronis Home 2011 - LiveUSB must be renamed Acronis.iso.
I put these three images in a separate folder in advance, so that later I could copy and paste them on a flash drive in a folder
You can also check the box below - Do this for the next two conflicts, thereby all three image files will be replaced with working ones.
ERD Commander
Now I propose to add a useful program, ERD Commander, to a multiboot USB device for changing passwords in operating systems of the Windows family.
Why does she need it you ask me? I'll answer you. ERD Commander can be used if you forget the password for your Windows account. Boot with this utility, select the desired operating system and change the password.
Especially for you, I found on the Internet a set of ERD Commander programs that work in Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8.
After downloading the program image, copy it and paste it onto the flash drive in the folder
Boot disk from Doctor Web
Surely each of you or someone you know has encountered the problem of viruses, various banners and similar hacker things. So, if your operating system does not boot or you cannot log into Windows, then I recommend using a boot disk from Doctor Web.
With it, you can boot into and scan your computer for viruses, even if you cannot log into Windows normally.
To do this, we need to go to the official website of the Web (I call it Doctor MOM), go to the Download section >>> Treatment utilities >>> Dr.Web Live CD and download the image to your computer. Anti-virus databases are updated daily.
We downloaded the image, okay, now we need to rename it from
Then we also copy the renamed image to the flash drive in the folder
Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10
Everyone has heard that there is Kaspersky anti-virus, some of you have used it or are still using it. I like and am quite satisfied with this antivirus, so I have been using it for more than 5 years.
Kaspersky also has a Windows emergency recovery disk, just like Doctor Web. It is called Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10, its anti-virus databases are updated regularly, so Kaspersky can help you if viruses appear on your computer and logging into the system is not possible.
Download the image, rename it from
We go to the root of the flash drive, create a new folder in it and call it
Then copy the renamed image
That's not all. We return to the root of our portable usb device and create a new text document in it.
Rename<Новый текстовый документ.txt>V
Removing the extension<.txt>and press enter.
We are warned that after changing the extension the file may not be accessible, click<Да>.
Working with the graphical boot menu
Now we have finally added all the necessary programs and file images to our bootable USB flash drive. Now we need to edit the graphical boot menu that will appear when selecting our distributions, programs and utilities.
Go to the flash drive, go to the root, find the file
Just in case, I’ll show you how to open the menu sheet using Notepad if you don’t have Notepad++. Right click on the file
The The file could not be opened window appears. We put a point near<Выбор программы из списка установленных программ>and press
If it is not there, then you need to double-click on Other programs or on the right on the small downward pointer.
In the list that appears, find Notepad or WordPad, select it and click OK.
I'm used to working through convenient
A list of all items appears in front of us, which is displayed in the graphical menu of our bootable USB device.
First of all, I propose to remove (delete) the unnecessary and unnecessary items mentioned earlier, Symantec Ghost and Windows XPE - full version.
The unnecessary stuff has been removed, now I propose to edit our list in accordance with the contents of our flash drive. Depending on the names of the images on the usb device, you need to rename these names in the menu sheet, that is, make them the same for everything to work.
I will write the names of my images, you may have others, but remember one thing, if you make a mistake in even one letter, the required distribution or program will not start.
Previously, we added distributions of the Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems through the WinSetup From USB utility. We find the corresponding items in our menu and change their names to new ones.
Windows 7 all
In my case I clean
Windows XP Home
Then we will rename the name of the Windows XP bootloader. Currently in the menu sheet<Установка Microsoft Windows XP SP3 x86 — Русская версия>.
In order to see the name of your image, just go to the folder on the flash drive
There will be a disk image and its name, which we wrote above in the list menu.
ERD Commander
We also inserted an image of the ERD Commander program; we need to add an entry about it to our download list.
To do this, copy the entry from Acronis, change the name to ERD Commander and the two paths of the image file to
Doctor Web
With Doctor Web everything will be a little more complicated. Paste the following text into the sheet menu:
title Dr.Web LiveCD - anti-virus utility
partnew (%@root:~1.3%,3) 0x00 /Boot/drweb.iso
map /Boot/drweb.iso (0xff)
map --hook
cat --skip=85 (0xff)/boot/config | set ID=
kernel (0xff)/boot/vmlinuz %ID% root=/dev/ram0 init=/linuxrc init_opts=4 quiet vga=791 splash=silent,theme:drweb CONSOLE=/dev/tty1 BOOT_LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8
initrd (0xff)/boot/initrd
And place it in any place convenient for you on our download list.
Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10
In order for the Kaspersky utility to work, you also need to insert special text, which I posted below:
title Download Kav Rescue 10 – Disaster Recovery Utility
map (hd0,0)/rescue/rescue.iso (hd32) || map --mem (hd0,0)/rescue/rescue.iso (hd32)
map --hook
root (hd32)
chainloader (hd32)
We also place it in any place we like on the menu list.
So we edited the file
If you want to change the name of the items to your own, then in the line