How To Install Windows 7 With Windows 8

Physical DVD drives are condign a matter of the past as the size of our PCs continue shrink and new form factors are emerging. Microsoft distributes Windows 7 and Windows 8 on physical discs or images of DVDs called ISO files that are typically burned to physical media. This has get problem every bit a number of laptops and tablet PCs no longer ship with DVD drives. The best fashion to install Windows on these devices is to use a USB wink bulldoze that contains the Windows installation files. Every bit an extra benefit, modern USB flash drives are typically much faster than DVDs resulting in a quick install.

Earlier we get started you lot volition need:

Windows 7 or Windows 8 ISO file and WinRAR or a burned DVD with the install source files
4 GB USB flash drive for Windows 7. Yous may need a 8 GB USB flash bulldoze for some Windows 8 images.

Choice 1 - The Manual Method

1. Preparing the USB flash drive

Allow'south get started. First we need to format the USB flash drive to erase whatever existing data on the drive. Click on the Get-go Button and then Estimator to bring up your drives.

Next, correct click on the removable USB flash drive and select Format.

Click First and the USB wink drive volition be formatted.

ii. Preparing the source files

At present it is time to extract the setup from a Windows seven/8 ISO image file. If you lot have a physical Windows install DVD then skip to pace three.

To extract the files from the ISO file you will need WinRAR. If you practice not already have WinRAR download and install that now.

Once y'all take WinRAR installed navigate to the ISO file in explorer and correct click on the file and select the bottom Excerpt to <folder proper name> option.

The ISO file will now exist extracted to a sub-folder with the same name as the ISO file. This can take a few minutes to complete.

3. Copying source files to USB wink drive

The final footstep is to copy the install source onto the USB wink drive in a way that will allow the Windows 7/8 install to boot upward. The trick here is to use XCopy. Depending on where your source files are located there are two different methods to re-create the files onto the flash drive.

Using extracted source files

Open up control prompt and navigate to the directory you extracted the source files from the ISO file with the CD command. And so, run XCOPY *.* J: /e and hit Enter to get-go the copy. Exist sure to replace J with the bulldoze letter of your USB flash bulldoze.

Using a physical Windows install DVD

The instructions are slightly different when using a physical DVD. Open up command prompt and type XCOPY D: J: /e and striking Enter. Supervene upon D with the drive letter of your CD-ROM bulldoze and replace J with the drive alphabetic character of your USB flash drive.

5. Installing Windows seven/8 from the USB wink bulldoze

Once the file re-create has completed you lot are fix to plug the USB flash drive into your computer. Turn it on and hit the keyboard shortcut to bring upwards the boot carte for your model. Typically information technology is F12 or F1. Subsequently yous select your USB wink drive the Windows 7/8 installation should brainstorm to load. At this signal, installing Windows is the same every bit on a normal laptop or a desktop.

Option 2 - Automatic Method

Microsoft at present has a free utility that will automatically make a bootable USB wink drive from a Windows 7/8 ISO image file. Just download the tool, specify the location of your ISO file and the wizard volition exercise everything for you lot.