• 0

Creatn USB boot


Question

Was looking for software or tutorial (google no help as of yet) to create a bootable USB drive.

BUT

my bootable usb drive is an old IDE-USB 20gb drive (I could be using an enclosed sata drive also)

I am unable to have a partition say 10GB made to act as a DVD disk to install disk because bootsect sais the partition cannot be written onto.

Is there any soft that does this ...

cannot afford getting a 15$ usb (lazy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

I have tried a few actually, including that one, the HP one, and 2 others which should have worked.

The problem I am experiencing si that while using them (or the windows way with diskpart and all the other steps), it ends up saying that bootsect cannot writeto disk (write protected) eventhough the partition is active and I can access it in windows and write files to it.

So, within windows I can write files but with the tutorials or the windows walkthrough in creating bootable partition, it is not working

Is it so picky as it must be a USB stick and not a sata/ide drive encased used as USB?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

What OS are you trying to install from USB? I've used the following to create USB disks to install Vista & Win 7

This is done on a Windows OS

Step 1. Open up command promt or type cmd in run

Type the following:

diskpart

LIST DISK

SELECT DISK 1 (select your usb flash drive)

CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS

EXIT (will exit diskpart but leave the CMD window open, type EXIT twice if you wish to close the CMD window)

If the newly formatted usb drive doesn't appear in My Computer, then it hasn't been assigned a drive letter, use the Disk Management console (Right-Click on Computer->Manage->Disk Management) to assign a driver letter to it

Step 2. Load win 7 into your dvd

Step 3. Now go back to cmd if you left it open or reopen a new cmd.

Type the following:

D: (whatever letter your cd/dvd drive is assigned)

D: CD BOOT

BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 J: (D = where my win7 cd is & J = usb flash drive in this case)

Now simply transfer all of the files from the Iso or DVD onto the flash disk and you will be able to install windows vista / 7 on a bootable flash drive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

@ johnporter29

it fails at Step 3 Bootsect cannot write since the device is write protected (for some odd messed up reason - I can write in windows just fine)

@ +sc302 and TDT will try that, if all else fails, I will use a Mac and clone the DVD on the hard much easier (need to find a 64bit mac though)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Update:

it seemed that after some time of mucking around with it, it worked.

Have used a combination of HP format utility and John's steps. Whichever fixed it, will be running the assumption that the user is an idiot.

Thanks guys ... cheers :beer:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

What OS are you trying to install from USB? I've used the following to create USB disks to install Vista & Win 7

This is done on a Windows OS

Step 1. Open up command promt or type cmd in run

Type the following:

diskpart

LIST DISK

SELECT DISK 1 (select your usb flash drive)

CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS

EXIT (will exit diskpart but leave the CMD window open, type EXIT twice if you wish to close the CMD window)

If the newly formatted usb drive doesn't appear in My Computer, then it hasn't been assigned a drive letter, use the Disk Management console (Right-Click on Computer->Manage->Disk Management) to assign a driver letter to it

Step 2. Load win 7 into your dvd

Step 3. Now go back to cmd if you left it open or reopen a new cmd.

Type the following:

D: (whatever letter your cd/dvd drive is assigned)

D: CD BOOT

BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 J: (D = where my win7 cd is & J = usb flash drive in this case)

Now simply transfer all of the files from the Iso or DVD onto the flash disk and you will be able to install windows vista / 7 on a bootable flash drive.

You said you have the ISO, or DVD, so you could make an ISO.

Wouldn't this have been a whole lot easier? http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.