Speedy OS Install

[satukoro]

Just thought I'd post this quick tip in time for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview: Installing an operating from an ISO cuts installation time in half.

This can be done by copying the contents of a mounted disc image to the root directory of a partition separate from the partition that the new OS is going on. Once that finishes, open the command prompt (assuming the the iso image is mounted to the E drive and the contents have been copied to the D drive) and enter:

E:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 D:\
[/CODE]

This turns the primary partition that the contents of the iso were copied to into a bootable partition. Now, we have to make it show up in the boot menu. Using EasyBCD, available here, under "Add New Entry" in the left pane, on the far right of the "Portable/External Media" tabs will be a bios extender. Click "Install PLoP" and reboot. At the boot menu, select Bios Extender and it should provide you with up to three partitions to choose from. If you haven't reinstalled your operating system before, partition 1 will generally be your current OS, and partition 2 will be your extracted ISO. If you have a laptop and it came with a recovery partition (you'll have figured that out when partitioning your hard drive), the extracted ISO will be on partition 3.

Boot to whichever partition your extracted ISO is on and when installing your new operating system, be sure not to format the partition with the extracted ISO, or else the installation will fail.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 both installed in around ten minutes using this method.