Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Install Windows Vista / Windows 7 from USB pen drive

How to create a bootable USB pen drive with Windows VISTA / Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 installation.
Requirement :
1. Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Server 2008 installation disk / ISOs
2. Pen drive with more than 3 GB space
On my C2D 1.86GHz, 1GB DDR2 RAM , Intel 946GZIS, 500GB 7200rpm SATA computer, i tested it and found that installation is around 4 Minutes faster when using Pen drive for installation.
It can be done in two ways -
Method one:
If UBCD4Win is already installed on your pen drive. Your pen drive is made bootable already.
Simply copy all files and folders from DVD / ISOs of VISTA orWindows 7 or Windows Server 2008 to your pen drive.
Open your menu.lst file with notepad.
add these few lines in the menu.lst file

title Launch "Windows Vista Installation from USB stick"
fallback 1
find --set-root /bootmgr
chainloader /bootmgr
savedefault --wait=2
Save your menu.lst file.
Thats all, boot from pen drive and you will see extra title with name "Windows Vista Installation from USB stick"
Till now we have added in one single USB Pen drive
1. UBCD4Win 2. Hiren's DOS boot CD v 9.8 / 9.9 3. HBCD's Windows XP live 4. Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 Installation disk.
You may download my edited menu.lst file for all these 4 additions from here: