bootable win7 usb flash drive on P6X58D

dave

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Nov 19, 2010, 9:02:59 AM11/19/10

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I'm trying to make a usb flash drive for installing Win 7 using the
instructions below. I got these off the web quite some time ago and
I don't remember where. I have no problem creating the drive but at
boot I get a prompt to insert a bootable source. I have the " removable
device" set in bios to be the first boot and have even disabled the
rest. Under the "advanced" bios menu for the "usb configuration" it
shows the flash drive is connected.
So, does anyone see something wrong with the instructions below? Or
any other ideas?
Thanks
Dave

-----------------------------------------------------------
Required:

¦USB Flash Drive (4GB+)
¦Microsoft OS Disk (Vista / Windows 7)
¦A computer running Vista / Windows 7

Step 1: Format the Drive
The steps here are to use the command line to format the disk properly
using the diskpart utility. [Be warned: this will erase everything on your
drive. Be careful.]

1.Plug in your USB Flash Drive
2.Open a command prompt as administrator (Right click on Start > All
Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”
3.Find the drive number of your USB Drive by typing the following into the
Command Prompt window:
diskpart
list disk
The number of your USB drive will listed. You’ll need this for the next
step. I’ll assume that the USB flash drive is disk 1.
4.Format the drive by typing the next instructions into the same window.
Replace the number “1” with the number of your disk below.
select disk 1
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=NTFS
assign
exit
When that is done you’ll have a formatted USB flash drive ready to be made
bootable.

Step 2: Make the Drive Bootable
Next we’ll use the bootsect utility that comes on the Vista or Windows 7
disk to make the flash drive bootable. In the same command window that
you were using in Step 1:

1.Insert your Windows Vista / 7 DVD into your drive.
2.Change directory to the DVD’s boot directory where bootsect lives:
d:
cd d:\boot
3.Use bootsect to set the USB as a bootable NTFS drive prepared for a
Vista/7 image. I’m assuming that your USB flash drive has been labeled disk
G:\ by the computer:
bootsect /nt60 g:
4.You can now close the command prompt window, we’re done here.
Step 3: Copy the installation DVD to the USB drive
The easiest way is to use Windows explorer to copy all of the files on your
DVD on to the formatted flash drive. After you’ve copied all of the files
the disk you are ready to go.

Step 4: Set your BIOS to boot from USB
This is where you’re on your own since every computer is different. Most
BIOS’s allow you to hit a key at boot and select a boot option.

Paul

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Nov 19, 2010, 1:21:36 PM11/19/10

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In the comment section of the article where you found that description,
there was this.

http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool

http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

That takes an ISO9660 image of the DVD as source, and prepares a USB stick
for you. To use that, you'll need to meet the requirements of the tool
(.NET Framework 2.0, IMAPI2 package for WinXP (Image Mastering API v2)).
The IMAPI2 would only be needed, to allow WinXP to burn a DVD on its own
(which you're not doing). But the tool might check for it anyway.
That tool has two options. It can do ISO9660 ---> burn a DVD, or
ISO9660 ---> USB flash.

The web page also states, there is some issue with 32 bit versus
64 bit versions of bootsect.

To use the above, you'd need a way to convert the DVD, into an ISO9660 file.
Perhaps you could do that with "Imgburn" ?

http://www.imgburn.com/

There are more recipes listed here. One recipe uses a third party tool.

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7install/thread/e2a93810-0cd7-475a-8a53-cd84ef1f81e9

*******

If you want to continue with the recipe you're using, I don't see a
problem with that.

You can use PTEDIT32, to inspect the MBR and partition table entries
of the USB flash.

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/tools/pq/utilities/PTEDIT32.zip

For example, I have a bootable USB stick (8GB) with Knoppix on it. And
it has one partition defined. PTEDIT32 shows...

<--- Start ---> <---- End ---->
Type Boot Cyl Head Sector Cyl Head Sector Sectors_Before Total_Sectors
0C 80 0 1 1 1021 246 62 62 15650846

Your USB flash right now should be similar, but partition type 07
(NTFS), boot flag set (80), and the rest as appropriate.

The bootsect is going to load the 440 byte section of the MBR. That's
my guess as to what it's doing. The /NT60 thing is intended to pick
the operating system version of boot sector desired.

I have a suspicion, that "bootsect" allows repairing an MBR, with 440
bytes of bootcode for WinXP, Vista, or Windows 7. If, on the other hand,
you use "bootrec /FixMbr", that is going to put the same version of
440 bytes of code, as would be appropriate for the OS providing the
copy of bootrec. More details on bootrec here.

(bootrec)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

The bootrec /FixBoot, repairs some sectors located just before
the file system, in the new C: partition. When you copy files
from one partition to another, that doesn't backup or prepare the
boot sectors within the partition. (When I looked with a hex
editor, there might be about 1536 bytes worth installed, and
it is in the first 63 sectors somewhere. I haven't checked my
Windows 7 laptop, to see what is in there. TestDisk might be
able to allow you to look there. But TestDisk lacks copies
of "good" 1536 chunks of data.).

The parts involved, would look like this. Formatting, would normally
erase the first 63 sectors of the partition (i.e. if building a data
partition). An OS installer puts the partition boot sectors back.
Or any repair utility designed for the job.

Best guess,
Paul

dave

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Nov 19, 2010, 9:19:22 PM11/19/10

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Paul <nos...@needed.com> wrote in
news:ic6f7g$4a5$1...@news.eternal-september.org:

Thanks Paul, you have given me a lot to look into.
I'll be busy for a while!
Dave

dave

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Nov 20, 2010, 8:51:05 AM11/20/10

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Thanks Paul, but I think I will give up on this.
I tried the usb-dvd tool with an iso created by
imageburn and one with poweriso...both times
the usb-dvd tool reported they were not valid iso files.

I tried WinToFlash but got the same result when
booting (flashing cursor with message, please insert
bootable device)

I used the partition table viewer-editor but you know,
this info is beyond my comprehension anyway. As is the
bootrec/Fixboot info.

The whole exercise of a bootable usb flash drive was more
a curiosity for me, than a necessity.

In following this group, I see you are one
who is quick to take the time to help with problems and I
am sure I speak for others when I say its much appreciated.

Dave