In this article, we will look at how to create a bootable flash drive and write Windows to it using WinSetupFromUSB.

As a flash drive, you can use not only a regular flash drive, but also a memory card. For simplicity of presentation, we will use the common name - a flash drive.

This article will be useful to all those who wish to independently, using the utility WinSetupFromUSB create a bootable flash drive so that you can install Windows from it later.

WinSetupFromUSB is a free program designed to create a bootable flash drive and write an operating system (Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/Server 2008; Linux) on it with subsequent installation on a computer, laptop, netbook, etc.

What does that require:

1) A flash drive with a capacity of at least 4 GB;

2) Windows, which needs to be written to a USB flash drive;

3) Utility WinSetupFromUSB;

After you have downloaded the archive WinSetupFromUSB unzip it with some archiver. You will see a folder called WinSetup-1-0-beta6. open it up


Let's prepare the flash drive first.

Connect to a USB flash drive and format it to the NTFS file system. You need to format using the Bootice utility (located in the WinSetup-1-0-beta6 / files / tools folder). When formatting, all information on your flash drive will be deleted! Copy it if necessary. So, first we launch our utility called Bootice:

Select your USB device from the list and click Perform Format to continue.
In the window that opens, select USB-HDD mode (Single Partition) and click Next Step:

We select the NTFS file system instead of FAT32 and click OK, agreeing with all subsequent messages and waiting for the format to finish:

Now again we return to the original Bootice window and click on the Process MBR button (not to be confused with the Process PBR button):

Click on the Install / Config button and agree with all subsequent messages. Examples of such messages are shown in the screenshots below:

So, we have successfully completed the first stage of formatting the flash drive and this window can be closed. Now run the file from the WinSetup-1-0-beta6 folder WinSetupFromUSB_1-0-beta6. The program window will open WinSetupFromUSB. In the "USB disk selection and format" window, select your USB flash drive from the list if it is not displayed:

Next, you need to find your folder with the Windows installation files and write it to a USB flash drive. You need to do this as follows: if you want to burn Windows XP, then check the box next to the Windows 2000 / XP / 2003 Setup window, and if you burn Windows Vista, Windows 7 - opposite the window Vista/7/Server2008 - Setup/PE/RecoveryISO. See screenshots:

For Windows XP

For Windows Vista, Windows 7

Then specify where on your computer the Windows folder is located. To do this, click on the button highlighted in red in the screenshot, select the local disk and folder with Windows that you want to record.

Click OK and go to the next window of the program WinSetupFromUSB. Here we see that the path to the Windows folder (underlined in red) that you specified in the previous window is displayed. To start the recording process, press GO:

That's all. The recording process ended with the message: "Job Done" which means: "Job Done"!

Click OK and close WinSetupFromUSB. Thus, you have created a bootable USB flash drive, from which you can now install Windows.

Questions, suggestions, feedback, please write in the comments.

The WinSetupFromUSB program is one of the best applications that allows you to create a multi-boot USB drive with the ability to install Windows, Linux. Also, through the program, it is possible to create an embedded QEMU virtual machine and various ISO images. The utility is easy to use, free, works stably and runs on almost any computer.

A bootable flash drive is created in a couple of minutes thanks to an interface that is well organized. The duration of the installation depends on the USB protocol and PC specifications.

Tasks performed by WinSetupFromUSB

The WinSetupFromUSB utility can be used if you need to install the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP;
  • Windows Vista;
  • Windows 7;
  • Windows 8;
  • Windows 10;
  • BartPE;
  • linux.

In addition, Gparted, QEMU and many other software can be placed on the generated media. allows you to create a bootable flash drive with a few mouse clicks.

Features of version 1.8

WinSetupFromUSB 1.8 has the following features:

  • support for most versions of Windows and Linux;
  • support for ISO images: Acronis, Paragon, Defender Online, Norton Ghost;
  • support for specialized software (WPE, FLP);
  • support for both 32- and 64-bit versions of operating systems;
  • it is possible to burn different distributions on one flash drive;
  • it is possible to set a boot disk in the menu for selecting a USB drive;
  • many settings make it possible to install active loaders of different operating systems without restrictions;
  • the ability to create a USB drive bootable in both BIOS and UEFI;
  • pop-up hints;
  • integrated software that allows you to prepare a flash drive for recording;
  • availability of applications for working with disks: MULTIpartitionUSBstick, Grub4DOS, SysLinux;
  • creation of a log of events that occur during the formation of a boot drive.

How to use the WinSetupFromUSB 1.8 utility

In the main menu of the utility, click on the USB drive to which the software will be written. Remember that all information will be deleted from the flash drive. Check the box AutoFormat it with FBinst. After that, the flash drive will be automatically formatted, it will be prepared to be turned into a bootable one. You need to check the box only if you are writing images to a flash drive for the first time using the WinSetupFromUSB utility.

Now you need to choose what you want to write to the flash drive. You can choose more than one distribution, in which case a multiboot flash drive will be created. Specify the path to the data necessary for the program to work. FROM

Distribution list:

  1. Windows 2000/XP/2003 Setup. Select this item to burn an image of the corresponding OS on a flash drive. As a path, you need to specify the folder where i is located. You need to either mount the ISO image with the operating system and set the path to the virtual drive, or install the OS disk and set the path to it. You can also open the ISO image with WinRar and extract the data to a separate folder.
  2. Windows Vista/7/8/Server 2008/2012. In order to install the listed operating systems, you must specify the path to the file of the corresponding ISO image.
  3. UBCD4Win/WinBuilder/Windows FLPC/Bart PE. You need to specify the path to the folder containing i
  4. LinuxISO/Other Grub4dos compatible ISO. It is used if you need to burn an image of "Ubuntu" or another version of "Linux". It is also used for writing programs (utilities for checking for viruses, OS recovery).
  5. SysLinux bootsector. Intended for adding Linux images that use the syslinux bootloader. The average user is unlikely to need this. To apply, you need to specify the path to the folder in which SYSLINUX is located.

After adding all the necessary distributions, click the Go key, click Yes twice. Now it remains only to wait until the recording of images is completed.

Problems that may occur when using WinSetupFromUSB

  1. The hard disk is not shown at the beginning of the OS installation. This is due to the fact that Windows XP does not have built-in support for SATA / AHCI. Try changing the SATA mode in the BIOS to IDE.
  2. The utility does not show the USB drive. Use the auto-format feature or use RMPrepUSB, BootIce.
  3. Windows installs at a very slow speed. This can happen on some PCs if the partition of the USB drive containing the boot files is formatted as FAT

Information about WinSetupFromUSB

The WinSetupFromUSB program was developed by the programmer ilko_t. It is completely free, runs on Windows operating systems: 10, 1, 8, 7, Vista, XP.

At the moment, the most current version of the utility is 1.8. It differs from previous versions in the following ways:

  • We fixed an issue with Windows 10 where the recovery option wasn't showing up.
  • fixed a bug where the size of the saved file was determined incorrectly;
  • updated RMPrepUSB, BootIce, ImDisk, WimLib.

You should download the WinSetupFromUSB program if you need to install an operating system. This utility is today the best choice for creating a bootable USB flash drive.

Installing operating systems using removable media has long ceased to be a big problem. If you don’t have a blank CD / DVD at hand, or the drive itself turned out to be faulty or simply doesn’t exist (for example, in netbooks and ultrabooks), then every second person currently has a 1-2 GB flash drive. So, after reading this guide, you will be able to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP (and not only) and thereby greatly simplify your transition from one OS to another.

What do you need?

  • Download in advance working iso image of Windows XP. It is advisable to choose the distribution kit that does not have any third-party modifications, which means that the probability of its instability is minimal. If standard XP does not suit you, we recommend choosing a build from Zver.
  • Removable disk (flash drive), at least 1 GB. Subsequently, it will be completely cleared, so copy all important data from it.
  • Program WinSetupFromUSB v.1.3. It can be downloaded absolutely free on the official website of the developer.

Create a bootable flash drive

There are several ways to prepare a removable drive for installing Windows XP from it. But, despite this, we will use the simplest WinSetupFromUSB program and after some half an hour we will get a ready-made bootable USB flash drive. You just need to follow these steps:


BIOS setup

Windows XP in terms of installation is slightly different from its sisters - Vista, 7 and 8. Therefore, you need to pay a little more attention to setting up the BIOS:

  1. The first step is to set the boot priority to a removable drive. Therefore, in the process of starting a computer / laptop, press F2 or Del to get into the BIOS window.
  2. In the Boot section or in the Boot Device Priority list, put your bootable USB flash drive in first place (depending on the manufacturer of the motherboard, BIOS versions have significant differences, so these instructions are very general).
  3. Most modern computers work with the S-ATA data transfer interface, while Windows XP has built-in drivers only for the outdated IDE. Therefore, in the BIOS, set the Storage Configuration to Compatible.
  4. Save changes and restart your computer by pressing F10.

Installing Windows XP

  1. After successfully booting from the removable drive, Windows XP will greet you. Following the instructions in the installer, press Enter (<Ввод>)
  2. Violation of the Microsoft Product License Agreement is punishable by law. So confirm by pressing the F8 button that you are confident in your own actions and continue installing the system.
  3. This window contains the entire list of hard drives on which it is possible to install Windows XP (by default, only HDDs with IDE data transfer technology are displayed). Select the disk you need and proceed to the next step.
  4. Formatting your hard drive is a must, so make sure all your files are safe before selecting the third option, "Format partition as NTFS".
  5. After preparing the HDD and copying the necessary system files to it, Windows XP Setup will move on to the final processes. First, set the System Language and Input Methods.
  6. Enter a username. The organization field can be left blank.
  7. Enter the serial code, which looks like XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
  8. Select a computer name and set an administrator password (the latter is optional)
  9. Next, set the date and time, as well as the time zone.
  10. Leave network settings as default
  11. If the computer / laptop is home, then leave it in the WORKGROUP group. If the organization where you work has a domain network, then check with your system administrator.
  12. Congratulations! Windows XP has been successfully installed and is ready for full operation.

Bootable flash drives with operating systems ready for installation are a very convenient and useful thing for any user. Having a few of these “little rescuers” in stock, you can quickly and easily help yourself or your friends / colleagues restore a faulty Windows OS or install a new one for them.
Enjoy your use!

There is no need to talk about the fact that any version of Windows can be installed from any hard drive or from a removable storage medium. This is what everyone knows. But what to do when installation is required on a netbook that does not have a CD / DVD drive? This is where you can apply the WinSetupFromUSB program. How to use this utility, now it will be considered.

Why you need to use a USB device

Let's start, so to speak, with the basics. As mentioned above, not all modern laptops are equipped with drives for using optical media, in other words, conventional CD or DVD discs, not to mention Blu-ray. In the event of critical failures, the situation is only aggravated, because it simply will not work to boot from the disk before starting the system.

This is where a special utility called WinSetupFromUSB comes to the rescue. How to use the program will be discussed a little later, but for now let's focus on its main features and functionality. Let's start with the first version, known as modification 1.0. A little later we will consider the update WinSetupFromUSB 1.5. We will analyze how to use this latest update based on version 1.0 (hereinafter referred to as 1.4). However, they are not particularly different. But with beta testing, you need to be careful.

How to Use WinSetupFromUSB 1.0: Preliminary Steps

If one of the users thinks that everything is so simple, then this is a deeply erroneous opinion. The problem is in the very question of creating a system image, which will later be used to write to a flash drive.

As it turns out, the same programs like UltraISO create bootable media, which then turns out to be completely unreadable. This is where the problem arises of how to use WinSetupFromUSB 1.4 or any other version. Let's dwell on the initial modification, especially since there are no special changes in subsequent upgrades (this will be discussed a little later).

You need to create bootable media from this program. Therefore, we will consider all the issues related to such a process (especially since without understanding some of the settings, you can make mistakes).

Installing the new version

For starters, you should pay attention to the version of the "OS" itself. At best, the free update will only affect mods and Ultimate, not counting older versions of Windows XP and 7.

You can download updates for any system from the official website of the program. By the way, there are also special packs designed for use in systems other than Windows 7, for example, the G8 and above.

WinSetupFromUSB 1.0 beta6: how to use it, what is it, is it worth it?

Now a few words about what is commonly called beta testing. How to use the WinSetupFromUSB program of this particular modification? Yes, just like everyone else. But in this case, you should pay attention that any beta version of the application, whether it be at least Microsoft or the same Google, is unstable. And that is why installing this version is not recommended. It will “fly off” - the whole system will “close up”.

Updates and additional updates

On the other hand, the developer himself recommends installing the latest versions of the product immediately after installation. Such a “reminder” will constantly hang in the system tray, and getting rid of it, unlike Windows 10, is not so easy. But now it's not about that.

Let's say the update is downloaded. It is not yet a fact that the program will be able to integrate into the system automatically. First, you will have to run the installer as an executable "executable" file named Setup, and then follow the instructions of the installer.

Creating an image

The first step is to create a boot image. Note that this procedure is very different from similar actions in programs like UltraISO, Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%. Here the approach is somewhat different.

First, in the standard "Explorer" or in any other file manager, we call up the properties menu of the desired USB drive, and then select the partition formatting. Let's make a reservation right away: modern systems refuse to use FAT32, so you will have to set at least NTFS (such a file system is not supported by mobile devices).

Now there is one more main feature of the WinSetupFromUSB program. How to use at this stage? Here you need to pay attention to the direct launch of the application with the choice of the Bootice button, where the flash drive should be indicated on top of the line.

Next, we use formatting confirmation, after which we refuse to create logical partitions by choosing the Single Partition command. This is followed by the choice of the file system (in our case, NTFS). Then we simply agree with all the proposals, and at the end of the process, click the OK button.

Finally, we minimize all secondary windows and leave only the main menu of the program. Here we use the line below, and specify the path to the unpacked Windows image. Then press the OK button first, and then activate the process using the GO button. All. The process has begun. As the reviews say, it usually takes a long period of time to spend on creating bootable media. It all depends on the system and the flash drive, which usually has restrictions on copying and rewriting.

BIOS settings

To boot the installation in the BIOS settings, you need to select USB as the priority device.

True, not all users know that sometimes a flash drive may not be recognized. Why? Yes, only because it needs to be inserted into the USB connector even before the computer or laptop is turned on, and only then set to start from it. Otherwise, such a drive simply will not be recognized.

Conclusion

Well, the rest is simple. The universal method for downloading a Windows installation package from a USB flash drive is precisely to use the WinSetupFromUSB program. How to use the utility, I think, is already clear. Moreover, even an uninitiated user should not have any questions. Another thing is that you will have to use either the original installation disk or a pre-created system image. Reviews of users note that there is nothing complicated about this.

The reviews also note: if UltraISO, to put it mildly, sometimes “spits” when creating an image of a system containing critical errors, in this case nothing of the kind is observed. The program simply ignores them and creates a copy of the system using general rules and standard parameters for this. And that is why it is very favorably different from all its counterparts and competitors.

Yes, and more. The fact is that the reviews of users who have used this package in practice indicate that this application supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of operating systems, although it does not always work correctly. In some cases, unexpected errors may occur. Most often, the solution to problems can be to install the latest version of the DirectX package, .NET Framework, Java or Flash support. In addition, it is worth paying special attention to some specific settings of Internet browsers such as Chrome and programs created on its basis. They are capable of causing errors even when updating the system or when running a regular antivirus.

The WinSetupFromUSB program and, in fact, how to install the "seven" with it? I want to hear answers on your site. The fact is that WinSetupFromUSB has been updated to the final version and now it can even create a bootable UEFI USB flash drive for Windows 7, 8. In addition, WinSetupFromUSB has learned how to create a multi-boot USB flash drive containing two operating systems at once Windows 7 and Windows 8 and nothing has been written about it yet!

Could you elaborate on:

1) How to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 in the WinSetupFromUSB program.
2) How to create a multiboot flash drive containing two operating systems at once Windows 7 and Windows 8!

3) How to set up UEFI BIOS to install Windows 7 from a flash drive to a GPT style hard drive, as well as a simple MBR hard drive? After all, some of the users will want to install Windows 7 from a USB flash drive on a simple computer or laptop with a regular BIOS, and someone on a computer with a UEFI BIOS and a GPT hard drive.

How to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7

Hello friends! Our site already has an article using the command line, as well as various programs: UNetBootin, UltraISO, Microsoft Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Tool. You can also create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 with a utility (a separate article has been written).

But, more recently, the final version of the WinSetupFromUSB program has been released, with it you can easily create a bootable UEFI flash drive for Windows 7 and Windows 8, the created flash drive can be used to install both on a GPT-style hard drive with UEFI BIOS, and on a simple MBR hard drive. And more importantly, WinSetupFromUSB can create a multiboot flash drive containing both Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems for installation.


Note: Who does not know what UEFI BIOS is and the standard for the format for placing partition tables on a GPT hard disk, read our article, which is called so. Do not forget that if your computer, laptop or netbook has USB 2.0 ports, as well as USB 3.0 and you decide to install Windows 7 on it from a bootable USB flash drive, then you need to know that you need to connect the USB flash drive to the USB 2.0 port, since Windows 7 does not support USB 3.0 (ports are usually shaded blue).

In the recent past, a beta version was posted on the official website of the WinSetupFromUSB program, which I didn’t quite like and used, but now the program has been updated and what the final version of the program can do cannot be compared with the beta version. Let's make sure of this and create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 and Windows 8 using the WinSetupFromUSB program, and at the same time consider the UEFI BIOS settings.

How to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7 using WinSetupFromUSB

We go to the official website of the WinSetupFromUSB program and select WinSetupFromUSB-1-3.exe (22 MB; 385673 downloads), the WinSetupFromUSB program is downloaded to our computer.

Extract the program files to a folder. If we are going to make a bootable Windows 7 64-bit flash drive, then we run the WinSetupFromUSB_1-3_x64.exe file.

Attention: Friends, if you need bootable UEFI flash drive with Windows 7, then you will have to format the flash drive into the FAT32 file system, which means that your Windows 7 image must be less than 4 GB, since the FAT32 file system does not work with files larger than 4 GB. FROM just go to the very end of the article, there is detailed information for you.

Most users do not need a UEFI flash drive, but they need a regular bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 7 operating system, which means that the image of your Windows 7 may well be more than 4 GB, in which case the bootable Windows 7 flash drive we created will be in NTFS format!

In the main window of the WinSetupFromUSB program, you can see the name of our connected flash drive.

Put a tick on the item Auto format it with FBinst and mark the item NTFS

Check the box Vista/7/8/Server 2008/2012 based ISO and click on the button on the right to open the explorer window,

If your flash drive is formatted in the FAT32 file system, then this warning will appear, click OK.

Explorer opens, find the ISO image of Windows 7 64 bit, select it with the left mouse and click "Open".

Press GO

a warning will open, click Yes,

Here, too, click Yes.

The process of creating our bootable flash drive begins, which ends successfully.

We press OK.

Windows 7 bootable flash drive created!

Now the most important thing is friends. How to actually install Windows 7 from this flash drive.

If you are installing Windows 7 on a laptop or computer with a UEFI BIOS and you want to convert your hard drive to the GPT partition table format standard, then you need to configure the UEFI BIOS itself accordingly, read our article on how to do this.
If you install Windows 7 on a laptop or computer with a simple BIOS, you simply boot your device from the bootable Windows 7 flash drive we just created. Perhaps at this stage, our article will be useful to some of the users.
If you correctly set the BIOS boot priority from a USB flash drive or simply selected your USB flash drive in the laptop boot menu,

then the first window will be the menu, in our case nothing needs to be selected in it and it will disappear within a few seconds.

Next, the GRUB4DOS bootloader window appears, which the WinSetupFromUSB program uses as a bootloader. Select the first option using the arrows on the keyboard 0 Windows NT6 (Vista/7 and above) Setup,

which means installing operating systems Windows Vista, Windows 7 and higher. Press Enter. In the next window, select Windows 7 SP 1 x64

and the process of installing the operating system begins from our bootable Windows 7 flash drive.
Further.

Install.

We accept the license agreement. Full installation (advanced options).