Windows installation media. We create a Windows installation disk with useful features. Possible problems and solutions

- the easiest and safest way. But if you haven't created installation media, you're probably wondering: what if you need to reinstall the system from scratch in the future? Don't worry: this can be easily done if necessary.

Let me clarify that in most cases, reinstalling Windows 8 can be easily and quickly done using the system’s built-in recovery functions and returning the computer to its original state. But many of my readers are worried: what if they want or need to reinstall the system from scratch? There are a lot of ways to recover in the event of a failure - the function of creating backup system images, available since the days, has not gone away - but one way or another, the concern is understandable: if the installation was performed over the Internet and the installation disk was not created in the process, it is unclear what to do in such a situation.

I'm glad to announce that Windows 8 installation media - a DVD or USB flash drive - can be created even after updating/installing Windows 8 using the web installer. This method is also available in Windows XP, Vista or 7.

Everything is very simple. All you have to do is go to the "" page on the new Windows website and pretend that you are going to install G8. This can be done on any computer (running Windows, of course).

The “Install Windows 8” button starts downloading the program, which is a simplified version of the regular web installer. The first page of the wizard requires you to enter a valid Windows 8 key—which you have because Microsoft mailed it to you the first time you used the web installer.

After the application verifies your product key, follow the wizard's instructions. The only downside is that the program will have to download the Windows 8 installation files, which may take some time, depending on your connection speed. But one way or another, in the end you will be offered three options for further action:

Select the “Install by creating media” option.

Then, just like with a regular web installer, you can create an installation USB drive or ISO file, which you can save to your hard drive and then burn to a DVD or flash drive using the utility. Since the ISO file offers more options, I recommend using this option. But one way or another, you will receive installation media. After creating the ISO file or installation flash drive, simply cancel the wizard.

Mission Complete.

When using this installation method, you must be sure that Windows 10 will work on your computer and that you really want to use it, since after upgrading through a clean install, there will be no option to go back to your previous system.

In our testing, the original system was the Retail version of Windows 7 Home. If you have an OEM version without a key during a clean installation, you will not be asked for one, unlike the situation we described below.

1 Download the Media Creation Tool utility

Before you can do the actual clean installation, you'll need an installation environment for Windows 10 on a USB stick or DVD. It's best to create it using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. To download this software, go to microsoft.com/ru-ru/software-download/windows10.

Scroll to the section titled "Need to create a USB drive, DVD, or ISO file?" and there click on the “Download tool now” button.

Media Creation Tool does not need to be installed. Just save the EXE file and double-click it to run.

2 Create installation media

Media Creation Tool offers a detailed step-by-step guide, which, however, includes a couple of ambiguous statements. After initialization, the utility will greet you with the question “What do you want to do?” and will provide two options.

Select the second option, “Create installation media for another computer,” even if you later perform a clean installation on the same computer. After clicking on the “Next” button, select the version of Windows 10 that is suitable for your computer.

After clicking “Next”, decide what kind of media you will create: a USB drive or a DVD. Make sure you have enough space on your USB drive - you will need at least 3 GB. In addition, it should not store sensitive information because it will be formatted when the installation environment is created.

If you chose the DVD option, click on the “ISO file” and save it to your hard drive. After that, burn it to DVD using the same Media Creation Tool or using Windows' own tools.

3 Finding out the Windows partition

For the next step, you need to check which partition of your hard drive Windows is on. To do this, on your computer (in Windows 7 through the Start menu, in Windows 8 through the miracle bar), enter the keyword “Partition”. Through the match “Create and format hard disk partitions” you are taken to “Disk Management”.

Remember where the Windows “C:” partition is located. To do this, count the sections from left to right. In our case, this is partition 2 on media 0, since “C:” in the partition table is located in second place from the left (Fig. 3).

4 Custom installation

After creating the installation media, you need to start your computer from it. Reboot it by installing DVD or USB drive. Attention: the “flash drive” should not be placed in a USB 3.0 port, since not the newest systems will not recognize it at startup.

Also, if necessary, change the boot order in the BIOS so that the bootable media is visible. To do this, as a rule, you need to press the “F1” or “Del” key during startup. Which one you will see either on the BIOS splash screen at the very beginning of the boot process, or in the user manual from the PC or motherboard developer.

After the download process is successful, the Windows installation window will appear. In it, select the language, click on “Next”, and then on “Install now”. When prompted for a key, enter the same one as for the previous version of Windows. On the "Choose an installation type" screen for a clean installation, click on the second option - "Custom: Windows installation only (advanced users)." You will see the PC partition table.

Here you have the option to choose a radical clean installation or create a folder with a backup copy of old programs and files. In any case, you will not be able to use the old system. Below we will talk about both options.

5 Radical Clean Install

In the table you will see the partitions where Windows is installed (see also step 3). Typically, this is the largest partition on "Media 0", which is designated "Primary". Select this entry and then click on Format. This will delete all files from the partition. Clicking “Next” will begin the installation of Windows 10.

If you want to install Windows on a new, unformatted hard drive, the partition table will only show a line labeled “Unallocated disk space.” In this case, select it and click on the “New” button. This will trigger the creation of a boot partition (labeled "System") and an empty primary partition. Highlight the last one and then click on “Next” to begin the installation.

6 Clean install with backup

In addition to the radical method, it is possible to cleanly install Windows 10, while keeping old programs and files as backup copies. As in step 5, select the primary partition with Windows installed. But now click not on “Format”, but on “Next”. The installer will inform you that all old files and folders from the previous version will be moved to a directory called "Windows.old". You will find it in Windows 10 directly in the root directory of the Windows partition (usually “C:\”).

The advantage of this method is that you don't have to copy your information back to your hard drive from your backup media. Disadvantage: The folder may take up too much space. If you don't need it, just delete it. If you do not suffer from a shortage of free space, we recommend this method as the simplest solution to a clean installation.

New motherboard? Losing Windows

Upon activation, Microsoft immediately associates the OS license with a unique code for the various components of your PC, also called a Product ID. This makes future updates and possible reinstallations of Windows 10 possible on this computer. However, there is a risk of system failure due to too many system components being replaced.

After purchasing a new hard drive or updating the BIOS, the “ten” will have to be activated again - we realized this during testing. However, things are different in the case of the mother card: after replacing this critical component, Windows 10 can no longer be activated on that computer. You need to buy a license or first install the old version, and then upgrade from there to “ten”.

This method, however, only works with Retail options with a key included. If you have an OEM version, and the motherboard is from the same manufacturer as the PC and was replaced as part of the repair, you need to contact him. The manufacturer is responsible for restoring your computer to its original condition.

Utilities for Windows 10

> Displays the license key of your installed version of Windows if you have lost it

> XP AntiSpy for Windows 10. Blocks built-in bug programs in Microsoft OS in versions from Windows XP to 10

> Uninstall Cortana. Dismisses digital assistant Cortana, which is otherwise difficult to disable

Photo: Manufacturing companies

• Upgrade dieses PCs auf WindowsВ 10 mithilfe des Tools (zum Anzeigen von mehr oder weniger Informationen hier klicken)

  Diese Anweisungen gelten für folgende Fälle:

  • Sie besitzen eine Lizenz zur Installation von Windows 10 V und fГјhren auf diesem PC nun ein Upgrade von Windows 7 oder Windows 8.1 durch.
  • Sie mässen Windows 10 auf einem PC neu installieren, auf dem Windows 10 bereits aktiviert wurde.

  Wenn Sie Windows 10 auf einem PC mit Windows XP oder Windows Vista installieren oder wenn Sie Installationsmedien erstellen mässen, um Windows 10 auf einem anderen PC zu installieren, lesen Sie den folgenden Abschnitt .

  Hinweis: Überprüfen Sie vor der Installation von Windows 10, ob Ihr PC die erfüllt. Weiterführende Informationen zu aktualisierten Treibern und Hardwarekompatibilität finden Sie auf der Website des PC-Herstellers.

  1. WH¤hlen Sie Tool herunterladen und anschlieГџend AusfГјhren
  2. WG¤hlen Sie auf der Seite mit den LizenzbedingungenZustimmen aus, wenn Sie mit diesen einverstanden sind.
  3. WG¤hlen Sie auf der Seite Was mГ¶chten Sie tun?Jetzt Upgrade fГјr diesen PC ausfГјhren und anschlieГџend Weiter aus.

  Nachdem Sie das Tool heruntergeladen und installiert haben, folgt eine Schritt-fär-Schritt-Anleitung zum Einrichten von Windows 10 auf Ihrem PC. Alle Versionen von Windows 10 sind verfГјgbar, wenn Sie Windows 10 auswГ¤hlen, mit der Ausnahme von Enterprise. Weitere Informationen zu Enterprise finden Sie im .

  • Falls Sie keine Lizenz zur Installation von Windows 10 besitzen und zuvor kein Upgrade auf WindowsВ 10 durchgefГјhrt haben, kГ¶nnen Sie WindowsВ 10 unter erwerben. .
  • Falls Sie auf diesem PC bereits zuvor ein Upgrade auf Windows 10 durchgefГјhrt haben und das Betriebssystem neu installieren, muss kein ProduktschlГјssel eingegeben werden. Ihr Windows 10 wird später mithilfe Ihrer digitalen Lizenz automatisch aktiviert.
  4. Sobald WindowsB 10 installiert werden kann, erhalten Sie eine Zusammenfassung Ihrer Auswahl sowie der Elemente, die nach dem Upgrade beibehalten werden. WH¤hlen Sie Г„ndern der zu behaltenden Elemente aus, um festzulegen, ob Sie wГ¤hrend des Upgrades PersГ¶nliche Dateien und Apps behalten, Nur persГ¶nliche Dateien behalten order Nichts behalten mГ¶chten.
  5. Speichern und schlieGsen Sie alle geG¶ffneten Apps und Dateien. WH¤hlen Sie dann Installieren aus.
  6. Die Installation von WindowsAt 10 kann einige Zeit dauern. Der PC wird mehrmals neu gestartet. Schalten Sie den PC nicht aus.
• Verwenden dieses Tools zum Erstellen von Installationsmedien (USB-Laufwerk, DVD oder ISO-Datei) fГјr die Installation von WindowsВ 10 auf einem anderen PC (zum Anzeigen von mehr oder weniger Informationen hier klicken)

  Befolgen Sie diese Schritte zum Erstellen von Installationsmedien (USB-Laufwerk oder DVD), mit denen Sie eine neue Version von Windows at 10 installieren, eine Neuinstallation durchführen oder Windows at 10 erneut installieren können.

  Vor dem Herunterladen des Tools muss Folgendes vorhanden sein:

  • Eine Internetverbindung. (Es fallen GebГјhren des Internetdienstanbieters an.)
  • Ein Computer mit ausreichend verfГјgbarem Speicherplatz, ein USB-Laufwerk oder eine externe Festplatte fГјr den Download.
  • Einen leerer USB-Speicherstick mit mindestens 8GB Speicherplatz or eine leere DVD (plus DVD-Brenner) ist zum Erstellen von Medien erforderlich. Wir empfehlen, ein leeres USB-Speichermedium oder eine leere DVD zu verwenden, da sГ¤mtliche gespeicherten Inhalte gelГ¶scht werden.
  • Wenn beim Brennen einer ISO-Datei auf eine DVD gemeldet wird, dass die DatentrГ¤gerabbilddatei zu groГџ ist, mГјssen Sie eine doppelschichtige DVD (Dual Layer, DL) verwenden.

  ГњberprГјfen Sie einige Punkte auf dem PC, auf dem WindowsВ 10 installiert werden soll:

  • 64-Bit-oder 32-Bit-Processor (CPU). Sie erstellen entweder eine 64-Bit- oder eine 32-Bit-Version von WindowsВ 10. Welche Version Sie benГ¶tigen, kГ¶nnen Sie in den PC-Einstellungen unter PC info oder in der Systemssteuerung unter System ermitteln. Die entsprechenden Informationen finden Sie unter Systemtype.
  • Systemanforderungen. Stellen Sie sicher, dass der PC die fГјr WindowsВ 10 erfГјllt. WeiterfГјhrende Informationen zu aktualisierten Treibern und HardwarekompatibilitГ¤t finden Sie auf der Website des PC-Herstellers.
  • Spracheinstellung für Windows. Bei der Installation von WindowsAt 10 mГјssen Sie eine Sprache auswГ¤hlen. Um Ihre aktuelle Spracheinstellung zu ГјberprГјfen, rufen Sie in den PC-Einstellungen die Option Zeit and Sprache region auf.
  • Windows Edition. DarГјber hinaus sollten Sie die gleiche Windows-Edition auswГ¤hlen. Wenn Sie ГјberprГјfen mГ¶chten, welche Edition derzeit ausgefГјhrt wird, rufen Sie in den PC-Einstellungen die Option PC info oder in der Systemssteuerung die Option System auf. Suchen Sie dort nach Windows edition. Windows 10 Enterprise ist im Medienerstellungstool nicht verfГјgbar. Weitere Informationen finden Sie im .
  • Microsoft Office Product. Wenn Sie gerade ein neues GerГ¤t mit OfficeВ 365 erworben haben, sollten Sie den Product Key fГјr den Download und die Installation von Office vor dem Upgrade auf WindowsВ 10 einlГ¶sen (installieren). Informationen zum Einläsen Ihres Product Keys fär Office finden Sie unter Herunterladen und Installieren von OfficeВ 365 Home , Personal oder University auf Ihrem PC. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter DurchfГјhren eines Upgrades auf WindowsВ 10 auf neuen GerГ¤ten, die OfficeВ 365 enthalten .

  Wenn Sie OfficeIn 2010 oder eine frГјhere Version verwenden und eine Neuinstallation von WindowsВ 10 durchfГјhren mГ¶chten, benГ¶tigen Sie Ihren Product Key fГјr Office. Hinweise zum Ermitteln Ihres Product Keys finden Sie unter So finden Sie Ihren OfficeIn 2010-Product Key oder unter Suchen des Product Keys für OfficeIn 2007 .

  Erstellen von Installationsmedien mithilfe des Tools:

  1. WH¤hlen Sie Tool jetzt herunterladen und anschlieГџend AusfГјhren aus. Sie mГјssen dieses Tool als Administrator ausfГјhren.
  2. WH¤hlen Sie Zustimmen aus, wenn Sie mit den Lizenzbedingungen einverstanden sind.
  3. WG¤hlen Sie auf der Seite Was mГ¶chten Sie tun? die Option Installationsmedien für einen anderen PC erstellen und anschlieГџend Weiter aus.

  4. WG¤hlen Sie Sprache, Edition und Architektur (64-Bit oder 32-Bit) fГјr WindowsВ 10 aus. Diese Tabelle hilft Ihnen, die richtige Edition von WindowsAt 10 auszuwГ¤hlen:

     Ihre aktuelle Windows-Edition	WindowsIn 10-Edition
     Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8/8.1 Windows 8.1 with Bing Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8/8.1 Professional with Media Center Windows 8/8.1 Single Language Windows 8 Single Language with Bing Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10
     Windows 8/8.1 Chinese Language Edition Windows 8 Chinese Language Edition with Bing	Windows 10 Home China‹

  5. WG¤hlen Sie aus, welches Medium Sie verwenden mГ¶chten:
  6. Nachdem Erstellen wenden Sie das Installationsmedium mithilfe der folgenden Schritte an.

  7. Nachdem Sie diese Schritte zur Installation von Windows 10 durchgefГјhrt haben, vergewissern Sie sich bitte, dass alle erforderlichen GerГ¤tetreiber installiert sind. Um jetzt nach Updates zu suchen, wГ¤hlen Sie die SchaltflГ¤che „Start“ aus und gehen Sie dann zu „Einstellungen“> „Update und Sicherheit“> „Windows Update“. WG¤hlen Sie dort „Nach Updates suchen“ aus. Bei Bedarf erhalten Sie zusG¤tzliche erforderliche GerG¤tetreiber auch auf der Support-Website Ihres GerG¤teherstellers.

     Hinweis: Treiber für Surface-Geräte finden Sie auf der Seite.

  • Verwenden des erstellten Installationsmediums (zum Anzeigen von mehr oder weniger Informationen hier klicken)

    Vor der Installation von Windows 10 sollten Sie alles speichern, woran Sie arbeiten, und ein Backup Ihres PCs erstellen. Dann können Sie loslegen. Wenn Sie mithilfe des Medienerstellungstools eine ISO-Datei für Windows 10 heruntergeladen haben, müssen Sie diese zunächst auf eine DVD brennen und anschließend die folgenden Schritte durchführen.

    1. Schließen Sie das USB-Laufwerk an den PC an, auf dem Sie Windows 10 installieren möchten, oder legen Sie die DVD in das Laufwerk dieses PCs ein.
    2. Starten Sie Ihren PC neu.

       Falls Ihr PC nicht automatisch mit den USB- oder DVD-Medien startet, mГјssen Sie mГ¶glicherweise ein StartmenГј Г¶ffnen oder die Startreihenfolge in den PC-, BIOS- oder UEFI-Einstellungen Г¤ndern. Um ein StartmenГј zu Г¶ffnen oder die Startreihenfolge zu Г¤ndern, mГјssen Sie fГјr gewГ¶hnlich sofort nach dem Einschalten Ihres PCs eine Taste drГјckenВ – etwa F2, F12, LG¶schen oder ESC. Präfen Sie die Bedienungsanleitung Ihres PCs oder besuchen Sie die Website des Herstellers, um zu erfahren, wie man auf ein Startmenä zugreift und die Startreihenfolge Ihres PCs G¤ndert. Sollte Ihnen das USB-oder DVD MediengerG¤t in Ihren Startoptionen nicht angezeigt werden, wenden Sie sich an den PC-Hersteller. Er wird Ihnen erklГ¤ren, wie Sie “Sicheres Booten" in Ihren BIOS-Einstellungen vorГјbergehend deaktivieren kГ¶nnen.

       Falls Sie das Startmenü oder die Startreihenfolge nicht verändern können und Ihr PC sofort in dem Betriebssystem hochfährt, das Sie ersetzen möchten, wurde Ihr PC möglicherweise nicht vollständig heruntergefahren. Um sicherzustellen, dass Ihr PC vollständig herunterfährt, tippen Sie auf das Netzschaltersymbol auf dem Anmeldebildschirm oder im Startmenü und wählen Sie “Herunterfahren".

    3. WG¤hlen Sie auf der Seite Windows installer Ihre Sprach-, Zeit- und Tastatureinstellungen und anschließend Weiter aus.
    4. WH¤hlen Sie Windows installer aus.
  • Weitere Methoden zum Installieren von Windowsat 10 mithilfe der ISO-Datei (zum Anzeigen von mehr oder weniger Informationen hier klicken)

    Wenn Sie eine ISO-Datei für Windows 10 heruntergeladen haben, wurde diese Datei lokal an dem von Ihnen ausgewählten Speicherort gespeichert. Wenn auf Ihrem PC ein DVD-Brennprogramm von Drittanbietern installiert ist, das Sie zum Erstellen der Installations-DVD verwenden möchten, können Sie das Programm möglicherweise öffnen, indem Sie zum Speicherort wechseln und auf die ISO-Datei doppelklicken. Andernfalls klicken Sie mit der rechten Maustaste auf die ISO-Datei, klicken auf Mr. ffnen mit und wählen Ihre bevorzugte DVD-Brennsoftware aus.

    Wenn Sie zum Erstellen einer Installations-DVD den Windows Disk Image Burner verwenden mächten, wechseln Sie zum Speicherort der ISO-Datei. Klicken Sie mit der rechten Maustaste auf die ISO-Datei und wГ¤hlen Sie Eigenschaften aus. Klicken Sie auf der Registerkarte „Allgemein“auf Mr. ndern Гњbernehmen aus. Klicken Sie anschlieGџend mit der rechten Maustaste auf die ISO-Datei und wГ¤hlen Sie DatatentrГ¤gerabbild brennen aus.

    Wenn Sie Windows 10 ohne DVD oder USB-Laufwerk direkt aus der ISO-Datei installieren möchten, können Sie das tun, indem Sie die ISO-Datei bereitstellen. Dadurch wird ein Upgrade des aktuellen Betriebssystems auf WindowsAt 10 ausgeführt.

    So stellen Sie die ISO-Datei bereit:

    1. Wechseln Sie zum Speicherort der ISO-Datei, führen Sie einen Rechtsklick auf die Datei aus und wählen Sie Eigenschaften aus.
    2. Klicken Sie auf der Registerkarte „Allgemein“auf Mr. ndern... und wГ¤hlen Sie Windows Explorer als das Programm aus, mit dem Sie ISO-Dateien Г¶ffnen mГ¶chten. WH¤hlen Sie dann Гњbernehmen aus.
    3. Klicken Sie mit der rechten Maustaste auf die ISO-Datei und wählen Sie Bereitstellen aus.
    4. Doppelklicken Sie auf die ISO-Datei, um die darin enthaltenen Dateien anzuzeigen. Doppelklicken Sie setup.exe, um das Setup von WindowsAt 10 zu starten.

The Windows 10 operating system can be officially downloaded and installation media can be created at the same time. Today I will show you how it is done, i.e. we will download Windows 10 and create an installation USB flash drive as an example.

This method involves using the official installation media creation tool, namely the program Media Creation Tool.

Note! This is the official way to download and install Windows 10, in other words, in order to install Windows 10 on your computer, you will need a license key.

Step-by-step description of the process of creating Windows 10 installation media

Now we will go through step by step all the steps that need to be performed to create installation media with Windows 10.

By the way, the method that we will now consider will suit you if you need Windows 10 ISO image, i.e. Right now you don't need installation media. In other words, you can officially download an ISO image of Windows 10 and burn it to a disk or USB drive at any other time and with any programs that allow you to burn ISO disk images, for example, to create a bootable USB flash drive you can use the Rufus program.

Step 1 – Download Media Creation Tool

The first thing you need to do is download the Media Creation Tool program, it can be downloaded from the official page on the Microsoft website - https://www.microsoft.com/ru-ru/software-download/windows10

After you go to the page, click " Download the tool now».

As a result, you will download the file MediaCreationTool1803.exe approximately 18.5 megabytes in size.

Step 2 – Launch the program and accept the terms of the license agreement

We now have the main tool for downloading and creating installation media for Windows 10, then we launch the Microsoft Media Creation Tool program.

In the first window we need to accept the terms of the license agreement; to continue, click “ Accept».

Step 3 – Select an Action

Then we are asked what we want to do: immediately update our computer or create installation media. Since we need installation media, we accordingly select " Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD)". Press " Further».

Step 4 – Selecting Language, Architecture and Edition

At this step we need to select the language, architecture and edition of Windows 10, by default the program has already selected all the necessary parameters, if necessary, you can change these parameters, to do this, uncheck “ Use recommended settings for this computer". To continue press " Further».

Step 5 - Select Media Type

Now we need to select the media type, in other words, what kind of media we ultimately want to receive. We have two options available to us: to immediately create an installation USB flash drive with Windows 10 or download an ISO image of Windows 10 for subsequent self-burning on the installation device ( I previously noted the ability to download an ISO image).

In this article, we consider an example of downloading and creating installation media with Windows 10, so we select the first item " USB flash memory device" and click " Further».

Step 6 - Select Device

If you chose to create the installation media on a USB device, you will then see a list of available devices ( flash drives), select the device on which all Windows 10 installation files will be written. Click " Further».

Step 7 – Download Windows 10 and Create Installation Media

That's it, the process has started, first the download of all installation files will begin.

And after that the process of creating installation media will begin, i.e. writing installation files to a USB flash drive.

Step 8 – Completing the Process

When the message " USB flash drive is ready", the process of creating installation media with Windows 10 will be completed. Press " Ready».

That's all for me, I hope the material was useful to you, bye!

When the OS is abandoned by Microsoft, owners of OEM and Recovery versions face a serious problem: these stripped-down versions, as a rule, do not come equipped with the recovery tools that full-fledged Windows 7 offers in the System Recovery Options section. Instead, computer sellers create a hidden Recovery partition from which you can restore factory settings. In this case, however, you will not only lose all your data, but you will also have to clean your PC again of pre-installed trial versions of the software. It would be much more convenient to have a full-fledged Windows on hand along with an emergency system that allows, for example, to restore the boot sector on the HDD without external utilities.

Using an ISO file prepared by Microsoft and programs selected by CHIP specialists, you can construct a Windows 7 boot disk that is guaranteed to provide all the features, completely free and legally. Please note that you will need a valid license key to create this DVD. Once launched, this disk will offer to select any of the known editions of Windows 7 for installation. If your computer came with an OEM version of Home Premium, you can only install that version. But you have the right to install any other version without a key and use it for 30 days. The Windows PE environment, ready for use even before the actual installation of the system, is not so picky: using your disk, you can restore the Windows 7 partition on your friend’s computer.

What to do if Windows won't boot

To start an operating system that has stopped working, boot the corresponding computer using the installation disk you created and select “System Recovery Options.” Here you will be offered a choice of various tools for resuscitating data, such as “Startup Recovery” or rolling back to a previous state (“System Restore”). All features from this menu are completely missing in most OEM and Recovery versions.

If you want to reinstall Windows, take this opportunity to say goodbye to the now unnecessary Recovery partition and thereby gain 10 GB of disk space.

Of course, you should have a pre-prepared Windows installation disc on hand. Creating one is not that difficult - in this guide we will describe the entire process step by step.

Downloading from the Internet and preparing: Windows image file

The installation disk will be based on an ISO file downloaded from the Microsoft website. All versions of the “Seven” will be available to you.

1 DOWNLOAD WINDOWS FOR FREE In order to familiarize yourself with Microsoft products, on the page answers.microsoft.com/ru-ru you can find links to free downloads of images of various versions of Windows 7. Enter the keywords “Windows 7 image” in the search bar of the service. In the results you will find information about where you can download different versions of the OS. In addition, official images of the system, in different editions - from “Home Advanced” to “Maximum”, can be obtained by following the short link b23[.]ru/p9kf. The only drawback is that the versions are only in English. You can download the localization file separately. You can download any version of the OS you want, since the install.wim file needed for our installation disk will allow you to install any version if you make small changes (see step 4). When choosing a file to download, pay attention to the language and bit depth (32 or 64 bits). For security reasons, we strongly recommend downloading the option with a built-in update package (Service Pack 1).

2 CREATE A WORKING FOLDER Now you need to create two directories. The first (just call it “Win7”) will then store the Windows installation files, the second is needed for the command line utility - dism.exe. Name the second folder "mount". To make the next steps of the process quick and easy, you must have at least 10 GB of free space on your hard drive. We recommend performing the following actions as an administrator - this way you will not be annoyed by UAC messages.

3 UNPACK WINDOWS Install the 7-Zip program and use it to unzip the downloaded file with the Windows 7 image into the Win7 folder. To do this, you just need to select “7-Zip | Extract files”, and then in the “Extract to...” field specify this folder.

Note. When testing, we first tried to unpack the 64-bit version of Home Premium without the service pack (X15-65741.iso). 7-Zip didn't like the presence of the UDF file and refused to work. The second attempt with the file X17-58997.iso (Home Premium with Service Pack 1) was successful. Therefore, we can safely recommend that you use this version.

4 DELETE THE CONFIGURATION FILE Owners of Windows 7 Ultimate now need to open the Win7\sources folder in Explorer and delete the ei.cfg file from it. Thanks to this, this system will also be available for selection in the installation wizard. If you have a different version, you can skip this step. You should also get rid of this file if you plan to later switch to another version of Windows. Then you do not need to complete step 7 (“Entering the key and activation”) to be able to enter the newly purchased key. Also, the configuration file should be deleted by those who are going to help those familiar with debugging Windows.

Creating a multi-install file

The command line utility will read the Windows installation file and you can create a disk that suits your needs.

5 READ THE INDEX Microsoft has placed all the data necessary to install Windows in the install.wim file. You can open and change it using the dism.exe command line utility, but to do this you must know the index of your version of Windows. To find it out, run Command Prompt as an administrator and enter the command:

dism /get-wiminfo /wimfile:X:\win7\sources\install.wim

Here, instead of the “X:\” parameter, specify the drive letter on which the Win7 folder is located. Note the version number of Windows that you want to use - for example, for the “Home Premium” option it is “2”.

6 MOUNT THE INSTALLATION FILE To change the install.wim file, you must connect (mount) it to the system. Enter the command:

dism /mount-wim /wimfile:X:\win7\sources\install.wim /index:2 /mountdir:X:\mount

If you want to select a different system version, specify the appropriate value after the “index:” parameter. The Windows dism.exe utility will then unpack the install.wim file, which may take some time. On our test computer, the process took about ten minutes to complete.

7 ENTER THE PRODUCT KEY To ensure that the disk automatically indicates the license key during installation, run the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder program and use it to read the key for the version of Windows you have installed.

Attention! This program designates the license key as "CD Key". At the command prompt, enter the line:

dism /image:X:\mount /set-productkey:license key

Instead of the “license key” parameter, specify the product key read by Keyfinder. Note that in the case of the corporate version, receiving it may fail - then the program will display the characters “B”.

Note. If you plan to later upgrade to another version of Windows 7 or plan to help friends set up the operating system, skip this step.

8 SAVE CHANGES Finally, write the modified install.wim file to the \mount folder. Moreover, to do this you will again have to use the command line window. Run it as administrator and enter:

dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:X:\mount /commit

Additionally, the "unmount" command will disconnect (unmount) the installation file from the system. After this, you can safely start recording the image onto DVD media.

DVD Burning: Correct Format

It would seem that the Windows installation disk image is ready, and all you have to do is insert a blank DVD, launch the burning utility, select the desired image and start the burning procedure. Unfortunately, it's not that simple - you'll have to do some setup first.

9 ACTIVATE THE UDF FILE SYSTEM To burn a disc, we recommend using the free ImgBurn utility. It can be downloaded from the official website imgburn.com. Don't forget to also unpack the localization file into the appropriate folder of the program. Insert an empty DVD into the drive, run ImgBurn and select the Russian language in the settings. Then click on the big “Burn files/folders to disk” button. On the “Options” tab, in the “File system” line, set “UDF” or “ISO 9660 + UDF”. The second option is suitable for those who want to create an installation disk in an outdated Windows, such as XP. During our testing, both options worked without any problems. Also, check the boxes for "Include hidden files" and "Include system files".

10 PRESERVING THE STRUCTURE To ensure that all folder levels are taken into account when burning the installation disk, you need to make sure that on the "Advanced - Restrictions" tab in the "Folder / file name length" section, the option "X level: 219 characters" is selected. Set the Character Set to DOS. In addition, check the boxes next to "More than 8 levels of folder nesting", "Do not limit file size" and "Do not append version number ";1" to files".

11 WE EQUIP DVD WITH SELF-LOADING ABILITY F On the "Boot Disk" tab, check the "Make image bootable" checkbox. Click on the icon next to the "Boot Image" line, navigate to the Win7\boot folder and select the etfsboot.com file in it. It contains a boot sector for DVD media, and when you start the Windows installation disk, it will automatically search for it.

Note. Typically, on new EFI motherboards and Apple computers, the etfsboot.com file cannot be found by the Boot Manager (setupldr.bin). This error is corrected by the option "Do not add version number ";1" to files" selected at step 10. It is because of this feature that we chose ImgBurn to burn our disc.

12 BURN THE INSTALLATION DISC Make sure that in the line “Download. segment" is the hexadecimal value "07C0". If not, enter this parameter. Increase the number of bootable sectors to eight, and then open the Win7 directory in Windows Explorer. Select all the files and folders in it, and using the mouse, drag them into the “Source” field of the ImgBurn program. To write data to disk, all you have to do is click on the corresponding icon. Before you delete the \mount and Win7 folders you created, make sure our brand new installation disk is working. To do this, select the DVD drive as the “First Boot Device” in the BIOS and restart the computer. If everything is successful, you will see the Windows installation dialog box on your monitor. Now, if the system crashes, you can restore it by selecting "System Recovery Options".