Help Installing Windows7 to Flash Drive

[crazymonkeyzero]

Hi Guys,

I am currently trying to install windows 7 on a test system, and do not have an hdd yet, so I want to use my 64gb flash drive temporarily instead. I have the windows 7 dvd and when it asks to install to the drive, my flash drive does not appear as an option? Does anyone know why? I know my flash drive is working, because it is detected in my bios as a boot device, but windows setup cannot find it for some reason. The flash drive is empty and is formatted to NTFS.

Thanks for any help on the matter.

 

[Dahak]

Unfortunately it does not allow a usb flash drive to be used as an install to source.

You can install FROM it but not TO it

 

[corkyg]

It's possible and has been donw many times. Here's how:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2009/12/the-usb-flash-drive/

 

[Bubbaleone]

As Dahak correctly notes; Windows can only be installed to a "fixed" drive and Disk Management marks firewire and USB flash drives as "removable. If you google you'll find methods that suggest using Lexar's utility that will flip the "removable" bit on a USB device, and then you'll find that it rarely ever works on any USB flash drive. And there are other methods that involve setting up the drive as a VM but those to rarely meet with any success. If you're bored and want something to do while you're waiting on your new drive, there's nothing stopping you from experimenting.

.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Thanks for the replys guys. I think I will try to borrow a spare drive from a friend or something, just to do s quick test of my system. I was under the impression that installing windows to the flash drive would be just as easy as from it.

 

[Gillbot]

It's possible and has been donw many times. Here's how:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2009/12/the-usb-flash-drive/

I don't think he wants a bootable install media, I think he wants to install it TO the USB drive, which can be cumbersome and rarely worth the effort.