Installing Windows 7 Using a USB Thumb Drive

If you want to install Windows 7 using a USB thumb drive, follow the steps outlined here:

1. Use the diskpart.exe application to prepare the USB thumb drive. Launch the diskpart.exe application in the command prompt and then issue the following commands:

   list disk
   select disk n (where n is your thumb drive)
   clean
   create partition primary
   format fs=fat32 quick
   active
   exit
   

2. Copy the content of the Windows 7 installation disk onto the USB thumb drive.
3. Insert the thumb drive into the computer and boot it up using the USB thumb drive.

Note: As the Windows 7 installation takes up well over 2 GB, you would need a USB thumb drive that is at least 4 GB.

Dual Booting Windows 7 with Windows Vista and Windows XP

Although Windows 7 offers many features and performance enhancements, you might not be ready to totally move to this new operating system. In this case, a good solution would be to keep your existing OS (XP or Vista) and install Windows 7 as a dual-boot system. Installing Windows 7 as a dual-boot system requires disk partitioning, and this section shows you how.

Note Before you proceed with preparing your existing hard disk for a dual boot, be sure to back up your existing files. Partitioning a hard disk is like walking a tightrope-you never know when an accident will occur.

If you are currently running Windows XP, you need to use some third-party partitioning software, such as Partition Magic (http://www.symantec.com/norton/partitionmagic) or GParted (http://gparted.sourceforge.net). The key here is to resize your current partition and create a new partition of at least 16 GB. In Vista, you can use the Disk Management tool (Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Computer Management) to shrink the existing hard disk to create a new partition of at least 16 GB. Once the disk has been shrunken, create a new simple volume on the free space.

Reboot the computer using the Windows 7 disk (or USB thumb drive or hard disk). During the installation, select Custom (advanced) when asked to choose the installation type and choose the newly created partition to set up Windows 7.

When the installation is done, you will have a dual-boot system that allows you to select the OS to boot when you start up your computer.