How To Make Bootable USB
Posted May 30, 2009 – 1:21 pm in: UncategorizedHaving a bootable USB is very essential, especially if you are a Netbook user. Using bootable USB to install an operating system (OS) not only makes the installation faster, but also saves a DVD.
Creating or using an USB drive to install Windows operating systems is very easy if you follow the below mentioned steps.
If you are planning to use bootable USB to install Windows 7 or Vista please refer our guides:
Install Windows 7/Vista using bootable USB guide
And also, you can refer install Windows 7 on Acer Aspire One guide
Coming back to bootable USB guide, here we assume that you are using either Vista or Windows 7 to create a bootable USB.
1. Insert your USB (4GB+ preferable) stick to the system and backup all the data from the USB as we are going to format the USB to make it as bootable.
2. Open elevated Command Prompt. To do this, type in CMD in Start menu search field and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter. Alternatively, navigate to Start > All programs >Accessories > right click on Command Prompt and select run as administrator.
3. When the Command Prompt opens, enter the following command:
DISKPART and hit enter.
LIST DISK and hit enter.
Once you enter the LIST DISK command, it will show the disk number of your USB drive. In the below image my USB drive disk no is Disk 1.
4. In this step you need to enter all the below commands one by one and hit enter. As these commands are self explanatory, you can easily guess what these commands do.
SELECT DISK 1 (Replace DISK 1 with your disk number)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS
(Format process may take few seconds)
ASSIGN
EXIT
Don’t close the command prompt as we need to execute one more command at the next step. Just minimize it.
5. Insert your Windows DVD in the optical drive and note down the drive letter of the optical drive and USB media. Here I use “D” as my optical (DVD) drive letter and “H” as my USB drive letter.
6. Go back to command prompt and execute the following commands:
D:CD BOOT and hit enter. Where “D” is your DVD drive letter.
CD BOOT and hit enter to see the below message.
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:
(Where “H” is your USB drive letter)
7. Copy Windows DVD contents to USB.
You are done with your bootable USB. You can now use this bootable USB as bootable DVD on any computer that comes with USB boot feature (most of the current motherboards support this feature).
Note that this bootable USB guide will not work if you are trying to make a bootable USB on XP computer.
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271 Comments
In my experience, we don’t need to do these complicated setup like yours.
What I do is simply use the ‘format’ option for the thumb drive in Windows Explorer (right-click menu), by using the default settings. Then, extract the files in the ISO image into the thumb or simply copy all the files from setup folder to drive, and then plug’n’boot. The command prompt and code are no needed.
I have tried this simple method many times and they all work on my 4 computers, because I heard that USB booting is originally supported in Windows Vista or higher.
PS XP is absolutely incompatible with this function
Sunny, because of retards like you I could not make a bootable USB stick till now. Everyone that was posting this type of tutorial did the mistake called “THINKING ON HIS OWN” and removed the “BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 H:” part, because “it worked for him”.
SO FUCK OFF.
And thanks for the tutorial.
And I also have unkind words for people who underexplain this process because I have been tearing my hair out for the last 3 days trying to get a bootable usb to put XP no my netbook without any luck. There is no reason this needs to be this hard.
So, to be clear when you say this ‘won’t work with XP’ do you mean:
a.) If you’re on a PC running Windows XP and you’re trying to make a USB Installation drive to install XP/Vista/7/whatever.
or do you mean
b.) If you’re trying to create a USB Installation drive to install XP.
Eh?
If you are using Windows XP, try
BOOTSECT.EXE /NT52 H:
How to insert windows dvd on optical drive while i’m using netbook?? did’t not have dvd drives
@arefiqrc
IF you are on netbook, get the image of Windows and then extract it.
This is a great tut man, thanks a lot !
that’s the way…………
after bootsect.exe/nt60 H:i get this
target volumes will be updated with boot mgr compatability boot code.
could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access is denied
Very good.. Worked straight up.. last line not needed for windows 7..
plz give me slids of make bootable usb pen drive
Yeah i have done this but i want to make my flahs brive a local disk so that I may install an os onto it.
Regards Tim
@ Hawksie
It’s not possible to install Windows 7 exactly on a USB flash drive. Here is the guide that help you carry Windows 7 on USB flash drive:
http://www.intowindows.com/install-windows-7-on-usb/
A po ma hani karin .
me bo mir po nuk po bon bre familjen ta cifsha
How to make my bootable USB to normal.
Please please any one give me instruction to make my bootable USB back to normal. Because my USB drive speed is toooooooo slow. Copying speed is below 1MB/s.
My e-mail address is “mehul.the.game88@gmail.com”
did you try this MEHUL?
FORMAT [f:] [/FS:file-system] [/Q]
F: the usb drive vlume label
format f: /fs:ntfs /q
“bootsect.exe” not found
Yep that’s what I got as well. “bootsect.exe” not found.
My USB stick is not showing up as a DISK. Tried with various sticks.
Whats the issue?
it’s work, only for windows vista & 7
works at teat
sorry treat
Well done, works exactly as described. I’ve been looking around for this type of information for a few hours. Found this and i’m happily installing 2k3, 2k8, 2k8R2 on servers by plugging in my usb.
Thank you!
Try unebootin.
Sorry but this is for linux.
Every distributions supported .
By.
worked like a charm. thanks dude
can i install xp without optical drive support?????????? means using usb with windows files??????
@Kaim
Of course, you can install XP from USB. But note that this guide is only for Vista and 7.
hey guys why to make usb disk bootable just install any version of windows in ur usb drive directly but it should be 8gb usb drive for win 7 and vista and it should be 4 gb for xp,98 and vista portable. my email address is kartikeyp1@gmail.com
Hi,
Can u let me know,how can i install xp from USB.Please suggest how can do it.
Thanks & Regards
Jitendra Kumar
Ya its working for windows 7
Can anyone say me how to make a cd bootable in a similar way
I found a utility called WinToFlash that works well. wintoflash.com/home/en/
How to create a bootable USB drive to install Windows xp
I followed this guide and it is not accurate. I have made some minor edits to help others who have the same issue as me after following this giude. aka. Boot mgr is missing error…
So here’s the REAL working guide.
Guide to making a bootable USB drive using Vista or Windows 7
(Note: this guide will not work on WinXP.)
1. Insert your USB stick into USB port (MUST be 4GB or higher).
(Note: Backup the data on your USB drive as we are going to format it.)
2. Open the Command Prompt: (follow steps listed below to do this)
Go to Start Menu >
All programs >
Accessories >
Right click on ‘Command Prompt’
Select ‘Run as Administrator’
3. When the Command Prompt opens, enter the following command:
DISKPART (hit enter)
LIST DISK (hit enter)
(Note: Once you enter the LIST DISK command, it will show the disk numbers of all drives connected to your PC)
4. In this step, enter all the below commands one by one and hit enter:
SELECT DISK 1 (Replace “DISK 1″ with your USB drive’s disk number, For example: If your usb is 4GB,
and Disk 2 shows 4000mb disk size, type SELECT DISK 2, as that is your usb drive)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=FAT32 (Format process may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the USB drive)
ASSIGN
EXIT
(Note: Don’t close the command prompt as we need it for the next step. Just minimize it)
5. Insert your Windows DVD in the DVD drive.
Note the drive letter of the DVD Drive and USB Drive.
(Here I use “D” as my DVD drive letter and “F” as my USB drive letter)
NOTE: Drive letters can be assigned or changed. In the start menu right click “Computer”,
select “Manage”. A window will open. Select Disk Managment (Near the bottom of the list
on the left side panel), Right click a drive to assign, change or remove the drive letter).
6. Go back to command prompt window and execute the following commands:
D: CD BOOT (Where D: is your DVD drive letter) And hit Enter.
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 F: (Where F: is your USB drive letter) And hit Enter.
XCOPY D:\*.* /S/E/F F:\ (Where D: is your DVD drive, and F: is your USB Drive) And hit Enter.
8. Wait for DVD contents to copy to USB.
You are done with your bootable USB. You can now use this bootable USB as bootable DVD on any computer
that comes with USB boot feature (most of the current motherboards support this feature).
Alternatively, use this handy application that does it all for you, even makes XP bootable usb drive.
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/08/27/make-a-bootable-usb-installer-for-windows-xp-vista-7-with-wint/
Maybe this will help, no warranty that this info is accurate, but some of it is.
-bootsect.exe is on Vista disc, not on XP disc.
-XP uses NTLDR, Vista uses BOOTMGR (OS setup different between xp & vista)
-USB stick format must be what system BIOS can recognize as bootable — some older BIOS version only boot devices with FAT16, and there’s some other stuff that we are still learning about. So, this is why everyone may get different results. Computers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get, and they melt in your hands if you’re not cool.
when i enter “LIST DISK” command, i see only HDD, not usb flash.
what can i do?
hi guys i would like my usb to be bootable so i could go and get my ghost image how do i do that please
hi guys i would like my usb to be bootable so i could go and get my ghost image how do i do that please email please m_cubaynes@yahoo.com
i use vista basic. i want to run xp in my usb. can any one help me?
Thanks man, It was perfect.
thanks for great tutorial, i can now make bootable usb not only win7 but windows XP
more power
This is some excellent tech writing, thanks for the clear instructions, worked great
why should not someone do this by right clicking on the usb??????should everyone learn these commands??
Thank You Very Very Much for this Information!! your the best!!
I’ll Like this
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 J: IS NOT WORKING IN MY SYSTEM.
Hi I was wondering will this work by boot commands work for booting windows XP?? or there is some other special boot commands for XP differ from Vista\Windows 7???
Anyone with good knowledge Please Reply Thanks!!
WILL THIS WORK FOR BOOTING XP OR XP HAS DIFFERENT BOOT COMMANDS??
PLZ HELP!!!
Windows XP user must give a try to Novicorp WinToFlash. Here is the link http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/08/27/make-a-bootable-usb-installer-for-windows-xp-vista-7-with-wint/
This will make your USB drive bootable for installing Windows XP Vista etc.
After Making Bootable USB Drive go to your computer’s BIOS and select USB your first boot device. If your Hard Drive or DVD ROM is your first boot device then it will not work. One thing for sure not every computer has USB Boot option available in BIOS. Hope It helps. Kamran Khan of Shabqadar
how can i install xp onto a usb to make it bootable
@Vidura : did you get an answer to http://www.intowindows.com/bootable-usb/#comment-4441 ?
I’m getting the same error and I do not have a write-protect switch on my USB thumbdrive.
E:\boot>bootsect /nt60 s:
Target volumes will be updated with BOOTMGR compatible bootcode.
Could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects:
Access is denied.
Anyone know of how to get around this?
Cheers,
Scott.
Thank you very much,good job!
You need to ‘runas Administrator’ cmd.exe then run these last commands otherwise you will receive:
Could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects:
Access is denied.
David
This also works to install Windows 2008 Server products. Thanks for a great Tutorial!
Hi,
I was looking for an option to boot from USB as my laptop’s CD drive is not working.
The write-up is clear. After the installation from USB, can we format the data in USB and use it like another normal flash drive to store data?
Plz clarify.
@ Guard
Of course, you can format it and use it as a normal USB drive.
Great tutorial!! Simple and efficient, thanks.
hello…thanx for the amazing tutorial.but i can perform the last steps..it says could not map dive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access denied..
what should i do??
please tell me..
thanx
hi,
i don’t have any windows dvd
what i suppose to do now?
To JB, it’s quite simple; you go and get yourself one…like, gasp, buying one!!
i hate this fucking shit because it don’t work!!!!!! when i install the things the say here my computer is dead and cannot start windows and even cannot start the reboot cd!!! so be prepared to kill your pc!!!
thanks dude.thank you for this information
My cd drive not working but I need to install xp then what can I do
zee, thanks for that but i don’t know where to buy..
hello
i have tried all these but at the time of disk list my usb is not showing there. Can u tell what is the problem?
Its a fabulous technique.
plzzzzz reply in my mail id..
out of all the methods iv tried this is the best! thumps up
I really like the copyrighted screenshots LOL. Why are people so precious about such stuff when they likely have borrowed stuff themselves. It’s a screenshot dammit…why would you think YOUR screenshot is so special that no one can replicate it.
sigh
Thanks a lot, great tut
Thanks Sobaixu! it really works
How about with a System Repair Disc. The Aspire 5251 did not come with a CD/DVD and “bootsect.exe” is not found on the Repair Disc of Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit… Thanks
Hello everyone, I had already read something like this before and everytime I’ve read this sort of tutorial, it’s always ambiguous…
Basically, here you’re creating a bootable win vista or win 7 setup USB key… nothing more nothing else
and if you want to waste your time doing all this total nonesense, be my guests! But if you want to do this the proper “SMART” way… just get Win2Flash from Novicorp (go ahead, look for it!) and stop wasting everyone’s time and wasting bandwidth!!!
Perfect, worked great, thank you!!
is their any Software which Format USB disks to Bootables..!?
thanks to the nice guide…
to all who got “could not map dive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access denied” run CMD as Administrator by going to start/all programs/accessories and right click command and select run as administrator then do the last step…
f**k of u all ppl. there r so many essy ways to make a bootable usb.. make sure u r using a orrect software.. like novicorp wintoflash…..
i have my personal data in my usb but it has been deleted
can any one tell me how to recover.
@RRG… There are so many easy ways to get your spelling and grammar correct. For example, make sure YOU are using the correct software, run your spell checking software, run your grammar checking software, get an education, do some study, install a typing tutorial program and practise using it, even just use a dictionary! (Can you use one?) There are so many easy ways…
everybody pls use this software wintoflash is better
how to install bootable usb xp? how can i make?
Thank you. great tut. will refer friends and enemies alike to you post.
hi,
it happend. but now i can’t boot from cd drive. can u please tell how to make my laptop defaule cd bootable…
I completely bricked my computer trying to install libc6 and its dependencies in Ubuntu without an internet connection. My computer refused to boot, or even accept a bootable Linux USB. This clear, concise guide saved me so much headache! Thank you!!!
plese give me tips
how to make bootable pendrive
which will be install xp or other windows
my hdd install linux but when 1 drive remove its have no run. and when open my computer its hung. what can i do.plese give me solution.
great tut…sharing is caring
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.
anybody with a solution please?
For those who get “could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access is denied”…
Have you checked if you are using the right letter for your usb drive? I mean if I am doing it the whole process with a usb drive where the letter assigned to it is K, then I’ll have to type this: “bootsect.exe /nt60 K:” probably that’s why we can get that error message…
Greetings…
Not working for me its not showing usb in list
same prob here
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.
anybody with a solution please?
my dvd writer is not working.how can install 7 ultimate from usb.
to all of them that whant to make the USB a USB like it whas before , just do on the repeate this part ” CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
and do this FORMAT FS=FAt32
the usb returns to be a removable disc
You’re the BEST, buddy! This tutorial was just what i needed cos my DVD Drive’s been acting funny!

The jerks who say “this is too complicated” or “this is just not needed” need to broaden their myopic contemplation!
Thanks once again, pal!
Guys! What if i dont have DVD of XP but XP image at my Hard Disk. In that situation, how am I gonna select that specific image from hard drive volume.
I tried by making a virtual cd drive but CMD doesn’t recognize it and BOOTSECT.EXE doesn’t appear.
Note: Transitioning from Vista to XP.
Please, guide if u can.
“could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access is denied”…
Run cmd as Administrator – it WILL work.
Thank you!!! Perfect!!!
Just use Universal USB installer v1.7.9 It makes any iso bootable,on your usb drive.
Thanks to Arun for his comment about Win XP version! It works as suggested, with the bootsect commeand confirming that ntldr compatible bootcode was written to the drive.
Is it possible to format windows 7 with windows XP bootable CD bcz on my pc I installed windows 7 on xp it is not istalled after 37% it got blocked. whenever I want to format using xp it said hard disk not recognizable…
This is not for me. It dose not show disk list.
My USB stick is not showing up as a DISK.
PLZ HELP ME
MY MAIL
THE GUIDE “”DO NOT WORK FOR XP”"
Your stupid fuckhead, did you not know, that people using XP, “”CANNOT”" se there USB drive in disk part / Disk list.
Aaaaand, since 99,99% of 100, try make such USB bootble,
bcs. they will install win 7, on a XP system, it means
your guide do not work at all.. Christ.
pls sent step by step create the usb boot disk in windows xp .
how to configur the usb bootdisk in windows xp
how to create usb boot disk in windows xp
Its a very nice description by the way and works good. though i have a suggestion…i.e. ASSIGN AND EXIT where exit looks like that if we write EXIT it will go out of the COMMAND PROMPT. but it actually goes out of the PARTITION PROCESS. so make it clear to other people that it will just go out of the partition process. Not all of the people think much upon this thing..Thanks…best of luck
Worked great on my Acer AOA150. Tinkering with it now it seems o work quite well. Thanks for the great instructions. I felt like a true computer guy! THX Again!
Alternatively, you can download the following handy utility that would do all the above task:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/setupfromusb/
COmpletely, free to use (only for Win Vista or 7)
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.
PLZ GIVE ME SOLUTION IF ANYBODY HAVE ONE>>>>>>>>>
how to do this with windows xp.
Thanks Guys
You guys rock
Hi, I think you can’t use ‘assign’ command without selecting volume. What i did before assigning is hitting the following commands-
LIST VOLUME
SELECT VOLUME # (volume number of usb drive)
ASSIGN
can any body tell me, how to make win 7 dvd bootable ,manually. i hv data dvd which doesn’t boot.
my usb is 3.78 GB
when I am typing the command CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY..IT SAYS Insufficient free space to create a partition at the specified size and offset.
wot do i do?
how to make kingston usb
WHEN I TYPE CD BOOT..IT SAYS CANNOT FIND THE FILE SPECIFIED.
SO THE LAST SUCCESSFUL STEP I GOT THRU WAS “D: BOOT CD”
BUT AFTER THIS..IT CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PATH.. CAN ANY1 HELP ME WID DIS..DAT WILL BE GR8 THANKS..
Hey guys, Can it be possible to boot win 2000?
its not showing my usb in list disk….
wat to do…
@Arpita:
The CD command changes directory.
First, are you sure that your DVD drive is D: ? Verify the drive letter by going into My Computer. The drive letters for all attached drives should be listed, alongside what they are. I.E., “DVD Drive D:”.
As far as I know, the only thing that would cause a “Cannot find the file specified” error is if D: is not actually the directory for your DVD drive, or if the DVD isn’t in the drive. I think it may also happen if the DVD is unreadable, but I think that gives you another error.
@karim:
It might be *possible*, but this tutorial is specifically for Windows Vista and Windows 7. You might have to ask Google about that one…although, I’m not sure if any hardware that can only run Windows 2000 is able to boot from USB. I could be wrong, though.
so try doing everything step by step but when i put in the comman ( cd boot ) it says system cannot find path specified . can any one please help me ?
so try doing everything step but when i put in the comman cd boot system cannot find specified path. can any one please help me?
*** You must have Vista or Win 7 on your computer for the above method to work ****
*** It will NOT work if you are trying to do this from a computer with XP ***
Because the “Diskpart” command in XP does NOT WORK with USB Flash Drives.
Also, you can NOT put XP on a USB flash drive using this method (XP is NOT designed to install from a USB drive.)
thanks man.
it worked for me.
Hello. Everything works fine until bootsect.exe /nt60 f:. It just gives me the message “not recognizable”.
What can I do?
There should be a whole process at a place that how to make a bootable USB.
WinToFlash software is free and easy to use. I have created XP usb!
Thankyou so much you are great. you are above all. it worked like a piece of cake.
When i write in cmd “CD: BOOT” it says: “The system cannot find the patch specified”. Help please.I`m using Vista.
Ionut type (cd boot) not (cd: boot) i hope u get it
How 2 make bootable usb drive from image file ??
please tell me how to make non bootable USB from bootable.
i created bootable usb and formatted it but now at the time of booting up my laptop if i have inserted that usb then it shows bootMGR missing error.
so how to resolve this problem.
my 8GB flash not display in dispart.. can anyone help me regarding this…
thustha, I had the same issue. I would show in XP, but not in Diskpart. I plugged it into my Windows 7 workstation and it then showed in Diskpart.
thnks a tonn man..u saved my life…
thanks:)
the steps do work when followed but when booting from the usb, the default language is not english – it’s some funky character…,
kalasha
when i try to boot from the usb drive, windows 7 setup says unable to create/locate partition.
PS- lenovo thinkpad U460 (netbook)
when i hit the list disk there is no display usb number
then how can i format and partition and make bootble plz guide me
its not work on XP. dont waste time
send me solution,, becoz, i want to try on to XP. plz
Naveen,,, i have same error like u,,, actually matter is that,, Xp has no boot folder,,, if u try boot command on window 7, it will work,,,, so, xp has different folder of boot files, i dont know proper name, but may 1386.
sendn me solution, brcoz, i want format my lappy form pen drive.
hey it says “THE SYSTEM CANNOT FIND THE PATH SPECIFIED” I need help!!
hey all frnds, we can also use some software than commands to make bootable..
If you simply want to put Win 7 on a USB, then use this tool. You will need an ISO. http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool
how to install windows xp on windows7 & my writer cant work.plze help me.
Perfect, Thank you!!
Hi , I’m Alejandro and I’m mexican. I don’t speak very well english but it was very easy to follow your instructions. I’m very grateful becouse this works perfectly . thanks alot.
Sorry if I’m wrong in my writing
thanks again
THE SYSTEM CANNOT FIND THE PATH SPECIFIED.. this sentence shows every time i type in “CD BOOT”, my cd-drive is E: so i’ve done it correctly.. what am i gonna do?
E:\>CD BOOT
THE SYSTEM CANNOT FIND THE PATH SPECIFIED.
exactly like this..
well, this is helpful for everybody. thanks
how to make pen drive normal its speed is very slow
Worked like a champ. Ran into a couple hurdles, but finally got it working on Windows 7. Had to start the command prompt in Administrator Mode. And after going through the “diskpart”, my USB drive letter had changed from G: to H:, so I was of course getting an error with bootsect.exe when using the wrong drive letter.
All good now. Thanks for the post!
First of all Thx for this tutorial….
btw who got error on last step please follow this step..
1. Insert your USB stick into USB port (MUST be 4GB or higher).
(Note: Backup the data on your USB drive as we are going to format it.)
2. Open the Command Prompt: (follow steps listed below to do this)
Go to Start Menu >
All programs >
Accessories >
Right click on ‘Command Prompt’
Select ‘Run as Administrator’
3. When the Command Prompt opens, enter the following command:
DISKPART (hit enter)
LIST DISK (hit enter)
(Note: Once you enter the LIST DISK command, it will show the disk numbers of all drives connected to your PC)
4. In this step, enter all the below commands one by one and hit enter:
SELECT DISK 1 (Replace “DISK 1? with your USB drive’s disk number, For example: If your usb is 4GB,
and Disk 2 shows 4000mb disk size, type SELECT DISK 2, as that is your usb drive)
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=FAT32 (Format process may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the USB drive)
ASSIGN
EXIT
(Note: Don’t close the command prompt as we need it for the next step. Just minimize it)
5. Insert your Windows DVD in the DVD drive.
Note the drive letter of the DVD Drive and USB Drive.
(Here I use “D” as my DVD drive letter and “F” as my USB drive letter)
NOTE: Drive letters can be assigned or changed. In the start menu right click “Computer”,
select “Manage”. A window will open. Select Disk Managment (Near the bottom of the list
on the left side panel), Right click a drive to assign, change or remove the drive letter).
6. Go back to command prompt window and execute the following commands:
D: CD BOOT (Where D: is your DVD drive letter) And hit Enter.
XCOPY D:\*.* /S/E/F F:\ (Where D: is your DVD drive, and F: is your USB Drive) And hit Enter.
8. Wait for DVD contents to copy to USB.
You are done with your bootable USB. You can now use this bootable USB as bootable DVD on any computer
that comes with USB boot feature (most of the current motherboards support this feature).
———————————————————
Other way is 2 simple software. just put source n destination path and ur bootable flash disk ready…
http://sourceforge.net/projects/setupfromusb/files/v2.0.0.0/Setup%20from%20USB%20v2.0.0.0.exe/download
http://wintoflash.com/download/en/
very good
Ok for all the people that are following this tutorial, but still get an “access is denied” error…..MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT CLOSE OUT OF COMMAND PROMPT!!!!!! If you do then you lose your rights to write to that drive. You lose admin privileges. So when you hit “exit” and it says leaving diskpart, don’t close CMD. Then go onto the next step.
I don’t know how many times I tried this before I figured out that by me closing the command prompt screen I was losing my privileges to write to that disk (usb)
Hope this helps.
How do I perform a bootable flash disk with multiple Operating system on it. Where I would have the chance to choose which Os I want to install a time?
i like to make usb live mode for windows like ubuntu or any os. is it real….help me plz..
how to make usb drive unattanent
this is better way to tell peoples about usb anad i hope u understand the better way of doing this Ok for all the people that are following this tutorial, but still get an “access is denied” error…..MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT CLOSE OUT OF COMMAND PROMPT!!!!!! If you do then you lose your rights to write to that drive. You lose admin privileges. So when you hit “exit” and it says leaving diskpart, don’t close CMD. Then go onto the next step
THE SYSTEM CANNOT FIND THE PATH SPECIFIED.. this sentence shows every time i type in “CD BOOT”, my cd-drive is E: so i’ve done it correctly.. what am i gonna do?
E:\>CD BOOT
THE SYSTEM CANNOT FIND THE PATH SPECIFIED.
exactly like this.
during said process to make usb bootable
diskpart >clean was not successfull, after this usb can’t be formated and showing 0 kb properties.
help me to save my usb
Can any one help me to creat a start up disc on cd or dvd…please note that i want it for windows xp
awsome i lie this trick and it works for vista & 7 too thanks for this tips and trick…
Thanks for sharing the steps. Steps are illustrated in very good manner.
hello i have a little problem in my pc when im formatting my computer in the stage of copying files it appears retry in a particular files like .ndll format or something i used different installer or CD’s i also try genuine windows xp and bootable USB but still it cannot copy files…thank you
god i hate my self.
i am a noob at this but since i have nobody to help me i have to try to figur it out my self.
turns out i did this guide on my stock hdd instead of the usb. so now i lost 100+ gb files.
Is there no way to get it back?
Thanks a lot! Very good guide and a very good result
I want to know when i type cmd cd boot then why displaying system can not define the specified path. While everything is ok drive letter. I have use windows7 ultimate os to make bootable usb.plz send step by step cmd which i could make succeed usb.
Regards
manish
pgdca from polytechnic
I can’t be the only 1 with this error
###so when I enter###
FORMAT FS=NTFS
###I get this###
Virtual Disk Service error:
A concurrent second call is made on an object before the first is completed.
it was completing and the process got stopped now that error comes up
alright cool I got it started I used disk utility and erased. So there probably a program that does that for windows, shouldn’t DISKPART do that?? any ways problem solved
my dvd drive is not working i have the windows 7 file in my harddisk and in my pen drive how to proceed after step 5.
plzzz help.
thanks
Hi All,
it is working fine just you need to right click on CMD of start button and start DOS as Administrator.
Rest follow steps initially mentioned in this thread nothing else is required.
Thank you so much! I tried forever to find detailed instructions like these! Worked flawlessly for my little netbook. THANK YOU!
i have win 7 i had done all commands step by step in last BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 G: after this command i received message
‘BOOTSECT.EXE’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable programe or batch file.
Plz give me solution…….
The bootsect.exe is all down to opening com prompt in administrator
Quickest and easiest way I’ve found is to download/install UltraISO. Open the ISO(ISO being an image of the disc) and choose write to disc option. Choose you’re USB stick and you good to go. Nothing better then WIN7 install from USB.
thank you dear it’ realey works very well
i have one more question can i run ghost from my USB drive
and can i install multi os from one usb..
thank’s again
Great posts – sorted me out perfectly – thanks
WinToFlash is actually a piece of shit program. I tried using it and it ran through the wizard and did absolutely nothing other than attempting to load ads the entire time. Garbage program.
I m not able to find my usb drive in list disk.
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.
PLZ GIVE ME SOLUTION IF ANYBODY HAVE ONE pls help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Does anyone know how to fix my problem with a HP notepad (windows XP), that has a corrupt config.sys.
When powering up the system fails with a config.sys read error, as the notepad does not have a floppy drive, I assume the only thing I can do to correct the corrupt or missing file is to use the USB port, but not sure how to do this.
Hi i am using XP to make a Bootable USB to install Vista, and found this program to be useful:
http://wintoflash.com/download/version-0-7-0009/ftp-1/
i’ve tried this open CMD then write diskpart-list disk but …i’ve got only the message
DISKPART> list disk
Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn gpt
——— ——- ——- —— —- —-
Disk 0 Online 149 GB 0 B
the CMD can’t find my USB flash drive ..
please help
thank you for this wonderful article, it worked perfectly.
I want to know how can I boot cd.
How can I install window in the PC.
I ve tried this is not working…
Directly copy the file,.
Then it will work..
Actually, it’s not FORMAT FS=NTFS, it’s Fomat FS NTFS
Even though my last comment said you did make a mistake, GREAT WEBSITE!
Dear zvezddy,
I had that same thing happen to me. I had to use my FOOT to push it into the USB slot on my computer… CMD PROMT RECOGNIZES ANY USB FLSH DRIVE!
Ya its working thanks for ur post keep post like this
Swordfish, you call Sunny a retard, but aren’t you are the retard who couldn’t make a bootable USB?
so STFU
tnx…nice tutorial
just do what’s in the instruction
it worked perfectly for me
Great tutorial. I’ve spent whole day to find this simple line, that creates correct MBR bootable block. Thanks a lot!
everythng just happens to work out
Bootable USB flash drive for Windows Vista and Windows 7 isn’t all that tricky, but it’s always nice to find an app that simplifies things. Not only does WinToFlash make the process about as easy as it can get, but it can also create Windows XP, Server 2003, and Server 2008 installers.
Download WinToFlash & Carry on.
It really works ! Installed Win XP, 7 with no problems. Thank a lot !
Badly it won’t work if you are on Windows XP. Do you know any workaround ?
Won’t copying all the files from the windows dvd just make it a usb with windows 7 installation on it?
@S.A.M
You can’t create a bootable USB by just copying the DVD files to USB.
i have error in D:\CD BOOT “access denied” i’m creating bootable windows Xp pro SP3 please help!
Awesome tutorial! Thank you very much!!
this is great to make bootable pan drive…. install win to flash from cnet download and then run the programme…. at last the result you want
Great it’s really working !!!
in which interface is it easier to create abootable flash disk,using command line interface or using third party programs?
Explain briefly.
hey ,
it did not work
TO “sonu
Posted April 12, 2011 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.
PLZ GIVE ME SOLUTION IF ANYBODY HAVE ONE pls help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”
I had the same problem. I am running windows 7. RIght clik CMD and click “run as administrator” and rerun the bootsect commands.
@Vidura , to solve the “could not map drive partitions to the associated volume device objects: access is denied” problem run cmd as administrator
how to inesrt usb?
Hi, I did everything as per the process, and when i finished everything , my USB drive has converted into a read only!
there is no switch, and I am using windows 7.
hey frndss there r trick to make bootable usb for 7 & vista
run cmd as administrator then chanhe the path to boot folder for bootsect command
type this
bootsect /nt60 destination drive latter /force
eg:= bootsect /nt60 k: /force
its just great man.
i liked ur tutorial please keep doin such efforts
if u hav nay forum please let me know
daily i hav new query regardin computer
thanks a lot
It works beautifully, thanks a lot!
sir,is this same procedure to make windows xp?pls sir reply me as early as possible.
This procedure only for Vista and Windows 7. Doesn’t work for XP.
hi all I want to ask all of you 1 question who have strategy to make bootble usb with window xp3 who can make please help me and send mail to me thank
Dear All,
Recently I tried the above mentioned method to make USB bootable and really it worked. Before this I tried different method but unable to do. I installed W7 on my desktop pc and in last Thanks for the useful info.
Regards,
Muhammad Muzammil
CMD.exe doesn’t find my USB device, although Explorer sees it, there are no important files on in anymore, and i can easyly write and read to this device.
What to do? I REALLY need a bootable USB device for my Acer netbook!
I did exactly as said, but i always get “Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and press enter” error whenever its plugged in. I have Ubuntu installed, it shouldn’t be causing any errors.
guys my DVD player is not working and i want to copy file from F drive to USB after make it a bootable… which command should i hit….
pls anybody tell how to make a windows xp bootable usb?
cn we make bootable usb for XP as win7 and vista?
how?
what do i do if the windows recovery that i want to put in to the usb is in 2 disks? do i put in to the same usb?
Aweeeeesome tut ! It works perfectly fine here. Thank you sir !
Tq admin. I’m trying it rite nw. I’ll leave cment when i’m done.
how i can do same thing without cd/dvd from my computer OS ? i dont have at the moment my windows cd/dvd and need make bootable usb stick, need help. can i do it without cd/dvd from my laptop OS ?
thank so………..
Just as an FYI… when installing Windows 7 from a USB3 Port / Controller such as Renesas like on my XPS 15 L502X and using this method with Windows 7, the Windows installer boots fine but cannot find the USB Stick’s after it boots (complains it needs a driver before install).
If using a USB2 Stick – get the USB3 drivers (get them from Dell XPS 15 L502X Drivers Site, extract them), put the “Files” folder on a CD or DVD, and select the “x64″ or “x86″ folder when searching for a driver to install. You need to uncheck “Hide Drivers Not Compatible with my machine” so that you can see the USB2 Host Controller (if using USB2 storage stick). Select USB2 Driver, and the install will continue (it will find the USB Stick again).
Best of luck!
Guys For all those who are facing “Access Denied” problem; they must Run CMD as an “Administrator” by right clicking and then clicking it as and “administrator” your problem will be solved after following the Steps mentioned in the tutorial.
Simple solution and awesome tutorial.
Thank u
thanks a lot it WORKS ^_^
Thank you! Just used my 32 GB Thumb to install the 4.83 GB Windows 8 Preview with Developer Tools.
what about windows 8 beta? I had this software and i want to install it on my netbook… and i want to use my usb to install it. Is this tutorial can also work to windows 8?
thanks for your useful info
i have copy my xp cd to my flash and it work
Thanks for the information, i like step provided by you. i appreciate this, but why not XP?
hi gys
i found that the in intalling windows xp thas not showing yout pendrive in list disk but u type “list volmume” then y show your pendrive & after u select that but u cant active it !!!
how can i create a bootable pendrive without any third party software ?
HELP !! HELP !!HELP !!
Thanks worked absolutely spot on. I used yours and sobaixu updates and well pleased. Thanks again.
for those having problem with this guide, you can use the WinToFlash program, which is more dumb friendly UI.
i lick this camand
please guide me that how to make usb bootable disk with the help of windows 7 copy file.It is urgent
how can i break the password of my mobile by using computer
and please show me the way to do so
I was able t create bootable USB as per given TUT. How can we format this USB back to normal once finished work with it. I tried formating but has not worked. Please let know if any one knows…
i would to know that if i forget my laptop password. then how i open my p.c. again. i am currently using window-7 .
Thanks for saving my life.
There is one typo
E:CD BOOT should be E: CD BOOT
Hello sir. I have TOSHIBA Satellite A135-S4527, Home Vista laptop. But I am instal Windows xp2 with booting usb stik. Please help me. how it make.
It works great !
Thanks!
In windows xp operating system by using list disk command in diskpart its only show disk 0 whis is mu H.D.D but not show pendrine Disk 1 but its show in windows 7 Disk 1 in list disk command
In windows xp operating system i’ve tried this open CMD then write diskpart-list disk but …i’ve got only the message
DISKPART> list disk
Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn gpt
——— ——- ——- —— —- —-
Disk 0 Online 149 GB 0 B
the CMD can’t find my USB flash drive ..
please help
Disk 1 in list disk command
mount any image file(window 7,vista only) to powerIso or on other software and plug your usb drive then follow these steps…..
start>run>cmd
in the cmd window…..
go to path of the mounted image drive(means source of the file)
LIKE-> k:
enter in the mounted drive and type…..
boot\bootsect /nt60 [destination or usb drive name with colon]
it will show the message that your drive is selected as boot mgr and access denied kind of error, ignore these things…..
Now, copy all the files of the mounted drive(window file) to the usb drive. your usb is ready to install window.
Hi there,
I have Toshiba XP satellite. Vista capability.
The DVD/CD rom is not working. So I wanted to try WinToFlash to install from USB. However, on the DOS, there is not option for USB booting. I could see only CD, LAN, HDD, FFD.
Please help.
Desperately need to install XP.
Thanks.
Thank you very much! I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm!
i’m trying xp bootsect.exe /nt52 to usb… when booting it’s say ntldr missing…. i have ntldr in /i386,,,, guide me how
It is more reliable for typical users not to use this guide, it is much simpler with right clicks.also faster, as the format process from the command line is very slow.
Thanks for the tutorial
I used it to make a bootable drive for firmware for my SSDs.
thanks for giving such useful information about usb…
Hi.
My laptop did not have a CD/DVD drive, so I was required to install Win 7 from a USB. I bought I new HD as well.
I followed the steps in the tutorial above and I successfully managed to install Win 7 on my new Hard Drive.
I thank you for this tutorial.
Atta
@arefiqrc
Better yet, get an .iso from the Windows version you like and mount it with a tool like Daemon-Tools or Gizmo
thanks for the post it works great for me, i really appreciate it
This tutorial sucks, download Novicorp WinToFlash its all automated.
Cheers!
How can I make this a bootable USB if I don’t have a WIN7 DVD? My OS was on the p.c but no DVD was supplied.
I HAVE ISO IMAGE ON DESKTOP DO I EXRACT IT TO BOOTABLE FLASH DRIVE OR JUST PLACE IT THERE?
Many thanks for this tutorial. It works perfectly. I also tried it using a USB HDD with SBS2008/11. Again perfect results. Takes a bit of time to format the drive so the smaller the drive the better. Sorry about some of the comments. The IT industry seems to spawn ungrateful tossers. Keep up the good work.
can not xcopy to fin can u help, my cd is E my USB is G thanks
Worked perfectly! Nice author!
Hey I was just looking around in Bios and found that if you continue in burn in mode in bios,YOU CAN EXTEND YOUR USB FROM ANY SIZE TO 8GB OR 16GB.It also works on Processor-means that you can even increase your processor from 2.80GHz to 12GHz.Hope will help anyone!!!
I’ve tried your trick yet. But i’ll going to try.its sound good. Also tell me that is again pendrive previous way. and also tell me the step for again storing data in my pendrive. Plz send ur suggestion on my mail.
Gr8 Tutorial,Thanks Man. i got succes by trring first time.
there is one nasty mistake in guide wich made me a lot trbl.
D:CD BOOT and hit enter. Where “D” is your DVD drive letter.
correct is D: CD BOOT
(space after D:)
May God bless you… One of the chronic problem of notebooks is solved by you… Thanks a lot dude!
bootsect.exe/nt60 this step doesnot work for me
i tried all the above steps and worked perfectly fine except the last step BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (H being my usb drive letter)
response from the cmd prmpt TARGET VOLUMES WILL BE UPDATED WITH BOOTMGR COMPATIBLE BOOTCODE.
COULD NOT MAP DRIVE PARTITIONS TO THE ASSOCIATED VOLUME DEVICE OBJECTS:
ACCESS IS DENIED.