Start and use Windows 7 from a USB stick

If you prefer to start and use Windows 7 from a USB stick instead of a DVD, we will show you how to do this in this practical tip.

Step 1: Boot Windows 7 from the USB stick

To be able to start (boot) the operating system from the USB stick, you must first prepare the USB data carrier:

1. Start the start menu and enter "diskpart" in the search field.
2. With "list disk" you can see an overview of all data carriers that are connected to the PC.
3. Look for the stick. You usually recognize this by the size. If this is marked as "0" under "Datentr", enter the command "select disk 0". This now selects the stick.
4. Clean the disk with "clean" and create a new partition with "create partition primary". Finally, activate the stick with the "active" command.
5. The stick must be in NTFS format, otherwise problems can occur when starting. If this is not the case, use the command "format fs = ntfs quick" to format the memory. Attention: All data on the stick will be deleted!
6. After successful formatting you have to assign a drive letter to the stick with "assign". With "exit" the program is closed and you have successfully completed the first configuration.

Step 2: copy Windows files

Now you can copy the files from Windows 7 to the USB stick.

1. The best way to find the Windows 7 files is on the Setup DVD. If this is no longer available, you can create the so-called "system repair data medium".
2. To do this, open the Control Panel and switch to the "System" settings. Then you have to switch to "System and Security" and "Back up your computer".
3. Finally, select "Create System Repair Media" in the top left and follow the instructions in the wizard.
4. If you have the setup DVD or the "system repair data medium" you just created, you must start from it. To do this, insert the DVD and restart the PC. Then press any key when prompted.
5. As soon as the language selection window appears on the setup DVD, press the key combination [SHIFT] and [F10]. This starts a console with administrator rights.
6. For the "System repair data medium" you have to select "Next" or "No" or "Do not restart now" until you get to the language selection. Then press the same key combination [SHIFT] + [F10].
7. Now it is a matter of finding the correct drive letter for the Windows partition and the USB stick. Enter the command "dir c:" to look at the contents of drive "C".
8. Once you have found the Windows partition and the stick, you can use the "xcopy d: h: / screech" command to copy the Windows to the stick. In this example, Windows has the drive letter "D:" and the stick has the drive letter "H:".
9. Now you have to equip the USB stick with a boot loader. This is done with the command "bcdboot h: \ windows / sh: / l de-de". We refer again to the above drive letter. The "/ s" option ensures that the boot loader is written to the USB stick and not incorrectly to the hard disk.

Step 3: adjust registry entries

Caution! Since USB drivers are not yet loaded correctly, you should not restart the PC - you have to adjust the settings in the registry beforehand:

1. Open the start menu and enter "regedit" in the search bar. Then press the [Enter] key.
2. Change to the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)" key and select the "Load structure" option under "File".
3. Then search for the "System" file on the USB stick under "Windows \ System32 \ config" and then rename it to "USB".
4. Switch back to the registry editor. Look under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) \ USB \ Select" to see which value is under "Current". If this is a "1", you have to make all subsequent changes under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) \ USB \ ControlSet001". With a "2" this is the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) \ USB \ ControlSet002". There are the subfolders "usbccgp", "usbehci", "usbhub", "usbohci", "USBSTOR" and "usbuhci" in the "Services" folder, to which you have to make two changes.
5. Change the value of the "Start" entry from "0" to "3" in each subfolder and also the "Group" entry from "Base" to "system reserved". With this you have made almost all settings to start Windows 7 from the USB stick.
6. So that Windows does not alternately search for files on the hard disk and the stick, you have to tell the operating system that the USB stick is the boot drive "C:". To do this, change to the registry directory "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) \ USB \ MountedDevices" and temporarily replace the "C" from the entry "\ DosDevices \ C" with a letter that is not used, for example "X".
7. Switch back to the stick. Change the entry (in our example "H") "\ DosDevices \ H" to "\ DosDevices \ C", and in the last step change the "\ DosDevices \ X" you just set to "\ DosDevices \ C". The USB stick is recognized as "C".
8. As a final step, click the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) \ USB" key again and select the "Remove structure" option under "File". All settings were accepted and saved at this time.

This practical tip is based on Microsoft Windows 7. You can also upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 using a USB stick.