Windows Vista: Create a bootable Windows 7 USB stick
To update from Windows Vista to Windows 7 without a CD drive, you need to create a bootable USB stick. This requires changing the partitions of the stick. We show you how it works.
1. Back up files on the USB stick
The stick will be formatted later and all files on it will be lost. You should therefore make a backup of the data. To do this, copy all files to a folder on your computer.
2. Create Windows 7 ISO file
If you have Windows 7 on CD or DVD, you must first create an ISO image. If Windows 7 is already available as ISO, you can skip this step.
- Download ImgBurn and install it on your computer.
- Open the program and click "Create image file from disc".
- Insert the Windows CD or DVD into the drive and select it under "Source".
- Select a location under "Destination" where you want to save the ISO and click on the large icon in the lower left to create the image.
3. Create bootable USB stick with UNetbootin
Now you can create a bootable USB stick with the Windows 7 image. For this you need the free tool UNetbootin.
- Download and open UNetbootin.
- Select "Abblid" and set "ISO" to the right of it.
- Click on the "..." button at the bottom right and select your ISO file.
- In the line below, select "USB drive" as the type and click on the USB stick that you have connected to the computer under "Drive".
- Click OK". The bootable stick is now created. Then you can boot your PC from the stick and install Windows 7.
In our practical tips you will find further tips and tricks for Windows 7.