Life was simpler when we had DVD Drives and a wallet full of CD/DVDs! I was building an HP DL360 This morning and needed to install Windows. I created a bootable USB with Unetbootin and selected a Windows Server ISO, it wouldn’t boot. So I thought ‘Fine I’ll play the game” I pressed F10 for Intelligent Provisioning.
After selecting USB media – the system could not see my USB Drive?
After a couple of seconds head scrathing the penny dropped, it wants the iso not a bootable drive, (doofus!) So I used a FAT formatted USB and that didn’t work either?
Option 1: Use iLO
Before you all start emailing me, you can install an operating system from virtual media WITHOUT and advanced iLO licence! Annoyingly I was building the server on the bench, so I had to connect my laptop into the iLO with a crossover cable but, here’s me proving it works.
Option 2: Use ExFAT
Format your USB drive using ExFAT, luckily I use macOS and Disk Utility will format a drive using ExFAT for me.
Note: Windows will also format as ExFAT 🙂
Then simply put your install .iSO file(s) on the media.
Now you can see your install media.
Option 3: Use the HP Media Creator
I didn’t try this option, but feel free to download it and give it a try, comment below to let me know how you get on.
When Microsoft released Windows Vista and Server 2008 they had the brilliant Idea of putting all the versions you would require in the same install media. With Windows 7 they have changed their approach, and the install media is specific to the version that is going to be installed. Well actually that’s not true the version is decided by a file in the installation media called ei.cfg and all versions are STILL in there.
What they still do, is have their x32 bit and their x64 bit Operating Systems on different media. If you do a lot of installs you might want them all on one DVD. Below are two walkthroughs, the first shows you how to make an x32 and x64 bit install DVD with all the versions* on it, the second shows you how to unlock your exiting install media so that all the versions on it are accessible.
*When I say “all versions” I’m NOT including Windows 7 Enterprise, that comes on separate media, and is just for open value subscription customers, or customers with software assurance.
Solution
Create an x32 AND x64 bit Windows 7 Multi Install Media DVD
1. Download your Windows 7 ISO Images (x32 and x64), from VLSC, Technet, or MSDN etc.
2. Make two Directories on your Machine’s C: Drive called Master and Images.
3. Using 7Zip open the x32 bit ISO file you have downloaded, and extract the sourcesinstall.wim file to the C:Images folder.
4. Then rename the file you just extracted to x32.wim.
4. Using 7Zip open the x64 bit ISO file you have downloaded, and extract the sourcesinstall.wim file to the C:Images folder.
5. Then rename the file you just extracted to x64.wim.
6. Check the x32 image for the “Image Index” (these are the numbers of all the Windows versions in this image), Yours will probably be identical, but you may have different media so check! Launch the “Deployment Tools Command Prompt”
To check the image index, execute the following command;
[box]
imagex /info C:Imagesx32.wim
[/box]
You can see (above) this image has five images within it, scroll down and you can see them.
Mine is structured as follows;
Image 1 – Starter Edition Image 2 – Home Basic Image 3 – Home Premium Image 4 – Professional Image 5 – Ultimate
7. Create a new image from all these Windows 7 x32 images, by executing the following commands;
14. Test your new install media (Note: if you want to Burn a DVD from this ISO use ImgBurn (it’s free).
Create an x32 OR x64 bit Windows 7 Multi Install DVD.
So if you have the installation media in .iso format you can change it so you can see the other install versions. On THIS site there are some utilities to help you – the “eicfg removal utility” removes the pointer to the file (which means you can install any version by picking it from the install menu (like you did with Windows Vista). Or you can swap your version with the second tool “Windows 7 iso image edition switcher”. I deploy a lot of machines so the former is a much better option for me.
1. Drop the windows 7 .iso file somewhere you can get at it (i.e. on your desktop).
This weekend I needed to install Windows 7 on my shiny new Acer HTPC, but having no internal CD/DVD drive I needed to do this via USB.
Quite a few times now I’ve needed to install Windows (Particularly Server 2008), on a machine that has no DVD Drive. You can now install both products from a bootable USB drive by doing either of the the following.
Note: You will need a USB Drive with enough free space on it to hold the Windows setup files (Windows 7 and Server 2008 require 4GB ish, depending on versions).
Solution
Option 1 (The quick and dirty techie way!)
1. Pop in your USB Drive > open a command windows and execute the following commands:
[box]diskpart {enter} [launches the disk partition program]
list {enter}[Displays all the disks you can work with]
select disk x {enter}[Select the USB Drive number]
clean {enter}[Wipes the USB Drive][/box]
2. Execute the following commands:
[box]create partition primary {enter} [Creates a new primary partition]
select partition 1{enter}[Select the partition you have just made]
active {enter}[Makes the partition bootable]
exit {enter}[Closes diskpart][/box]
3. Now use a utility like 7-Zip to extract the Windows Install media .ISO file to your USB drive.
4. Now boot your device from USB, (Enter the BIOS boot section and change the boot order), or press the key the machine says will load the boot options when you first turn it on.
Note: Some machines require you to change USB emulation before you can boot from them like so.
