Installing Windows XP from USB - no system installed already

Hi all,
I am a newbie here, so please bear with me. I recently purchased a Lenovo x121e ThinkPad. It did NOT come with an operating system on it. I thought it would be a pretty simple job to install Windows XP from a USB Flash Drive. Apparently not!
Would anyone be able to give me instructions on how to prepare the bootable USB drive and then the steps that should be taken after that.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Arian51

The Google suggest this: Tutorial: Installing XP Home/Professional from a Flash Drive
I haven't tried it. It's (relatively) easy to do with Win 7, not so much with XP.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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Attempting to install Windows 7 from USB drive keep receiving "No Bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" usb drive with windows 7 iso is inserted

As the topic says, i am trying to install windows from a usb drive, when i click install windows and the computer reboots to install a black screen comes up with "no bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key" the USB drive is inserted and pressing any key does nothing. Help?

You need to follow these guides to install from USB drive
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed -100-working-guide/
good luck

Install windows 8 from USB on X1 Carbon

I am trying to install windows 8 from the 3 disks that came with the X1 Carbon. There is no DVD drive and we have no external disk drive, so I need to create a bootable USB for this. The laptop came with windows 7 on it.
It is easy to use DISKPART to ready the USB as a bootable device, but how to I take the data from the 3 DVDs and put it onto the USB so that it works? The first one only has drivers but the OS install is split onto two disks. I referred to a KB article but it was talking about autorun files that are not present on these DVDs.
The DVDs I have are labeled as (1) Applications and Drivers Recovery Disk, (2) OS Recovery Disk Windows 8 Pro [Disk 1 of 2], and (2) OS Recovery Disk Windows 8 Pro [Disk 2 of 2].
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi,
Sorry I don't have a solution for you. I've tried to do what you're attempting without success. Tried every trick I could think of. The best I could do was getting "disk" 1 to boot but it could never find the rest of the image from the other disks whether they were on separate USB drives or all on one. It can easily be done with Microsoft install media, but not recovery media.
My efforts were with Win 7 Lenovo media. It's possible that things have changed w/Win 8.
My only suggestion is to use an external DVD drive.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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Installing windows 7 from USB to vaio VPCf13

hi all,
the HD of my vaio broke, so I replaced with a SSD and I was trying to install windows 7 from a USB.
after the first step of the installation, I got this message:
A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing
I tried several tricks suggested in the forums:
-check the USB image of windows, works ok in another computer
-change USB port (tried the 2 available), nothing
-change BIOS features to enable UEFI, the computer is too old for that and doesn't have this option
-install the intel SATA/RAID drivers after the error (as indicated here http://pcingredient.blogspot.com/2014/01/repair-error-windows-7-required-cddvd.html), error "The intel 5 series port 6 sata AHCI----, device driver could not be istalled.
contact your vendor for updated driver
-install USB 3.0 driver, after the missing message I get no new devices could be found...."
please help me!!!

Hi,
Have you tested in other computer with this bootable usb drive?
Return back to installation UI, and press Shift+F10 simultaneously, then it will open cmd window.
Run those commands below:
Diskpart
List disk
Check if it shows your USB drive. If you cannot usb drive, it indicates your usb drive is not detected by Windows PE. So, please just plug out and then re-plug in your usb drive to view if usb drive shows.
and then reinstall Windows 7.
Andy Altmann
TechNet Community Support

Can't install Windows 7 from usb Lenovo g585

Ever since I got this laptop I've been running into many issues, some of which include hard time updating, windows 8 store not being able to open, just crashes, and sometimes when I press shutdown it restarts instead..just to list a few. So I burned a windows 7 iso image onto a flash drive, but when I select my flash drive from the menu that comes up when I hit f12, It says something along the lines of "missing operating system" "exiting pxe rom" and kicks me back to the windows boot manager, which has 2 options, windows recovery, and windows 8, which is my default os. I've got a legitamate copy of windows 7 64bit iso, and my comp is 64bit. I used windows 7 usb tool to burn the .iso image. My flash drive works on my asus and my desky just fine, I can boot and install windows 7...but not on my lenovo... Any suggestions? I've also ran chkdsk and other stuff too but no avail, thanks in advance!
Solved!
Go to Solution.

HOLD ON GUYS THE PROBLEME IS MINOR AND THE SOLUTION SIMPLE, THE G585 WIN8 IS NOT THAT BAD AFTER U READ THIS OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE LENOVO SUPPORT LINK BELOW AND APPLY THE FIX..
I had the same problem with my new G585, I couldn't get any windows 8 upgrades done by undoing and reversing to pre-upgrade state right after reboot which made my system unstable and very slow to use and windows8 very buggy, it was very frustrating but I didn't give up and kept trying to upgrade with no success to the point I started to think that either something was wrong with my unit even though I had it for less than 2 weeks since I bought it from best buy or Lenovo effed up this time with this sluggish configuration and that I have to add RAM and see if its any better b4 returning it to them for servicing.. well IT TURNS OUT YES LENO EFFED UP BUT NOT WITH THE CONFIGURATION BUT WITH SOME BLOATWEAR CALLED NITRO PDF THAT WILL NOT LET U UPGRADE WINDOWS8 AND SPESIFECLY THE UPGRADE PART OF NITRO PDF FROM TRIAL VERSION TO FULL VERSION CALLED NITRO PDF PRO 7 OR SOME SH** LIKE THAT, THE GOOD PART IS NITRO IS OFFERING A DOWNLOAD FIX U CAN DO WHEN YOU USE THE BLOATHWEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME OR BETTER YET BY DELETING THAT APP AFTER THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO UPGRADE YOUR WINDOWS8 OS AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED BY HOW MANY UPGRADES YOU WILL GO THRU BUT YOUR SYSTEME WILL START RUNNING FASTER AND SMOOTHER FROM THE FEW FIRST UPGRADE. LET ME KNOW HOW IT TURNS OUT WITH YOU.
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Windows-8/Microsoft-Windows-8-Updates-may-fail-to-apply/td-p/926945

Installing Windows 7 from USB flash (Macbook Air mid 2012)

Hello,
I read some famous instructions, but they are not for Macbook air mid 2012 as there are some missing options in their Bootcamp Assistant and this on macbook air 2012.
Btw, they suggested some rEFIt program which supports installing windows from usb which is made in 2010 but it has not been updated since then. I tried it but it doesn't work like it is described in instructions.
I have my USB and Windows 7 on it, but i don't know how to install it on the Macbook Air 2012.
Any help will be appreciated.
Kind Regards,

Hello,
Thank you for the explanation that helped me to understand Windows 7 installation process!
Unfortunately i need more additional information as Boot Camp Installation & Setup Guide is very poor with information that i need.
To explain you better what i mean on, i will quote Boot Camp Guide parts with underlined sentences that have been confusing me. Some sentences that have been confusing me more than other ones will be additionally bolded. I will explain you why i don't understand it after every part.
1. "Introduction"
"You can install Windows with an installation disc you provide or, on some Mac computers, with a USB flash drive that contains a Windows ISO images downloaded from Microsoft. Boot Camp Assistant helps you burn the image to the flash drive."
-But i already have my iso image on the USB flash drive. There is no need to be burned again?
2."What you need"
"Boot Camp Assistant erases the flash drive, and copies to it the Windows 7 ISO image and software drivers that let Windows work with your Mac hardware."
-Erasing the flash drive? Does it mean that it will delete my WIndows 7 which is already on my flash drive?
-Copying Windows 7 ISO image and software drivers to my flash drive? Why? I already have Windows on my flash drive! Software drivers? How do i get them and where shall i place them?
3."Prepare your mac for Windows"
"If you want to install Windows from a USB flash drive and you have a Windows 7 ISO image, select option to copy the image to a USB flash drive."
Why shall i select the option to copy Windows 7 ISO image?
1.I already have it on my flash drive.
2. I don't have it on my Macbook so there is no place in a ssd where Boot Camp will find Windows 7 ISO image.
Here is the overview:
Guide is telling me to select the option to copy image to a USB drive which will first erase my USB flash drive and then copy Windows 7 and it's software drivers to my USB flash.
-But only thing that i need is Windows support software and i don't know whether to download it to desktop, or to USB flash drive.
Kind Regards,

How to install Windows 7 from a USB drive!

This is even easier than installing Windows XP from a USB drive, and will also reduce the time taken to install Windows 7, it took me about 15 minutes!
The advice in the guide is also applicable to installing Vista.
You need basically:
a USB flash drive at least 4GB in size
a Windows 7 DVD
To sum up:
Format your USB drive, with the NTFS filesystem
Open Command Prompt as an administrator, and run the Bootsect.exe program off the Windows 7 CD to make the USB drive bootable
Copy the contents of the Windows 7 DVD to the USB drive
Restart your PC, press F11 (or whichever key it is) to access the Boot menu, and select your USB drive to boot from
Full guide here:
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

Quote from: bnborg on 16-February-11, 10:28:04
I have done this and it is simple.
I cleaned and (re)formated an 8GB flash drive under Windows7 using diskpart. I chose quick format and a fat filesystem. It doesn't need to be ntfs. I had diskpart mark the partition active. I copied the DVD contents to the flash drive. I also made a folder on it for motherboard drivers.
After that, I booted the drive on a new machine. Windows7 setup came up, and didn't find any hard drives, other than the USB flash drive. I clicked the button to load drivers, and pointed it to the folder I had copied them to on the flash. Windows installed without problems.
Hi bnborg..Do u mind sharing with me your motherboard driver folder? I have the MSI U135DX Netbook and each time I hit the button to install Windows 7 it asks me for some mobo driver...Think i might need it to get tru with a successful install..

Windows 7 from usb to G505

Hi... I recently got Lenovo G505, 2gb ram, 1 Ghz with windows 8 64 bit, love Win7 so i decided to install windows 7 from USB... It wasn't booting from bootable usb windows 7 at first but when i changed bios settings and turned UEFI to Legacy Mode... Windows installation process did start from the usb but now it says this,"windows cannot be installed on this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style".. My head is spinnig as i even formatted windows 8 partition during installation so i can not use my laptop untill i install Win7 from my bootable usb.... Thanks

Hi,
You should be able to use DISKPART during installation to wipe the drive (which will let the installer initialize it as MBR) or covert to MBR.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/windows-cannot-be-install...
Another option would be to install Win 7 in UEFI/GPT mode. That would require rebuilding your USB drive to use FAT32 instead of NTFS - and it woud need to be SP1 media.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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Cannot boot from usb flash to install Windows 8 on Macbook Pro 13"

Hi! All
I have a 2011 Macbook Pro 13" and I want to install Windows 8 on it. I use bootable USB stick, which I can boot fine from on my PC, so I assume it's not the USB stick that is a problem. First of all Bootcamp didn't recognise it. Fine, I partitioned the laptop's hard drive myself. Then while rebooting I held the Option key to manually select the USB drive, but it did not appear on the list. As someone suggested on the internet I even replugged USB stick to another slot during while on that screen, but it didn't help too.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You can install Windows from a USB drive in one of these Macs:
- MacBook Pro with Retina display.
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 and newer).
- MacBook Air.
- iMac (Late 2012).
You don't have any of these computers, so you can't install Windows through a USB disk. Its firmware doesn't allow you to start up from your Windows installation disk.
You have to buy Windows 8 on a DVD. You need a System Builder version, which you can buy at Amazon or NewEgg. Follow Apple's steps to install Windows on the MacBook Pro > http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/boot_camp_install-setup_10.8.pdf

Does anybody knows how to install Windows 7 from a USB drive on 2010 MacBook Air running Lion?

Does anybody knows how to install Windows 7 from a USB drive on 2010 MacBook Air running Lion?

Tell my wife that!
This is the best I can do. This way you can use the 2011 MBA way to do things.
Look for the post from @jacktourist. (on page 2 about half way down) This seems to be the easiest.
There are a couple of more similar to this with pictures I've seen around but can't remember where.
Here's another search with added info. It's easier then it sounds.

Install Windows 7 from a USB on mid 2011 15" MBP

Hello all,
I have a problem. My Optical drive is not working at all, so I can't install windows from the disk. Is there any way that a 2011 MBP can install windows 7 from a usb or by some other means.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
Only Macs without a built-in SuperDrive can install Windows from a USB drive or an external optical drive. In your case, unfortunately you can only install another SuperDrive and use it to install Windows in Boot Camp. There isn't any other option because it's restricted by firmware

Can I install Windows 7 from an SD card on my 2011 Macbook Air 13"?

This morning I purchased a digital copy of Windows 7 from Microsoft, and created a bootable SD card for installing the operating system. My problem is that Boot Camp Assistant will not allow me to partition the drive without the install media present. The install media is present, but because it is not in the form of a USB drive, it does not detect it. I'm wary of manually partitioning the drive using Disk Utility, is there a way I can trick it into thinking I have a USB plugged in? I don't have any USB drives big enough to install Windows 7 from and I don't look forward to having to drive to the store and pay for a USB stick I'll use once. Thanks in advance.
-Aaron

Windows must be installed from a DVD in the internal optical drive. Burn your digital image to a DVD using Disk Utility, Toast, or similar utility. You can also use the Apple external USB optical drive for the MBA.

Hello i have a problem with my MacBook Air they wiped out the operating system then installed windows 7 how do i re install the apple firmware

Hello i have a problem with my MacBook Air they wiped out the operating system then installed windows 7 how do i re install the apple firmware please help

That is incorrect. You can install Windows on a Mac, any Mac, without having OS X installed on it.
To the OP you will need the original system reinstall USB thumb drive that came with your Mac Air if it is older than a Mid 2011 model or if it is newer than a Mid 2011 model you use the Online Internet recovery system.
If you don't have that original reinstall USB thumb drive you can order one from Apple for a small charge. Call Apple and ask to speak to someone Specifically to order a Replacement USB system reinstall thumb drive for your model year. You will need the serial number of that Air. It is etched into the bottom of the case.
Eric Ross wrote:
You can't run Windows on your Macbook Air without having Mac OS X installed with Boot Camp. So it should be an option to select the Mac OS X partition at startup when holding down the option key. Take a look at this link, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4818

How to install windows 7 using usb as the bootcamp doesnot have the option of creating a bootable usb. please help

I have an intel based mac with 10.6.8 mac os x. How to install windows 7 using usb as the bootcamp doesnot have the option of creating a bootable usb. please help

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You can install Windows from a USB drive in one of these computers:
- MacBook Pro with Retina display.
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 and newer).
- MacBook Air.
- iMac (Late 2012).
If you don't have any of these Macs, you can't install Windows through a USB drive. Instead, buy Windows on a DVD. Follow Apple's steps > http://support.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1519/en_US/Boot_Camp_Install-Setup_10.6. pdf

Install Windows XP from external DVD

Hi all. A question: I can install Windows XP from an external DVD drive (usb)? My original superdrive is dead from long time ago. Thanks a lot.

If you use something to make a ISO of the Windows disk it might be possible to load it into a virtual machine software running in OS X.
Haven't tried it.
Interesting Idea.

Installing Windows XP from USB - no system installed already

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