Installing Windows can be a drag, no matter which way you slice it. Not that you generally go about slicing physical windows or operating systems — that’s a very silly and mixed metaphor.
And about the drag thing, well, it’s the 21st century — wear whatever kind of clothes make you feel comfortable, even if that might make you a cross dresser. And if the way you dress makes someone else cross, that really says more about them than you, doesn’t it?
Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand: did you know that you can install Windows 7 from a USB drive? It works just the same way as if you were installing Windows 7 from a DVD, but it’s more… Flashy. However, before you can do this, you need to set up the USB drive as a bootable device and copy the installation files to it.
Fortunately, the process isn’t that difficult as Microsoft has a free utility called the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. The steps below outline how to use the tool to set up your USB drive to be a bootable device so that you can use it to install Windows 7.
Note: The USB drive must be at least 4 GB. Luckily, the price for USB drives has come down quite a bit in the last few years, and getting one that’s this size or larger shouldn’t set you back too many pretty pennies.
Browse to the location of your Windows 7 ISO file. Click Next. Select the USB device option. Use thedropdown arrow to select your USB device. Click Begin copying.
When the process is complete, your USB drive will be formatted and it will contain the Windows 7 installation files. Proceed at your leisure to use the USB drive to start the installation of Windows 7 on any computer that lets you boot from a USB drive.
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