[SOLVED] Fix pen drive to use for installing windows.

iTRiP

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Busy creating a bootable usb for windows I found that my usb pen drive has two partitions.

Now I don't know if this is a problem when creating a bootable usb.

Should I with some help resolve the multiple partitions issue first , or with some help just use the correct way to create a bootable drive (seems the drive in question is wiped of all data apon creation with various tools that I've used anyway) but I don't know if it is also taking care of the partitions as well.
 
Solution
wouldn't diskpart do it?

what OS are you using to make it?

if 10

choose settings/update & security/recovery
under Advanced startup, click restart now

windows will open in blue menu

Pick troubleshoot

Pick advanced

Pick Command Prompt

Type diskpart and press enter

Type list disk and press enter

This will show the list of drives currently attached to PC, make note of the drive number of the drive you want to wipe

If Disk 1 is the drive you want to clear, type select 1) and press enter. A message will confirm it is selected

Warning: Diskpart Erase/Clean will permanently erase/destroy all data on the selected drive. Please be certain that you are erasing the correct disk.

Once you sure its right disk...

iTRiP

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Wait I have figured that when one cancels the process when creating a bootable usb ( in this case I was using rufus ) that it takes care of the extra partition.

Would have been a problem otherwise cause seen in the disk management that there wasn't any options to alter the drive's partitions with the second partition selected.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Those two partitions are created by Rufus’ UEFI:NTFS feature to maximise compatibility with computers; even though UEFI supports booting from an NTFS volume/partition (as well as from FAT32), some manufacturers limit their UEFI to booting only from FAT32, and UEFI:NTFS is basically a workaround for that.
Here is some more information about why UEFI:NTFS was developed and how it works. This paragraph is most relevant to your situation (emphasis mine):
When the USB drive boots in UEFI mode, the first NTFS partition gets ignored by the UEFI firmware (unless that firmware already includes an NTFS driver, in which case 2 boot options will be available, that perform the same thing) and the UEFI:NTFS bootloader from the bootable FAT partition is executed.
So, basically, it does not matter which entry you select; either of them is fine to boot from.
link
 

iTRiP

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did you let it finish making the drive

is it on a USB 2 drive?

Win 7 doesn't know what USB 3 is without drivers.

Yes. once before and no workable result.

What such a limitation, is that the issue?

So what is the solution, this is what I have to work with.

Hope you don't mind but I'd like to test and delete all partitions of this usb, and try something els before we go down the rabit hole, if thats ok.
 
Last edited:

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
win 7 doesn't support usb 3 drives
its also possible they didn't make chipset drivers for win 7 and your hardware. What are you installing on?

 

iTRiP

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Yes. once before and no workable result.

What such a limitation, is that the issue?

So what is the solution, this is what I have to work with.

Hope you don't mind but I'd like to test and delete all partitions of this usb, and try something els before we go down the rabit hole, if thats ok.

please post the commands to delete all partitions on this usb
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
wouldn't diskpart do it?

what OS are you using to make it?

if 10

choose settings/update & security/recovery
under Advanced startup, click restart now

windows will open in blue menu

Pick troubleshoot

Pick advanced

Pick Command Prompt

Type diskpart and press enter

Type list disk and press enter

This will show the list of drives currently attached to PC, make note of the drive number of the drive you want to wipe

If Disk 1 is the drive you want to clear, type select 1) and press enter. A message will confirm it is selected

Warning: Diskpart Erase/Clean will permanently erase/destroy all data on the selected drive. Please be certain that you are erasing the correct disk.

Once you sure its right disk, type Clean and press enter

The Command Prompt window will display the message "DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk". Close out of the Command Prompt window by clicking the red X in the upper right hand corner.
 
Solution
wouldn't diskpart do it?

what OS are you using to make it?
If it's a promotional usb or something like that then you would need to use specialized tools to get the usb back to factory default.
You would have to find the exact hardware it is using and write back the default firmware with all the space as one partition.

@op
Take extreme care, I'm only linking this for the information, I don't suggest you to do this.
https://www.easytutorial.com/flash-usb-drive.html
 

iTRiP

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If it's a promotional usb or something like that then you would need to use specialized tools to get the usb back to factory default.
You would have to find the exact hardware it is using and write back the default firmware with all the space as one partition.

@op
Take extreme care, I'm only linking this for the information, I don't suggest you to do this.
https://www.easytutorial.com/flash-usb-drive.html
No thanks but it's not a promotional usb, just testing if the limitations can be reduced.
 

iTRiP

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Seems I'm running into some bios setting not being set quite right for a proper bootable to load, can't figure what thou. ( besides changing settings to something that is going to be incompatible with my current two bootable usb's namely win 10 and win 11 that are still working)
An older windows 10 dvd also doesn't want to boot with my current settings, I reckon if I can just get the pc to see and boot that dvd then It would be right to also see the usb and then boot that too.

Besides that I bought two windows 7 ultimate keys and got a link to download the .iso, just need the right steps to make it boot on this pc, lets figure it out.
 
Last edited:

iTRiP

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List hardware specs of your pc.
If you're trying to install windows 7 on a modern pc, then USB drivers need to be integrated into installation.
If installing onto nvme drive, then also nvme drivers and several hotfixes need to be integrated.

You can integrate those drivers with gigabyte windows install tool.
https://www.gigabyte.com/Support/Utility?kw=windows&p=1

Thank you all that helped, but I figure that if the setup runs but is just incompatible with my pc that there just proves that the usb is working right.

And in this post:
Pick Command Prompt

Type diskpart and press enter

Type list disk and press enter

This will show the list of drives currently attached to PC, make note of the drive number of the drive you want to wipe

If Disk 1 is the drive you want to clear, type select 1) and press enter. A message will confirm it is selected

Warning: Diskpart Erase/Clean will permanently erase/destroy all data on the selected drive. Please be certain that you are erasing the correct disk.

Once you sure its right disk, type Clean and press enter

The Command Prompt window will display the message "DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk". Close out of the Command Prompt window by clicking the red X in the upper right hand corner.

, the clean command already solved my thread.
 

iTRiP

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you have to use a different tool to update your win 7 installer. i've detailed it multiple times in this part of the forum.

get a fresh win 7 iso from MS, then update it with this

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads...SkyLake-KabyLake-CoffeLake-Ryzen-Threadripper

it'll install. does not mean you get all the win 7 drivers you may need but it will install and run on your new hardware

I have this .iso : https://download.microsoft.com/down...1_ldr_escrow_CLIENT_ULTIMATE_x64FRE_en-us.iso

Do you think it is fresh enough to try and make it compatible?