Create installation media for Windows

You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows 10.

To create installation media, go to the software download website, where you’ll find step-by-step instructions. On that website, you can select a version of Windows and create your own installation media using either a USB flash drive or a DVD. To go directly to one of the versions, select one of these links:

Windows 10 (Then select Download tool now.)

Important: Back up your files before you install or reinstall Windows on your PC. Learn how for Windows 10 or for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

To create the installation media, here’s what you’ll need:

A PC with a reliable internet connection. The download time will vary, depending on your internet connection.

A USB flash drive or DVD. A blank USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space, or a blank DVD (and DVD burner). We recommend using a blank USB or blank DVD because any content on it will be deleted. When burning a DVD from an ISO file, if you’re told the disc image file is too large, you’ll need to use dual layer (DL) DVD media.

A product key. Your 25-character product key (not required for digital licenses). For help finding it, go to Find your Windows product key.

After you’ve created the installation media, you can reset or reinstall Windows. To learn more, go to Recovery options in Windows 10.

Create a system repair disc

System recovery options can help you repair Windows if a serious error occurs. To use system recovery options, you’ll need a Windows installation disc or access to the recovery options provided by your computer manufacturer. If you don’t have either of those choices, you can create a system repair disc to access system recovery options.

Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Backup and Restore.

In the left pane, click Create a system repair disc, and then follow the steps. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Note: If you’re prompted to insert a Windows installation disc, it means that the files needed to create the system repair disc can’t be found on your computer. Insert a Windows 7 installation disc.

Insert the system repair disc into your CD or DVD drive.

Restart your computer using the computer’s power button.

If prompted, press any key to start the computer from the system repair disc.

If your computer isn’t configured to start from a CD or DVD, check the information that came with your computer. You might need to change your computer’s BIOS settings.

Choose your language settings, and then click Next.

Select a recovery option, and then click Next.

Tip: Print these instructions and keep them in a safe location with your system repair disc.

Start your computer from a Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive

You might need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows 7 installation disc or a USB flash drive if you want to:

Install or reinstall Windows 7.

Recover Windows 7 from a serious error. If your computer won’t start Windows at all, you can access Startup Repair and other tools in the System Recovery Options menu from the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive. These tools can help you get Windows 7 running again.

Note: If you use a Tablet PC or other computer with a touchscreen, you might need to attach a keyboard and mouse in order to use Startup Repair and other tools in the System Recovery Options menu.

Turn on your computer, insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then turn off your computer.

Restart your computer.

Press any key when prompted to do so, and then follow any instructions that appear.

When the Install Windows page appears, click Install now to begin the installation process or click Repair your computer to access system recovery options.

Follow the instructions.

If the Install Windows page doesn’t appear, and you aren’t asked to press any key, you might have to specify that your computer uses its DVD drive or a USB flash drive as the first startup device. To do this, you need to change settings in the computer’s basic input/output system (BIOS).

Note: Most newer computers can start from a USB device, but some older computers might not have this capability. For more information, check the documentation that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer’s website.

Before you change BIOS settings, check the information that came with your computer or go to the computer manufacturer’s website. Specific procedures for accessing the BIOS and changing settings can differ depending on your computer’s manufacturer, or you might be able to choose which startup device your computer uses without changing BIOS settings.

Warning: Be careful when changing BIOS settings. The BIOS interface is designed for advanced users, and it’s possible to change a setting that could prevent your computer from starting correctly.

Turn on your computer, insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then restart your computer.

Newer computers often display a startup (or boot) menu. On the startup menu, choose «BIOS setup,» or «BIOS settings,» or something similar.

Procedures vary depending on the BIOS manufacturer. Usually, you must press a key (such as F2, F12, Delete, Esc) or a key combination immediately after you turn on your computer but before Windows starts. If the Windows logo appears, you need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer again.

The BIOS setup screen appears. On the BIOS setup screen, choose the option called «Boot order,» or something similar. Boot order settings might also be listed under «Advanced settings» or something similar.

Select your DVD drive or USB flash drive as the first startup device. (The USB flash drive might be listed under «Removable devices» or something similar.)

Save the setting changes, and then exit the BIOS.

Restart your computer, and then start Windows 7 from the installation disc or USB flash drive as previously described.

Lost Windows 7 Install Disc? Create a New One From Scratch

It’s actually quite easy to do

If you’ve misplaced your Windows 7 install disc, which may be the actual discs that came with your PC or a retail Windows 7 install disc that you bought separately, then reinstalling Windows can be a bit frustrating. However, there is a very simple way to create your own Windows 7 install disc for Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate in 32 or 64-bit versions, from scratch.

1. Identify the Version of Windows 7 and Product Key

The Windows 7 Product Key is essential for reinstalling Windows and getting it activated. If you purchased your PC from a manufacturer, the product key may be printed on a label that is attached to the computer’s case. It may also be printed on some documentation that came with your PC.

If you purchased a retail of copy of Windows 7, then the product key may be printed on the box or included as documentation.

The version of Windows 7 is also important, as product keys will only work with certain versions of Windows. You will learn more about this in the next step. To identify your version of Windows 7, simply launch the Start Menu, right-click on Computer and select Properties from the context menu. Of course, you could also look on the box or documentation that came with the Windows 7 purchase.

2. Download a Copy of Windows 7

The next step is to of course download a copy of Windows 7 that will eventually be burned to disc or moved to a USB drive. The only recommended way to download Windows 7 is from Microsoft itself.

The only thing you have to provide is the Product key. Microsoft will figure out what version of Windows 7 is needed based on the product key and give you links to download that version. If you don’t have your product key, you’re kind of out of luck.

3. Create a Windows Install Disc or Bootable USB Drive

The Windows USB/DVD download tool is a free utility from Microsoft that will allow you to burn the Windows 7 download to disc or create a bootable USB drive.

At this point, you have now replaced your misplaced Windows install disc with either another disc or a bootable Windows 7 USB drive!

4. Download Drivers (optional)

If your PC requires certain drivers for full functionality, you may also want to download these drivers and install them with Windows.

Start by using Google or your search engine of choice to search the web for your particular PC and exact model, followed by keyword drivers. You should be able to find a quality link to a list of drivers that you need to download for your PC.

5. Prepare the Drivers (optional)

Once you’ve downloaded the drivers for your PC, you will need to move them to a removable disk or disc so that they can be used once you’ve installed Windows. Thus, you have a few options:

5a Burn the Drivers to Disc

This is very simple and can be done with any blank CD or DVD and a PC that utilizes an optical drive with CD or DVD writing functionality.

Simply insert the CD or DVD into the computer’s optical drive, create a new folder on the desktop containing all of the drivers and burn the folder to disc using the built-in Windows 7 burning option.

5b Copy the Drivers to a USB Drive

Simply insert any high capacity USB drive into an available USB port on your PC and drag the drivers to the drive to copy them.

6. Install Drivers

Once you’ve reinstalled Windows, simply insert the disc containing the drivers or USB drive with the drivers (step 5a, 5b) and proceed to install the drivers for your PC.

7. Create a Bootable Windows 7 USB Drive with Drivers already installed (alternative method)

Proceed to download a Windows 7 ISO (links above), but instead of using the USB to DVD utility, jump to our article on creating a custom Windows 7 image.

That’s basically all there is to it. Lost Windows 7 install DVD? Now you can simply replace it or create a bootable USB drive. Thank you for stopping by the site for today’s post.

Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem’s Full Bio

How to: Reinstall or Restore your original Windows Installation After Upgrading to or Evaluating Windows 10

Technical Level : Intermediate

Summary

Please note this article details instructions about migrating from preview builds of Windows 10 to a previous version of Windows (Windows 7 or 8/8.1). Although the article discusses pre-release Windows 10 builds, the same instructions work if you are running the final version of Windows 10 and want to reinstall your previous version Windows.

The Windows 10 Previews currently available will eventually expire. The expectation among users should be that they will either need to upgrade to the final release or reinstall their previous version of Windows after they have completed their evaluation of the Windows 10 Preview. Microsoft officials recently indicated the intention of having the preview releases support upgrades to the final version. This is the intention, but of course, things can always change on the road to RTM. With the excitement surrounding the arrival of a new major release of Windows and the more public approach to testing Windows pre-release version, a lot of persons who are normally not exposed to beta testing are jumping in without hesitation.

If you decide to pay for the final release or you would like to restore your previous version of Windows, you will need to be prepared if this becomes the eventuality. The following wiki article shows you how.

Details

If you upgraded or migrated your previous version of Windows to Windows 10 you can consider the Rollback option. If you have been diligently updating to each new build of Windows 10, you will be able to go back to the most recent build. If you somehow migrated from Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 and find out there is no option to go back, then you will have to prepare to do so manually. Microsoft has indicated when users upgrade or migrate to Windows 10, the recovery partition used to restore your system to its original factory state becomes inoperable. The recovery partition is used in the event you need to reinstall Windows on your computer.

What is the recovery partition?

Some computers that come preinstalled with Windows often have what is called a recovery partition. This is used to reinstall the operating system in the event of a system crash. To access it, you will need to boot into when you start your computer by pressing a function key. This can be either F1, F2, F9, F10, F11, F12 or even DEL or Tab key.

For some Windows XP, Vista and even Windows 7 users, if you don’t have a recovery partition, you might have to use the recovery media that came with your computer to reinstall Windows. The recovery media often comes on a DVD or set of CDs that are sometimes labeled Recovery, Operating System, Drivers and are installed according to how the disc is labeled (Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3). Unfortunately, sometimes these discs get lost or damaged. Your best course of action is to request recovery media from the manufacturer of the computer.

Below is a link to all OEM contact numbers you can use to request recovery media from the maker of your computer.

What if you upgraded to a retail copy of Windows?

If you upgraded to a retail version of Windows, then you can use your reinstall disc to reinstall Windows on your computer. See links below for

instructions. If you have an upgrade version, this will require that you first reinstall the qualifying license in order to use the upgrade

version. Please see the links below for work arounds for doing a clean install with the upgrade version:

Reinstall Windows XP:

Reinstall Windows 7:

If you lost your reinstall disc, you can request a new one from the following link or for Windows Vista/Windows 7 users you can download a copy

from the following links and create a bootable copy.

How to Replace Lost, Broken, or Missing Microsoft Software or Hardware

Download the corresponding edition of Windows 7 you have a license for from the following link. You can identify the edition on the COA sticker attached to your machine, at the bottom or within the battery compartment (laptop) or top/side if its a desktop computer.
COA Certificate of Authenticity:
http://www.microsoft.com/howtotell/content.aspx?pg=coa
What is the Windows Certificate of Authenticity?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-is-the-Windows-Certificate-of-Authenticity

Windows Vista SP1:

(The above Windows Vista image allows you to install the appropriate edition by having the appropriate key).

UPDATE: Since publishing this article, Microsoft has discontinued availability of Windows 7 and Windows Vista ISO images through Digital River.

For the past 5 years Microsoft made it quite easy for users of the Windows 7 operating system to obtain reinstall media. If you lost your retail installation disc or recovery media; either it was damaged or faulty; you could download a copy of the edition you have a license for from an affiliate website named Digital River. Most recently, Microsoft ended availability of reinstall media which you could download as a .ISO file from Digital River, which is a digital replica of a optical disc.

This was especially handy for persons who could not easily obtain recovery media from the manufacturer, did not want to pay the cost required to obtain it or preferred a clean configuration without the manufacturers bundled software or even a non-functional recovery partition. It was easy to use, all you had to do was reinstall and reactivate using the product key located on the certificate of authenticity and download any appropriate drivers from the manufacturers website.

Since this option is no longer available, what are your options? See article for details:

ImgBurn – In addtion to supporting the creation of CD’s from .ISO files,
it supports a wide range of other image file formats, and it’s free.
(BIN, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, MDS, NRG, PDI and ISO)

Note: Always use the slowest burn speed (4x or 2x) if offered a choice.

Windows 8/8.1

Windows 8/8.1 users are sometimes limited in this respect, this is especially true for owners of certain form factors such as Ultrabooks that do not have optical drives normally used to facilitate the restoration of a system. In this case, you will have to manually download a copy of Windows 8/8.1 in order to reinstall the operating system. Unfortunately, this can be quite a chore. Fortunately, due to possible feedback and ongoing refinements and third party advancements, reinstalling Windows 8/8.1 since its release in 2012 is a lot more convenient.

Downloading Windows 8/8.1 — things to take into consideration

If you were running Windows 8.0 prior to upgrading to Windows 10, think deeply whether you want to go back to this release or just go directly to Windows 8.1 with Update 1 which can be easily downloaded. Windows 8 users have until early 2016 to upgrade to Windows 8.1 with Update 1 in order to continue receiving support. January 2016 might seem like a long time away, but its best you do it now to save you all the trouble. Besides, its way more reliable, considering that for Windows 8 installations, upgrading to Update 1 is a staged process, you have to first upgrade to Windows 8.1 through the Store, then install Update 1 through Windows Update. By simply downloading Windows 8.1 with Update 1 media, you avoid all this.

How do you do it?

Microsoft recently released a new Media Creation Tool which you directly download and create a .ISO file for Windows 8.1 with Update 1.

Lets take a look at how that is done.

First download the Media Creation Tool from the following link and save it to your Downloads folder:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=510815

Double click Media Creation Tool file to launch setup.

Wait while setup begins

The following window allows you to select the Language, edition (Core or Pro), Architecture (32 or 64 bit).

The above example shows all of the selected options.

To determine if your system came preinstalled with Windows 8 Core or Pro, look at the bottom of your laptop or on the chassis of the machine for one of the stickers.

Choose how you want to prepare your files.

Install by creating media

This I think is one of the most important steps, a lot of persons do not have fast Internet Connections, or they are using metered Internet Connections which prohibits them from downloading large files using their ISP over a period of time. Windows 8 is a 2 GB download which is still significantly large for some Internet Connections.

USB flash drive

If you have a thumb drive with 3 GBs of available space, you can use that to create a bootable copy. Thumb drives are very cheap these days, so pick up a couple and create one as your first backup option. This is especially recommended for persons using Ultrabooks which do not include optical drives (DVD) or Netbooks. There are some desktop systems that do not include one.

ISO file

An ISO file is a digital or virtual replica of a physical disc. In order to use an ISO you must burn it to a optical disc. In the case of Windows 8, a blank DVD. If you are using Windows 7, you can create the .ISO and burn it using the built in Disc Image utility. If you are running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you can using a third party burning tool such as ImgBurn or Roxio/Nero.

Creating a .ISO file

For the purposes of this exercise, we are gonna use the .ISO option.

Select ISO file, then click Save

Select your location and click Save.

Wait while the .ISO image is created.

After obtaining the .iso file you use the Microsoft .iso to USB/DVD tool to create a bootable DVD or USB (requires a blank DVD or USB flash stick of at least 4 GB).

Starting the installation.

To learn how to change your BIOS options to boot from the DVD drive, see the following tutorial:

Once your computer is set to boot from the DVD, you should see this option.

If you are installing from a thumb drive, see the following instructions how to prepare your computer to boot from one:

The Windows logo will appear on screen, this might be here for a while, as long as you see the indicater, everything should be ok.

The setup screen will eventually appear, select your time and currency format then click Next.

Click Install Now

Wait while setup starts up

You will be prompted for a product key during setup. You can use a generic key which you can find at the following link.

Accept the End User License agreement and click Next

Click Custom install Windows only (advanced)

Select the system drive where Windows 8 is installed.

You will receive the following warning:
The partition you selected might contain files from a previous Windows Installation. If it does, these files and folders will be moved to a folder named Windows.old. You will be able to access the information in Windows.old, but you will be able to use your previous version of Windows.

(At all cost, do NOT click anything named Format or Delete or Partition. So even doing a custom install, your personal files are still preserved. Click OK
Setup will now start the installation. During the installation, your machine will be restarted several times.

When the installation is complete, you can complete the Out of Box experience such as selecting your computer, create a username, password, your time zone. You can then proceed to download the latest updates for Windows and reinstall your applications and drivers.

Windows 8 Out of Box Experience page

You can then recover your personal files from the Windows.old folder and reinstall all your applications and drivers. Or you can use Windows Easy Transfer to restore your backup.
How to retrieve your files from the Windows.old folder – Microsoft

Retrieve your product key:

With Windows 8, Microsoft has changed from stickers that have the product key that the user has to type in when installing the operating system to new BIOS embedded product keys. The idea is that by eliminating the sticker, you eliminate one of the easier ways for nefarious users to get a legitimate product key. Eliminating the product key sticker also removes any worry that the sticker might get damaged while at the same time eliminating the long and irritating process of typing in various letters and numbers when installing the operating system.

If the user has to reinstall the operating system on a machine that came with Windows 8, the installation process automatically grabs the software product key from the motherboard BIOS with no input from the user. This means that those familiar Windows product key stickers will no longer appear on the Windows 8 computers.

If Windows 8 setup did not retrieve your key and you had to use a generic key from the link provided, here is how to retrieve the product key from the BIOS.

Windows 10 Embedded Product Key tool by Neosmart

Designed for users of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, our embedded product key tool will retrieve and display the Windows setup product key embedded in the BIOS or EFI, allowing you to store it for safe-keeping or use it to reinstall Windows with an official Windows setup image.

You can download it at the following link:

Press Windows key + R

Type: slui.exe 3

Enter the product key and click Next to activate over the Internet.

You can also use phone activation:

Press Windows key + X then clickRun, then type: slui.exe 4

2. Next press the ‘ENTER’ key

3. Select your ‘Country’ from the list.

4. Choose the ‘Phone Activation’ option.

5. Stay on the phone (do not select/press any options) and wait for a person to help you with activation.

6. Explain your problem clearly to the support person.

Related:

Please do not hesitate to share your feedback and suggestions, this is a huge undertaking and again underscores the benefits of dual booting instead which is a lot more convenient and less destructive.