Creating a bootable windows 7 USB stick with uefi. How to create a bootable UEFI USB stick using Rufus

aaalekseyyy 30.11.2015

Deniska, what advice to you:

1. Downgrade the BOOT UEFI version in BIOS to the minimum (If there is Secure Boot, then disable it first).

2. Go from some Windows 7 Live CD, initialize your disk to GPT and partition the disk. I do not recommend making large partitions, because, for example, for a 1 TB partition, in case of information loss, only one pass of the Recovery program will take 17-24 hours, and to completely restore the information, it will take up to 3 days of continuous computer operation. Better just create just one section 200-500 Mb, let the rest remain unallocated space, then you will finish it as you need, after installing the system.

Interface, preferably install windows in EFI mode to improve the performance of the operating system.
For Windows installations in EFI mode You will need a 64-bit operating system image Windows 7 SP1 or newer. Wherein system disk on which Windows will be installed in EFI mode, must be marked up not in the usual MBR form, but converted to the format GPT... This is done in the 64-bit version. Windows utility Diskpart.

Option 1. Create a USB flash drive for installing Windows in EFI mode.

1) Create a bootable USB drive (flash drive) for Windows 7 installations.

The bootable USB drive must be formatted to the file system FAT32 to be recognized as a boot device
The USB stick must be at least 4 GB .
To create a flash drive Windows 7 in EFI mode can not use program from Microsoft - Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Tool. This utility formats the installation flash drive to NTFS and it does not recognize it.

- Connect the USB stick to the USB port.
- On the menu Start in the search bar, enter cmd.exe, and right-click on the found object. In the opened context menu select item
- We enter the commands one by one. After entering each of them, press the key Enter ↵.

diskpart
list disk
select disk #

here - # Is the number of the USB stick obtained in the previous command.
Next, the commands will completely clear everything on the selected disk.

clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs = FAT32
assign
exit

- Unpack the image installation disk(file ISO) and copy all the data from it to the flash drive.

Note: For creating boot disk you can use the program UltraISO which immediately creates an installation flash drive formatted into the file system FAT32.

2) Open the folder on the USB flash drive *: \ efi(here * Is the letter of the flash drive with installation files Windows 7).
3) Create a new folder inside this folder with the name boot. (*: \ efi \ boot).
4) Copy the entire contents of the folder *: \ efi \ microsoft \ boot to folder *: \ efi \ boot .
5) Using an archiver (for example, 7-zip) open the file *: \ sources \ boot.wim or *: \ sources \ install.wim .
6) Go to the folder in the archive *: \ sources \ boot.wim \ 1 \ Windows \ Boot \ EFI \ .
7) Copy the file bootmgfw.efi from the archive to a USB flash drive, to the folder you created *: \ efi \ boot.
8) Now you need to rename the copied file bootmgfw.efi(*: \ efi \ boot \ bootmgfw.efi) to bootx64.efi(*: \ efi \ boot \ bootx64.efi)

Ready! Now in the folder *: \ efi \ boot \ should be all content copied from folder *: \ efi \ microsoft \ boot and the file bootx64.efi derived from boot.wim or install.wim.
Note: For some motherboards, you additionally need to copy the file bootx64.efi to the root of the flash drive either with the same file name or with the name shellx64.efi.

Option 2. Create DVD disc to install Windows in EFI mode.

1) Download the archive with the program Microsoft CD / DVD Premastering Utility and unpack it into any folder.
2) Copy the file oscdimg.exe to folder C: \ Windows \ System32.
3) Unpack the image of the installation disk ( ISO-file) to a temporary folder.
4) In the Start menu in the search bar, enter cmd.exe, and right-click on the found object. In the context menu that opens, select the item Run as administrator.
5) Let's enter the command to create an ISO file of the installation disk image:

oscdimg -lWin_7_x64_UEFI -m -o -u1 -pEF -e -bD: \ Win_7_x64 \ efi \ microsoft \ boot \ efisys.bin D: \ Win_7_x64 D: \ Win_7_x64_UEFI.iso

where the following parameters are used:
-l- Specifies the volume label. Don't use spaces.
-m- Ignores restriction maximum size image.
-o- Optimizes storage using MD5 hashing algorithm for file comparison.
-u1- Creates an image that has both a UDF file system and an ISO 9660 file system. ISO system 9660 is written using DOS-compatible 8.3 filenames. The UDF file system is written using Unicode filenames.
-p- Specifies the value for the platform identifier in the El Torito directory. For presentation UEFI systems the identifier is EF. Don't use spaces.
-e- Disables floppy disk emulation in the El Torito directory.
-b- Specifies the El Torito boot sector file to be written to the boot sector or disk sectors. Don't use spaces.
D: \ Win_7_x64- Indicates the location of the source files.
D: \ Win_7_x64_UEFI.iso- Indicates the path to the file being created ISO.

6) Press the key Enter ↵.
7) We write the created image to a disc using the utility UltraISO.

Specifics of installing Windows in EFI mode.

- If you overclocked one of your components, it is better to restore the settings to the default values.
- You need to set the value AHCI for SATA mode and enable ACPI 2.0 if disabled.
- If downloading from the device does not occur, then install the USB flash drive first in the download queue.
- If you have both USB 3.0 ports and USB 2.0, then for a successful installation it is recommended to connect the flash drive to USB 3.0 port... Flash drives USB 2.0 can also be connected to the port USB 3.0... Copy the driver for the port to your USB flash drive USB 3.0.

1) We connect the USB flash drive to the USB connector and restart the computer.
2) When the computer boots up, press the key to call Boot Menu ... Depending on the manufacturer of the motherboard, this is F8, F11 or F12.
3) In the list of devices, select “ UEFI: [your device name]«.

When installed on blank unpartitioned disk go directly to the seventh point.
When installing on a disk with existing partitions and using the old MBR, not GPT, do the following:
4) After loading into the installation screen Windows press the combination ⇑ Shift + F10.
5) We enter the commands one by one, pressing after entering each of them the key Enter ↵.

diskpart
list disk
select disk #

Here # - this number hard disk on which to install Windows... It will be returned by the result of the previous command.
Next, enter the commands for complete cleaning the entire selected disk:

clean
сonvert GPT
exit

6) Close the command window and continue with the installation Windows.
7) Specifying the drivers for the port USB 3.0 if you connected a USB flash drive to it.
8) In the window for selecting a disk for installation Windows, select the item Unallocated disk space and press the button Create... After that, 3 partitions will be automatically created (EFI system partition (ESP), backup partition Microsoft (MSR) and mainstream Windows partition.)
9) Select the main section and continue Windows installation in mode EFI as a normal installation.

Note: If the installation was completed successfully and the system does not boot, then in the install " Windows Boot Manager»First in the download queue.

Good day.

On new computers and laptops, many users are faced with the inability to boot from an installation flash drive with Windows 7, 8. The reason for this is simple - the emergence of UEFI.

UEFI is new interface designed to replace the outdated BIOS (and in the meantime to protect the OS from malware boot viruses). To boot from the "old installation" flash drive - you need to go into the BIOS: then switch UEFI to Legacy and turn off Security mode Boot. In the same article, I want to consider creating a "new" bootable UEFI flash drive ...

Step-by-step creation of a bootable UEFI flash drive

What do you need:

1. directly the flash drive itself (at least 4 GB);
2. an installation ISO image with Windows 7 or 8 (the image is needed original and 64 bits);
3. free utility Rufus (Official site: http://rufus.akeo.ie/ If anything, then Rufus is one of the simplest, most convenient and quick programs to create any bootable USB sticks);
4. if the Rufus utility doesn't suit you, I recommend WinSetupFromUSB (Official site: http://www.winsetupfromusb.com/downloads/)

Let's consider the creation of a UEFI flash drive in both programs.

RUFUS

1) After you download Rufus - just launch it (no installation required). An important point: you need to run Rufus under administrator... To do this, in the explorer, simply right-click on executable file and select this option from the context menu.

1. device: specify the USB flash drive that you want to make bootable;
2. partition schema and type system interface : here you need to select "GPT for computers with UEFI interface";
3. file system: select FAT32 (NTFS is not supported!);
4. then select the ISO image that you want to write to the USB flash drive (I remind you if that is Windows 7/8 in 64 bits);
5. check three boxes: quick formatting, creating a boot disk, creating an extended label and icon.

After the settings have been made, press the "Start" button and wait until all files are copied to the USB flash drive (on average, the operation lasts 5-10 minutes).

Important! All files on the flash drive will be deleted during such an operation! Do not forget to save all important documents from it in advance.

Rice. 2. Configuring Rufus

WinSetupFromUSB

1) First run the utility WinSetupFromUSB with administrator rights.

2) Then set the following settings (see fig. 3):

1. select the flash drive to which you will burn the ISO image;
2. check the box “Auto format it with FBinst“, then check a few more checkboxes with the following settings: FAT32, align, Copy BPB;
3. Windows Vista, 7, 8…: specify the ISO installation image with Windows (in 64 bits);
4. and lastly, press the GO button.

Then the program will warn you that all data on the flash drive will be deleted and asks you to agree again.

Rice. 4. Continue deleting ..?

After a few minutes (if there are no problems with the flash drive or ISO image) - you will see a window with a message about the completion of work (see Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. The flash drive is recorded / work done

By the way, WinSetupFromUSB sometimes it behaves "strange": it seems that it is frozen, tk. there are no changes at the bottom of the window (where the information bar is located). It actually works - don't close it! On average, the time to create a bootable USB drive is 5-10 minutes. Better in general while working WinSetupFromUSB do not run other programs, especially all kinds of games, video editors, etc.

This, in fact, is all - the flash drive is ready and you can proceed to the next operation: installing Windows (with UEFI support), but this topic ...

Topical Win 8.1 and Win10 before the predecessor Win7 there are many advantages, one of them is working with hard GPT -discs. GPT- it is relative new style partitioning, from such disks the OS boots faster, they are more loyal to the data recovery procedure, and they can use the entire amount of disk space if there is more of it 2.2 TB . Mandatory conditions to take advantage of GPT : BIOS UEFI on computer, versions only Win8.1 and Win10, and only them 64 -bit releases.

The first and the last conditions are given, they cannot be bypassed. But with Windows versions not so hard. On GPT -disk, in principle, you can install the edition x64 "Sevens", however, not without nuances. Below we will talk about these nuances, and also look at universal way installations Win7 to disk GPT , which will be applicable in most cases, as long as computers have BIOS UEFI... Or at least a hybrid BIOS with the support EFI software in terms of loading from GPT -discs.

1. Win7 on GPT disks: nuances

To Win7 successfully installed on GPT -disk, in BIOS UEFI must be disabled without fail Secure boot - a function that blocks the launch of the device from any non-certified software. What, in fact, is Windows distribution 7.

If "Seven" set to empty, unallocated and not initialized HDD in compatibility mode BIOS UEFI c Legacy, during installation, the system will automatically create itself MBR -disk. And it is on him that the system will put it. However, if in BIOS set hard parameters UEFI- only this mode of operation, while booting from a USB flash drive UEFI, in some cases setting Win7 on blank disc can go exactly the same as if we were installing the system versions 8.1 and 10 ... During this installation, the system itself will initialize the disk as GPT and will create the necessary EFI -systems technical sections. And later when reinstalling "Seven" will stand on GPT -disk with the existing partitioning scheme. But we are talking only about a part of the cases.

The key points in all of this are the right parameters. BIOS UEFI and a flash drive UEFI with the installation process Win7... And if in the latter case there is a universal way out of the situation in the form of recording programs UEFI -flash drives, then in the case of the settings BIOS UEFI a solution suitable for all cannot be a priori. Here, of course, you need to deal with each PC and laptop separately. However, to set "Seven" on GPT -disk can be without intervention in the settings BIOS if only there instead of UEFI or compatibility mode deliberately not turned on the normal mode BIOS - Legacy... This possibility exists in the form of an alternative mechanism for installing Windows, which is offered by the program. This alternative can also be used in case of implementation on motherboards that is not full-fledged BIOS UEFI, but hybrid firmware compatible with EFI only in terms of support for loading from GPT -discs and installation DVD but does not allow booting from UEFI - flash drives.

Below we will consider two installation cases Win7 on GPT -disk:

First- when dealing with an empty SSD or HDD (or when the data stored on them is of no value) ;
Second- when on GPT -disk already has markup, in particular, there are technical sections EFI -Windows systems... This is an option without losing data stored on non-system partitions.

2. Bootable USB stick

To carry out our plan, we need a bootable USB flash drive and programs for working with disk partitioning. For this, accordingly, it is necessary to prepare Live -disk, on board which will be all this toolkit. Perfect option - Live -disk WinPE10 TechAdmin... Its distribution is in ISO-image can be downloaded for free here:

We write the downloaded image to a USB flash drive. For this we use the utility Rufus... We indicate the USB flash drive in the first column, below we select the partition scheme - "GPT for UEFI computers» ... This is the mechanism for creating that same flash drive UEFI which is essential for BIOS UEFI with selected mode only UEFI... If in BIOS there is also an active compatibility mode, you can choose any scheme with a bootloader MBR ... Then such a flash drive will become universal, and it will be possible to boot from it in the mode Legacy on other PCs and laptops. Next, we indicate the path to the image WinPE10 TechAdmin... And we press "Start".

While the flash drive is being written, connect the installation ISO -image Win7 to display in explorer.

Open the folder in the mounted drive "Sources", and inside it we are looking for a file Install.wim- installation Wim -image. As soon as the flash drive is written, copy Wim -image and place it in the root of the flash drive.

Thus, our flash drive will contain everything you need to install Win7... Indeed, in one of the methods described below, the disk on which the system will be installed will undergo re-partitioning.

After placing on a USB flash drive Wim -image, its weight will be approximately 5-6 GB... If this is a flash drive on 8 GB, everything is fine. But if you only have a USB stick on 4 GB, after recording WinPE10 TechAdmin go to its root and delete the folder "AdminPE32" .

Now we look at the weight of the flash drive and figure out if it will fit there Wim -image. If it still does not fit, you can try to compress the image. Well, or download an already compressed distribution on the Internet with only one required edition "Sevens".

We boot from the newly created flash drive. We choose to boot from.

3. Installing Win7 on an empty hard disk

So the first way to install Win7 on GPT -disk is a case when we have either a clean SSD or HDD (no markup) , or when everything that is on them is not valuable and can be destroyed. On board WinPE10 TechAdmin run the program.

We switch to the utility.

In the first tab "Physical disk" indicate desired disk, the one where we are going to install the OS. Next, click Parts Manage.

Then - .

In the window that appears, click the option "GUID"... Next, put the checkboxes on the options "Create ESP partition" and "Create MSR partition"... Up in the block "Setting" remove values ​​from the top three blocks. We press "OK" at the bottom. We confirm the actions.

Created a diagram of technical sections EFI -systems consisting of ESP -section c file system FAT16 and MSR -section. Assign to the first ESP -section letter, we will need it later. Click, in a new window, select a letter, click "OK".

Thus with the help of we have formed the necessary partitions for Windows, but we can distribute the rest of the disk space in a more usable way - with the help of any of those present on board WinPE10 TechAdmin disk managers.

Here's a solid section WITH can be divided into two or more sections.

After that, we return to the program. In the first column of its window, we indicate the path to Wim -image on a flash drive. In the second, we choose ESP -the partition to which we gave above the drive letter, in the third - the partition itself Win7, i.e. future disc WITH ... Below in the column we indicate the edition of the system. And we press "Installation".

Next, in the graph we choose "UEFI" on the right, on the left, we look to the default value "Use BootSect ..."... If desired, we activate auto-reboot upon completion of work ... As a result, press "OK".

When finished, the computer will restart.

Now we need to boot from the disk where we just installed the OS. Next, we will see the preparatory and configuration steps of the installation.

4. Installing Win7 from a GPT disk with existing partitioning

Installation "Sevens" to work GPT -disk - with existing markup, with technical sections EFI -systems (if Win8.1 or Win10 were already installed before) , with data in other sections - it will be much easier. Here we need to run the program and, as in the previous case, indicate:

Way to Wim-image,
Way to EFI-section;
The path to the future disk WITH;
Editorial office Win7 if the distribution includes several of them.

Where to get EFI-chapter? V previous case using a section with a label has been created ESP... But Windows 8.1 and 10 a typical installation creates tech partitions differently. It can be a schema with two sections - EFI and MSR... Or maybe with three - EFI , MSR and WRE... In any case, we are only interested in the section EFI what's with the file system FAT32.

It is he who must be indicated in the second column.

Specified program we format the sections. For the first EFI -section, this is necessary so that entries about non-existent operating systems do not dangle in the bootloader. We click on the result.

We set the parameters of the bootloader and at the end we start the installation.

CD / DVD discs are outdated today. They were replaced by USB drives.

The need to boot from a USB flash drive can arise when solving many problems:

• installing a new operating system;
• running in Live Cd mode;
• to cure your computer from viruses and malware;
• to fix errors that occur when loading the operating system;
• pre-installation of additional drivers;
• scanning the hard drive for problem sectors;
• starting the operating system installed on the USB flash drive.

On many systems, the default boot from USB stick disabled. Because of this, a user who wants to use a bootable USB flash drive may have problems changing the settings.

Features of booting from a USB flash drive

The order of selection of devices to start is determined by Bios settings- embedded firmware designed to provide the operating system with access to the device API.

To boot the system from a USB flash drive, you need to go to Bios and change the startup order, or use a special boot menu. However, this is not always easy to do, as the versions and types of firmware may differ on different motherboards.

If you need to boot from USB or any other storage device, you need to follow these steps:

1. insert a disc or USB flash drive;
2. turn on the computer or restart it;
3. enter the Bios or Boot menu and select the USB device;
4. if there are several connected devices, the system will automatically offer you a list to select the one you need.

Most modern motherboards work through a technology called UEFI. It's not just more convenient graphical shell for the Bios firmware, and the new software, which has more capabilities and flexible settings.

Uefi motherboards have a lot of new features, for example:

• monitor temperature different devices and in this regard, increase or decrease the speed of the fans;
• adjust the frequency of acceleration of the central and GPU on those motherboards where it is provided by the developer;
• work with many Bios settings from special software under the Windows operating system.

Video: select boot device in BIOS

Asrock H77M-ITX motherboard

The easiest way to boot the system from a USB stick is to use the Boot Menu. For every modern motherboard there is such an opportunity. To find out what combination or key you can do this, most often it is enough to read the system messages. As a last resort, you need to refer to the documentation for the board.

Asrock H77M-ITX allows you to select the launch option using the "F11" button. On the first try, you may not be able to get into the menu, so you need to press the key several times. If unsuccessful, just restart your computer and try again.

As a result, you should see a blue-blue background that says Asrock UEFI setup utility. In the menu "Please select boot device»You need to select the device you want to download.

To configure the startup order of devices in the motherboard BIOS Asrock boards H77M-ITX, you need to do the following:

After restarting your computer, you should see the start of the launch from the flash drive.

Motherboard ASUS P8H77-I

Find yourself in BIOS on computers with motherboard ASUS P8H77-I can be exactly the same as described in the previous section, using the keys "Del" or "F2"... The menu for selecting devices for loading can be accessed by pressing the "F8" button.

The firmware interface is very different from the previous version. But the names of the various settings menus are almost identical.

To simplify the actions, there is a primary configuration mode and an additional one. In the function of the initial setup, that is, in the main window that you enter when loading Bios, there is an option to select the startup priority. In the USB picture, it is indicated as with uefi.

If, after restarting the system, the boot from the USB flash drive does not start, you must go to the "Advanced mode". This can be done using the "Advanced" button or by pressing the "F7" key.

Photo: advanced mode UEFI settings Bios on ASUS P8H77-I

To set the priority, you need to do the following:

The computer will reboot, after which the startup from USB should start. If this does not happen, try changing the port and repeat the operation.

How to boot from a bootable USB stick into Award Bios

New motherboards working with uefi is much easier to set up. However, the need to boot from a USB flash drive may also arise on older systems. Settings for use bootable USB drive may differ slightly, although the principle of operation discussed earlier is the same.

One of the most famous Bios versions Is an Award. There is no way to call the menu to select the startup priority. Therefore, we immediately proceed to setting up the BIOS.

In order to boot the system from a USB flash drive on a computer with a motherboard running Award, you need to do the following:

If the launch from the required drive has not been performed, there is one more parameter to check: the USB controller must be enabled in the "Integrated Peripherals" menu.

Photo: checking the activation of the controller

AMI BIOS

This firmware management system is more modern, so there is already a menu for selecting the startup sequence. It is activated with the "F11" button. You can get into the BIOS setup using the "Del" or "F2" buttons.

To select a boot priority, you must:

Phoenix-Award Bios

Phoenix-Award Bios is quite rare, and its firmware is a bit unusual. There is support for displaying the menu quick choice bootable drive, it is called with the "F11" key.

Interestingly, you will not find a USB-HDD in the Phoenix-Award menu. But other gadgets connected in this way are provided for the choice, for example Zip, CDROM and Floppy. To start from a flash drive, select Hard Disk, and then the required USB-HDD will appear in the list.

As for priority management through Bios, this is done almost identically to AMI.

The difference is that the following options must be selected in the Boot menu:

• using the "+" and "-" keys, change the order. The first should be the Removable Device;
• by activating the Removable Device and pressing the "Enter" button, select the flash drive from the drop-down list.

Photo: Removable Device first in the startup sequence list

The ability to boot the system from a flash drive is given by almost any Bios microsystem. Knowing the key combinations and the necessary menu items, you can quickly change the startup priorities.