Windows 7 on X40 via USB stick? [ SOLVED ]

[natgab]

I have a Thinkpad X40, and want to try Windows 7 on it. I'm pretty sure it will work but wanted to run a few question by you guys. I mostly need it because a friend is new to computers and it would be easier to have Windows 7 than XP to help him out and to show him how to do things since he has a new computer and it came with Windows 7. I would otherwise just use it for casual websurfing / email.

I am familiar with loading Linux OSs with the Pendrive software (http://www.pendriveapps.com/), I just wanted to know if there are any tricks to getting Windows 7 on a USB stick and for it to work. Will I need a computer with Windows? I can load XP to my main computer using Virtual Box, since I don't have a spare Hard Drive. It is my 2nd computer so I am OK wiping the HD. Currently has Ubuntu and Haiku. I don't have an external CD-ROM.

Thanks

[automobus]

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool is for Windows 6 and later, what UNetbootin is for GNU/Linux or BSD. It dumps the contents of a Windows DVD image to a volume and sets the boot record. Forget the "USB" in the name: I used it with an Ultrabay hard disk, not once with "USB". You should have no trouble using the tool in a virtual machine, with USB pass-through.

PS: the hyperlink to download the actual tool is hard to spot; HERE, for your convenience.

[natgab]

automobus,

OK, I've been busy with this all weekend. I thought I had a chance to do it the easy way. I found I had a an old IDE DVD-ROM, I put it in a USB2.0 external case. But for some reason it won't boot. The back has the square USB like a printer, maybe those don't work for booting?

So I loaded Virtual Box in Ubuntu, and loaded Windows 7 so that I could run the app. you posted. Problem is that there is a bug with it and it won't load USB items. It sees the DVD, but the USB stick won't load. I will keep trying and post results when I get Windows 7 running on my thinkpad.

Any tips would be appreciated

[automobus]

The "square" plug is type B. The plug cannot hamper the boot process, it is irrelevant. It could be that the drive is not bootable (not all USB devices, typically older ones, are bootable). Have you booted from USB before?

I am going to assume you burned the image correctly, since you have used Haiku and Xubuntu. How about this tip: reboot the host, then attempt again to access the USB device from virtualised Windows.

[natgab]

The "square" plug is type B. The plug cannot hamper the boot process, it is irrelevant. It could be that the drive is not bootable (not all USB devices, typically older ones, are bootable). Have you booted from USB before?

I am going to assume you burned the image correctly, since you have used Haiku and Xubuntu. How about this tip: reboot the host, then attempt again to access the USB device from virtualised Windows.

---Yeah, the external case is a few years old. It's a USB/Firewire combo so maybe it wasn't meant to be bootable I used my USB stick to load Linux on the Thinkpad without problems. Regarding the Windows image, the DVD works fine on my main computer but I don't have an internal drive to spare and Windows won't load to external drives like Mac OS or Linux.

I will keep fiddling with the virtual Windows 7, hopefully I can get it to work with the USB so I can try out the DVD to USB program.

[ZAGNUT]

i had to learn the process when i got my X41 that came with 7 and i wanted XP. decided that i would stick it out and find a way to do it with a thumbdrive instead of giving in and using an external CD drive. i hate discs and by using a thumbdrive there is a really nice speed advantage.

there are tons of dedicated utilities out there, some free, some cost money and NONE of them worked for me. just when i was really ready to give up i tried the one i had always passed over because of its wanky name "WinSetupFromUSB" and succeeded. it's the sticky at the top of this sub-forum: http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/157-ins ... -from-usb/

[jdrou]

Assuming we are talking about installing Windows 7 from USB flash drive and not installing to a flash drive I agree with WinSetupFromUSB; I've used it to install both XP and 7

[natgab]

i had to learn the process when i got my X41 that came with 7 and i wanted XP. decided that i would stick it out and find a way to do it with a thumbdrive instead of giving in and using an external CD drive. i hate discs and by using a thumbdrive there is a really nice speed advantage.

there are tons of dedicated utilities out there, some free, some cost money and NONE of them worked for me. just when i was really ready to give up i tried the one i had always passed over because of its wanky name "WinSetupFromUSB" and succeeded. it's the sticky at the top of this sub-forum: http://www.msfn.org/board/forum/157-ins ... -from-usb/

---I will download it and give it a try! I would think with all the Windows user there should be a working program. I have been able to load Ubuntu & Haiku to my Thinkpad with a USB stick. I even used a USB stick to load Mac OS onto my Hackintosh

[natgab]

Assuming we are talking about installing Windows 7 from USB flash drive and not installing to a flash drive I agree with WinSetupFromUSB; I've used it to install both XP and 7

---Yes, I am using a USB stick to install on to the 40GB HD inside my X40. I want Win7 on the Thinkpad so I can trouble shoot my cousin & a coworker who are new to computers. They are still at the stage where they need to point to the item because they don't know the proper computer names

[ZAGNUT]

IMO the easiest windows for a noob is XP with classic theme, classic start menu and classic folder view. office would be anything up to 2003. XP with all the "helpful" crap, 7, vista and the newer office are just too cluttered with crap. BUT, since they got new computers i guess they'll have to learn them.

good luck with the WinSetupFromUSB and let us know how it goes.

[natgab]

IMO the easiest windows for a noob is XP with classic theme, classic start menu and classic folder view. office would be anything up to 2003. XP with all the "helpful" crap, 7, vista and the newer office are just too cluttered with crap. BUT, since they got new computers i guess they'll have to learn them.

good luck with the WinSetupFromUSB and let us know how it goes.

---Great news! WinSetupFrom USB worked after trying diferent setups in the control panel. I was able to load Windows 7 onto my Thinkpad X40. Though I got a Windows Experience Index of 1.0, it works great for web surfing and casual use. I will have to see how it works with programs like VLC and maybe see if it can handle iTunes.

If noobs aren't gamers, I would install Ubuntu. It really has gotten very nice and reliable. But yeah, I liked using Windows XP that was loaded on the laptop better than Win 7. Windows 7 tries to hard to be eyecandy like OS X, but it slows down the computer. At least it isn't molasses slow like Vista. My niece has Vista on her laptop, even with SP2, I still feel it runs slow. I hope Windows 7 runs OK on my Thinkpad.

[ZAGNUT]

good to hear it worked!

on my X41 7 worked just fine but it's a pretty big step up hardware wise from the X40.

VLC should be just fine but i don't know about itunes, never used it myself and have no need for it. i would assume that you'd be forced to use the latest version and that it would be bloated to the max that NEW hardware could handle. i know it turned my sister's T43 into a slow pig and that is most definitely a much faster machine than the X40, 2GHz CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM and a 7200 RPM disk.

[natgab]

good to hear it worked!

on my X41 7 worked just fine but it's a pretty big step up hardware wise from the X40.

VLC should be just fine but i don't know about itunes, never used it myself and have no need for it. i would assume that you'd be forced to use the latest version and that it would be bloated to the max that NEW hardware could handle. i know it turned my sister's T43 into a slow pig and that is most definitely a much faster machine than the X40, 2GHz CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM and a 7200 RPM disk.

---Well, Windows 7 and the apps I am installing are mostly to troubleshoot for my cousin & co-worker. So far I have only had it for the weekend, but do notice it slower than when I had Windows XP Pro installed.

For daily use, I have it dual-booting w/ Xubuntu. I had been using it to test out Puppy Linux & Haiku (Be OS clone) which are both super fast on the machine without bloat from modern OS or apps.