Use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool with custom ISOs

What do you do if the ‘custom’ .iso is somehow marked ‘read only’? File->Properties does NOT list it as R/O?

Not open in any other tool. ‘attrib’ shows only the archive bit set.

Hi, I am regular reader of your blog. Please I insist you, If you can change some code in “Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool” so we can burn Windows XP and Windows Vista original and customs ISOs.

Yours faithful reader
Zulali Khan

An other way to create a bootable USB drive to install W7 from is:
Format the drive from a Vista/W7 machine:
CMD
FORMAT F: /FS NTFS (where F: is of course your USB drive)

Activate the first partition on tht drive:
Start DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK x (where x is the drivenumber shown from the previous command)
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
EXIT

Mount your newly downloaded ISO from Microsoft with Daemon tools or other mount-tool
Place a W7 bootsector on the drive:
Z: (where Z: is your cdrom drive where the ISO is mounted)
CD \BOOT
BOOTSECT /NT60 F:

Now copy all of the files of the mounted cdrom to the USB drive
XCOPY Z:\ F:\ /S/E

Now boot from the USB drive to install W7!

It would be great if you could use the text of the error message as the ALT text to the image so it could be properly indexed by the search engines. I’m sure this page could be very helpful to many people if they can find it. Love your site; wish you’d post more often.

Another insightful little piece from Rafael, combined with a convenient tool to fix the addressed problem. I tip my hat to you sir.

[...] own ISOs with the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. For more information, read the excellent post Use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool with custom ISOs by [...]

USE UltraISO 9 !!!

1. Simply insert your USB pen.
2. Open any win XP, Vista or Windows 7 ISO in UtraISO,
3. Select “Bootable” and “Write Disk Image”.

REMEMBER to double check the drive letter ;-)

Thats it !!
And it also works on USB disks etc.
Windows 7 installs in 7 minutes.

Zulali Khan: Rafael is not in any way involved with the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool so he can’t do what you asked.

You can try doing it by hand, though. You would need to copy all the files from the DVD to a blank USB thumb drive, and then copy the bootloader. Then whatever computer that you wanted to boot from would need to use “USB-CD” as the boot type, since the bootloader is for a CD. I’m not an expert but that SHOULD work. However Windows XP/Vista setup may not function properly even if it does start up right; it’s possible that Windows 7 Setup had specific code changes to support installing from a USB drive, and that since XP/Vista were not made for it they simply might not work.

However it can’t hurt to try.

Arnie: You should use FAT32 instead of NTFS for flash drives. FAT32 has less overhead as far as space used and speed of transfer AFAIK. In addition most of the features of NTFS over FAT32 aren’t very useful for thumb drives.

ok I have an iso of windows 7 then i run this tool it says copied then i run the microsoft tool it still says not valid iso .. Nero or any other tool will allow me to burn as bootable dvd and it installs fine please tell me what step I am missing….
Dave

19 years after Windows 95, Microsoft is up to the same lock down tactics. And yet people fall for them like anything.

Um @anon, explain how this is a lock down tactic? This tool is documented and supplied by Microsoft as a tool to burn your copy of Windows 7 which you bought from the Microsoft Store, not one you created yourself/bought elsewhere. It serves its purpose, it does not promise anything it can’t do, I don’t see the “lock-down” problem.

That aside, thanks Rafael, I have a custom ISO made from the Student Offer upgrade thing and this worked a treat :D

Please go over procedure touse my custom iso with this tool then resave the image then use microsofts tool.Thanks,
Dave

[...] Use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool with custom ISOs [...]

Tested it on 2 different images.
Both completed succesfull and both are not usable in the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

gee at least I am not alone on that this tool does not work..

the iso themseleves work fine ..made with power iso

I created a custom ISO using oscdimg from the WAIK. The ISO I created was compatible with the Windows 7 USB Download Tool. Here is the command I used:

oscdimg -lWindows_7 -u2 -bC:\DVD_Data\Boot\etfsboot.com C:\DVD_Data C:\Win7.iso

An explanation of how to use oscdimg is here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749036%28WS.10%29.aspx

Thanks for the right answer, techie. I created my ISO with the same tool you did. My only mistake was assuming “-?” would give all the switches….it doesn’t!

Thanks samoht Coulter, it worked!

nice bandaid but it does not address taking an iso made using custom settings etc for use with image deployment using the microsoft tool is there another tool that takes the iso and performs the same magic?

It seems that Microsoft has changed the URL of the tool. Link from your post is not working.

Tool is b*llshit.

[...] Thurrott pointed out, in which Rafael discovered the issue while he and Pull both tried to solve one program in the tool. While poking through the UDF-related internals of the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, I had a [...]

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool has been pulled from the Microsoft Store. The link to it (http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool) now returns “Sorry, the page you are looking for cannot be found.” Evidently the tool violated the GNU’s General Public License (GPL) for using open source code —
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/11/microsoft-pulls-windows-7-tool-after-gpl-violation-claims.ars

I downloaded Windows 7 from the online shop (working in a college I got it for £30) I then used the Windows Automated Installation Kit to create a bootable iso that can be burnt onto DVD with any software. I used Image Burn and also use Magic ISO (both are free!). Although now having Windows 7 I have build it iso burning support :)

[...] Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, namun sepertimana yang dimaklumkan oleh Rafael dalam laman beliau WithinWindows, pekakasan dari Microsoft itu hanya akan berjaya sekiranya anda gunakan imej ISO Windows 7 yang [...]

thanks a lot. it works fine.

no need to use any tool just open ur iso file in poweriso(full version) and go to file–>file properties than check UDF press ok and save ur file….now u can use this tool!!

Gteat!!! Yes, it works with PowerISO’s method!!!
Thnx a lot to Nagendra

PowerISO’s method is successful, thanks Nagendra .

[...] Jeg har tilgang til MSDNAA gjennom Høgskolen i Vestfold og hadde ingen problemer med å bruke WUDT til å overføre ISO-filens innhold til en minnepenn på 4GB. Har du ikke Windows 7 tilgjengelig som en ISO-fil, kan du lage en vha et brenneprogram, f.eks. ImgBurn. Hvis WUDT nekter å godta ISO-filen, se tips på denne siden. [...]

[...] Download AVDP locator [...]

Hi you all !!! i download this iso en_windows_7_ultimate_x64_dvd_x15-65922 3.00 GB (3,224,686,592 bytes) and burn it with Windows7-USB-DVD-tool from microsoft store WITH NO ERRORS AFTER READY THE DVD , i try to install , its do the boot and come to the first part off install and its say that i start with the dvd install and i most restart and try again i do it but not work what is wrong ??
wend i put the dvd on windows xp its open and ask to open this file sperr32.exe its say your computer can’t run this version of windows.you need an installation disc that’s compatible with your computer . for more information, check your computer’s system information . i have p4 3 ghz with 500 ram and nvidia 128 ram
so what is wrong here the iso or my computer or how i burn this dvd or how i install it
thank you all for your help

also tested on new lenovo laptop with vista busines and i think is not problem with x64 or x86
plese help rafael

@Isaac
You can only install the 64-bit (x64) version of Windows Vista or Windows 7 if you have a 64-bit capable processor. Few of Intel’s P4 processors are 64-bit capable (only a select few of the 2005+ Prescott series as far as I’m aware) so it’s very possible that the computer is simply incompatible with this software.

I would begin by instead trying to install a 32-bit version of Windows 7. Upgrading your RAM, though not absolutely necessary, is also highly recommended.

There is another way I have found that’s dead simple.

Go and download 7-zip it’s free.
Format your USB flash drive to FAT32
Use 7-zip to extract the contents of the Win7 ISO to your flash drive.
Boot from your flash drive and install.
Thats it. I’ve used this method multiple times without fail.

jrc thank you for your help , but the problem is not x64 or x86 i try on new laptop lenovo and also same problem,i think this iso file maybe not good en_windows_7_ultimate_x64_dvd_x15-65922 3.00 GB (3,224,686,592 bytes) but what is strange that i burn the dvd with Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool and no errors ,( also burn wit nero and poweriso) in all tested pcs the same erro ,its do the boot and load files come to the first part off install and its say that i start with the dvd install and i most restart and try again i do it but not work , how can i verify this iso ? if its ok or no ?

[...] those curious, I’ll be submitting a patch to support imgburn-created ISOs, eliminating the need for my separate tool. Copyright © This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. The use of this feed on [...]

I made an .iso of my win7 disc and opened it with isoavdpcopy, dos window pops up and then immediately disappears. My .iso file properties show that the .iso was modified when I opened it in isoavdpcopy, however, I still get the “not a valid iso” error when I try to open it using the Win7 USB DVD tool.

I guess it doesn’t work for everyone.

When running the isoavdpcopy tool and you get “ERROR: Specified ISO is read-only.” It may well be that you haven’t put in the correct location of the ISO. The tool spits out this error when it should actually say “Invalid file” or “can’t find iso”.

Guys, Arnie’s method of using DISKPART works fine. I just used a student ISO copy.

Can i use windows vista download iso with this tool?

Hello Raphael,
I was wondering something off topic…
I am trying to get someone to write a simple program for an online game. I live in Maryland and would trade some work for you to make this program for me. I could even pay you if you would rather. Its been about 5 years since this game came out and I need someone to program something for it. If you are interested please email me.

Mate, you are an internet legend! I was tearing my hair out about this one, having used Imgburn to create my ISO.
Many thanks from a grateful user.

Hi I used this tool to try and make a usb boot but after reaching 5% it stopped with a message like ” This USB drive can not be used” and now my usb drive doesn’t even show up on pc is there a way of repairing this drive or is it nuked?

For people who want to use Arnie’s diskpart method, and are NOT seeing the USB drive using “list disk”, all you need to do is flip an attribute (on the USB disk) which tells that OS that this disk is fixed. To do that, search for a utility – Lexar Bootit.

Also, under WinXP, to format a USB drive to NTFS, you need to set its “policy” to be “optimize for performance”

god infi is here…thx for sharing

Just wanted to say thanks :)

NOthing works…all sucks!!!

HI all,

I get the ISO is read only error on the tool. It is not read only as far as I can tell. How do you fix this?

Great.!!! Yes, it works with PowerISO’s method!!!
Thnx a lot to Nagendra.

I tried the PowerISO method, it worked – thanks guys!

Thanks Nagendra! The PowerISO method works great!

Thanks Nagendra.. also works with UltraISO

is ultra iso freeware ?
if not does anyone know of any free software to do this ?
thanks :D

I have win 7 iso which works just fine in vmwareplayer – but does not have drivers for my Ethernet or USB.

I normally extract any bootable installation iso to the hard disk. Extract the boot sector with bbie from Bart. Add my extras like software, hardware drivers etc. Then I create a bootable cd/dvd image which includes BCDW cd boot menu system including partitioning and formatting tools, a bootable hard disk boot manager and a live windows for emergency purposes.

Unfortunately this method does not work with Win 7. The boot image extracted with BBIE does not boot. Can any one help in getting a working boot image for win 7 or creating this customized DVD? Any help will be highly appreciated.

I forgot to mention two thing.

Looks like above methods create the image of the installed version of Win 7 and is specific to the machine on which it was created. I have different needs.

I want to create a dvd for universal type of installation, that it should install on any new pc/ fresh install. Secondly I want to create this image/dvd on a winxp sp3 machine.

Unfortunately isoavdpcopy.exe did not help me. Although it says it has successfully fixed the iso, the windows download tool still claims that the ISO is invalid.

I manage to put iso on stick, boot, but after first screen appear nothing happen…

I created an image, using UltraISO9, of my legitimate Win7-disc. The image I created was actually to my surprise accepted directly by the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool from Microsoft (the one I created with ImgBurn wasn’t), and thereby I manage to let the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool do the job automatically while I waited (just a short time). I didn’t have to fix or convert the UltraISO-created image and then transfer it manually to the USB-drive, which was great news for a novice user like myself. So use UltraISO9 to create your custom images from your own (legitimate) Win7-disks, by utilizing the “make CD/DVD image” option under the Tools-meny (using default settings), and you’re good to go.

Rgds,

Novice Windows-user

# Samoht Relhe November 3, 2009 at 3:23 pm

USE UltraISO 9 !!!

1. Simply insert your USB pen.
2. Open any win XP, Vista or Windows 7 ISO in UtraISO,
3. Select “Bootable” and “Write Disk Image”.

REMEMBER to double check the drive letter ;-)

Thats it !!
And it also works on USB disks etc.
Windows 7 installs in 7 minutes.

All those steps worked FLAWlESSLY!!!

Ok… amaizing! Nice job! I had the problem with the stick … but with your own app it solve! Thx!

How long is this process supposed to take? Been w8ing forever with no clue whats giong on.?

PowerISO method worked a treat. Thanks Nagendra. :-)

Great !
it’s work fine
Thanks a lot

What should i do to make the iso work in win usb download tool?
Just execute your tool???

Thanks,
Agatha

Tool worked great!
Thanks Rafael !

Guess i have to play the role as fool here. I have an ISO and the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool. Downloaded your tool, but what now? I unzipped it and ran it. Cmd shows for half a second, and nothing changes.

How to use your tool? It’s not idiot-proof at all!

Awesome tool! You were the first Google result for “the selected file is not a valid iso file windows 7 usb” with good reason.
Thanks.

Thanks! The ADVP tool worked for me! You may not be a UDF expert, but you sure do have the knowledge and ingenuity to create a solution to problems. I salute you — you truly are an inspiration.

Hi, thanks a lot!
but i have a problem, because i don’t understand how this application works! :ouch
i create a iso of win7 with vlite, and when i tried to burn it into a disk with microsoft tool it says me that it’s not a valid .ISO file; so i tried to use your software but….how it works???

after i open the iso with deamon tools….wath’s the next step???

thxs! <3

Mila

Use Ubuntu Live CD
Do following steps in a terminal

1. sudo fdisk -l you’ll see your usb-stick like /dev/sdb (the disk), /dev/sdb1 (the partition)
2. sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb/ bs=1M count=1
3. sudo blockdev –rereadpt /dev/sdb
4. usb-creator-gtk

then you can choose your dvd-rom where the windows 7 cd in there, and the usb stick to write with.
That’s all.

in step 3 there are two “-” before rereadpt

OK EVERYONE

POWERISO WORKS!!

AFTER SAVING NEW ISO, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE WINDOWS 7 USB-DVD TOOL
YOU WILL GOING TO BROWSE THE NEWLY SAVE ISO THAT YOU CREATE USING POWER ISO

Use Free MagicIso to make an ISO image

then use WINDOWS 7 USB-DVD TOOL

MagicISO created identical Windows 7 ISO image that you download from microsoft MSDN.

I failed with PowerISO

Thanks so much! I needed this to get a 7 repair ISO on my USB drive and it helped A LOT.

[...] how to fix that. Make your ISO using whatever program suits your fancy, then head on over to Rafael’s Within Windows and grab the isoavdcopy tool he’s created. Open up a command prompt and run isoavdcopy on [...]

If you don´t want to complicate Use UltraISO9
Check this out spanish ppl!: http://www.tecnozip.com/2009/04/crear-usb-bootable-con-ultraiso.html

;))

i can’t get the nagendra method to work for the Asus PC boot disk,… the windows 7 tool goes one extra step till it gets to the formatiing USB stage of the process, stays at 0% and then says “unable to copy, check usb and the selected ISO and try again”

THX Nagendra…with PowerISO works fine…..

ERROR: Specified ISO is read-only.

I used Microsoft.Windows.7.ULTIMATE.x86.Integrated.February.2010.OEM.DVD-BIE’s iso.

Any solvation? I’m trying now ultraiso method :)

I tried to use this tool but I still got the message “The selected file is not a valid ISO file” although isoavdpcopy says it has successfully copied the iso.

BT, I have tried your way with 7-zip and it didn’t work either.

I had an ISO copy of Dell OEM Windows 7 Professional that I acquired. Don’t know how it was created but it is 4.87 GB so a standard 4.3 DVD won’t work. I tried to use Linux to burn the Dual Layer twice but when I tried to use it I could not complete the install. I put the ISO on an NTFS partition and used the MS-DiskPart utility to ready an 8 gb usb drive. (not all drives are compatible I found so use a major name brand. Sandisk and PNY’s seem to work really well.) Now I have a multi-version 7 on PNY, and Dell OEM 7 Pro and UBUNTU on sandisks. Zoom Zoom!

The Microsoft tools works very fine, make sure you find API (less than 1 MB ) and install it, and 32BIT-ISO (less than 1 MB) put it on users\blabla\blabla\mirosoft-tools folder, you can easily find those two files with google.

I’ve tried Power-ISO or Ultra-ISO, it boot but often brings error, files WIM not found etc..etc…

I’ve tried many program Winflash, BartPE-builder,FlashBoot

The Microsoft Tools works very good and flawless.

Thankyou! I was baffled as to why the Win7 tool didn’t like the ISO. Problem solved.

MANY PRAISES TO VPA021!!! I’ve been trying to get Windows 7 on my computer, that decided to break down after the Windows update, for about a month now and finally found something that works!! THANK YOU!!

This tool is garbage, it doesn’t work on five different ISOs I made.
Windows tool still says invalid iso.
I then stopped bothering with this tool and downloaded UltraISO and it worked perfectly.
Don’t waste your time with this tool — get UltraISO and follow the instructions above posted way up there.
It’s a free download.