Vista/Win 7 installed from HDD

[slyfox2151]

HiHi,

i have googled around and found this question asked a few times but have never found a decent responce back,

is there a way to install Windows 7 from a HDD to a nother HDD?... instead of using a USB as the medium to install off, swap it for a HDD?

i have read a few threads around that have gone in circals often ending in it cant be done or why would you want to ect....


im either looking for how this can be done, or why it cant be done in a bit more detail then it just cant be done.... is it due to the way a hdd boots or?




is ther a way in witch you can put the windows install on to a Sata HDD, insert the drive into the system then boot that drive into windows installation?


sorry for the long post that basicaly asks the same question twice, but i wanted to make sure everyone knew what i was asking.

 

[sonnytiger]

Well it seems to me that if you plug in an external hard drive it will see it as a 'flash' drive. So just search how to do it for the flash drive and then apply those same things to the hard drive. When in the bios just select USB as your boot device.

 

[Thrackan]

All I can say is just try it...
Grab a clean HDD/partition, extract the setup files there and try to boot it up.

All I know is that upgrading works perfectly this way.

 

[amit_talkin]

Yeah you can do that.
make a Primary and Active NTFS partition on the drive from which you want to install windows. Copy all files from Win7/Vista ISO ( or DVD ) to this partition. Boot from it, and it will load windows setup.

Another option , not exactly what you looking for, but this will speed up your installation as setup will run from HDD to HDD.
1. copy all files from Win7/Vista DVD to your HDD ( Any HDD, it doesnt matter if you choose same HDD on which you gonna install win7/vista. Just make sure you copy contents to other partition )

2. boot with Win7/Vista DVD.
3. Choose "Repair this computer" ( or whatever it says in setup screen )
4. Now you will have access to command prompt
5. In command prompt, navigate to the folder/partition where you had copied contents of DVD.
6. type "setup.exe" .
Now it will load setup from HDD instead of DVD, it will be faster as files will be copied and expand from HDD to HDD. it will save more than 15 minutes of installation.

I never burned any DVD for vista/win7 since they are released. I do all setups from my HDD. I use the bootable DVD I have made myself for recovery purpose to boot and install the OS.

 

[slyfox2151]

thx for your replys,

ill try to setup to boot from HDD tomorrow and see how well that goes.