While searching a free tool to create a Windows 7 bootable ISO file on a USB flash drive, I find the following applications:
- Microsoft Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Tool: creates a bootable Windows 7 installation USB flash drive; supports Windows 7 ISO file only.
- Novicorp WinToFlash: creates a bootable Windows installation or live USB flash drive; supports Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008, and Windows 7 installation CD or DVD, and live CD or DVD (WinPE or BartPE).
- UNetbootin: creates a bootable live USB flash drive; supports a variety of Linux distributions.
- BootMyISO: creates a bootable ISO file on a USB flash drive; supports some bootable ISO files. If the OS loads and uses its own drivers to access the controller, the emulated CD is no longer accessible, then the OS would not fully boot. This probably can not be used to create the installation or live USB flash drive.
- UltraISO: (not free) creates a bootable ISO file on a USB flash drive; supports Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation ISO, HP SmartStart CD and Hiren’s Boot CD. In my test, this is the easiest way to create a bootable ISO file on a USB flash drive (open an ISO file, Bootable, Write disk image). Some ISO files (e.g. ERD 5.0 for XP) gets boot error.
Conclusions:
- Unlike burn an ISO to CD or DVD, there is not an easy and reliable way to create an ISO file on a USB flash drive.
- Even a good boot USB flash drive does not work all computers which support USB boot option. In my test, Kingston DataTraveller 1 GB USB flash drive boots on a Compaq nc4010 and an HP Pavillion a300y desktop, but does not boot on a Dell Inspiron 1150 and Latitude D610 laptop.
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