From what I've read in several places on this forum, the installation of Windows 7 can be improved, or at least be made easier, by combining the Windows 7 install.wim file with the other files that come with a Windows 10 .iso file. From what I understand, this is due to the Windows 10 files having USB drivers among them—necessary drivers that the standard Windows 7 installation .iso lacks—and because the Windows 10 .iso includes more-recent versions of various Windows files, making these files better to have, even in a Windows 7 installation. So, in order to do this, I would extract the files from a Windows 7 .iso file, and I would also extract the files from a Windows 10 .iso file. Then I would take the Windows 7 install.wim file, go to where I have the Windows 10 files that I had extracted from its install .iso, and paste the Windows 7 install.wim over the Windows 10 version of the same file? And then recombine this collection of what had been, principally, Windows 10 files, into an .iso file which would now be a Windows 7 installation .iso? If my idea of how to combine the Windows 7 install.wim with Windows 10 files is incorrect, please explain how it is to be done. (If this is, overall, a foolish and ignorant proposition, I apologize. I comprehend little, regarding these matters.)
This is the whole idea, not foolish at all. I have done that too because I wanted to use install.esd which is not supported by a windows 7 media. I used windows 8 media as source because the language preferences during setup are more similar to windows 7's. I also followed a guide written from a member here of how to make the installation environment of windows 8 look like the one from windows 7. The only thing I couldn't change was the initial moving graphics.
There's not much point in using this method if your install.wim doesn't have the correct usb3/nvme/sata drivers integrated(simply put).
My impression was that the files from the Windows 10 .iso would include the USB3 drivers which the Windows 7 install .iso lacks. But when you say "integrated" into the install.wim, this makes me think that the installation process started by the Windows 7 install.wim file will not use the USB3 drivers that are in the .iso (those files having come from the Windows 10 .iso). Will my Windows 7 .iso, which consists of a Windows 10 .iso with its install.wim replaced by that from a Windows 7 .iso, not use the USB3 drivers in its "new home?" Please pardon my ignorance. How does the installation process work? What is the role of the install.wim file? And how do the other files from the installation .iso contribute to the installation process?
You misunderstand. A windows iso contains a boot.wim(the installation PE(environment)) and an install.wim(the windows os which you want to install). The boot.wim's job is to simply prepare the hdd/ssd and copy whatever is in the install.wim to the hdd/ssd. The idea of using windows 10's iso means you're using windows 10's boot.wim, because it has native support for things windows 7 doesn't. You're still installing your windows 7 from your install.wim/install.esd. After the first reboot, you're no longer using the boot.wim, you're finishing the installation of whatever was copied to the hdd/ssd.So, if you initially DID NOT integrate the needed usb or w/e drivers into your install.wim, you could end up with non-working mouse/keyboard and be stuck after the first reboot. This is why you need to integrate the needed drivers into your install.wim anyway.
Well said, shhnedo. Of course, another option is to separate boot.wim and install.wim altogether, which means booting your boot.wim (PE) first, create your own shell/ prompt/ gui, do the apply of install.wim yourself (or have several install.wim files on your usb), and have all the extra power and control of adding any drivers necessary (manually or scripted) , along with registry tweaks/ kms emulators, etc. etc. Then do the final reset to start to actual setup.
It was a live stream so there is no time stamps… and I’m doing it because I want a windows 7 like experience on windows 10.
You realize putting an untouched install.wim in a different iso will change absolutely nothing, right? (functionally speaking) If you want windows7-like experience, you start chopping stuff off of windows 10. The installation environment has nothing to do with what's inside the install.wim/esd.
ok??? so why is the windows instlation inverment not able to detect the hard drive in the virtual machine or a pysical pc? i have included the amd drivers and the intel rapid storage drivers and it still doesnt work.
Because you're making a mess of an iso with mismatching setup.exe versions between boot.wim and the iso\sources folder. On 11th/12th/13th gen intel platforms you need to either integrate the RSTe VMD v19 driver or you need to disable the VMD controller in the bios(no, that driver doesn't apply to VMs).
You are just stuck in the 90's You don need ISOs setup.exe and alike. Just deploy using dism/imagex or the more convenient and newbie friendly winntsetup.exe, no matter if you're installing 7/8/20/11. Possibly do a further step towards the new millennium, learning to use native vhds over old school partitioning.
Tried what? Don't expect effective help if you limit to talk like SMS. Whatever either your hdd is write protected or you're doing something really dumb. Not going to elaborate where I put my money
Here’s what I do shift f10 Diskpart List disk Sel disk 0 Format fs=ntfs quick There is no selected disk volume Sel vol 0 Format fs=ntfs quick The disk is write protected. those are the commands I use when in command prompt. I’m trying to install it using VMware or virtual box. When I load with VMware it gives me the error, no hdd is found please load driver to find the hard drive using floppy or usb or cd dvd. Then Ill get an error that says no valid product key for the available installation on this image. Please try again using the correct product key. But the problem is I don’t get the option to type In the product key at all.