Installing Windows 7 on a virtual drive is a useful solution that allows you to experience the operating system without needing a USB or DVD. With the help of virtual drive creation software like PowerISO, the installation process becomes easier than ever.
Want to install Windows 7 but don't have a USB/DVD? Try creating a virtual drive and installing Windows 7 directly from an ISO file using PowerISO. This method saves time and avoids the risks of installing from a physical device.
1. Preparation before installation
- A computer with minimum specifications: 9GB hard drive, 512MB RAM. It must have any operating system installed, be able to boot into Windows, and not be infected with viruses blocking .exe files.
- An installation file with the .iso extension of the Windows 7 operating system (e.g., Windows 7.iso)
- Virtual drive creation software: PowerISO , UltraISO… In this article, Taimienphi uses PowerISO. You can install PowerISO on your computer like any other software.
- The partition for installing Windows 7 on the virtual drive must be formatted as NTFS.
If it's not formatted as NTFS, press Start/Run (Window + R), type CMD and press Enter . Then execute the following DOS commands:
convert [partition]:/fs:ntfs (where [partition] is the partition to be converted)
For example: convert C:/fs:ntfs
Then the screen will display ' Enter the current volume label for driver C: '. Enter the name of drive C, for example, Windows 7. Finally, when the process is complete, restart your computer.
2. How to install Windows 7 on a virtual drive
- Open My Computer , then right-click on the virtual drive created by PowerISO, find PowerISO and select ' Mount Image to Drive [G:]'
- Then point to the Windows 7 operating system installation ISO file.
- Opening the virtual drive to check the Windows 7 installation files, we see that all files are fully preserved.
Double-click the setup.exe file to begin installing Windows 7. When the installation interface appears, click " Install now".
- Select the installation language as shown in the image and press Next.
- Wait a moment, select ' I accept the license terms ', then press ' Next '.
- Choose Custom (Advanced) instead of Upgrade (because we are performing a fresh installation).
- Select the installation partition (you can overwrite the old partition or install on a new partition), then click Next/OK.
- The installation process has begun, and you just need to wait until it's complete. The computer will restart, and you can then enjoy the smooth and impressive Windows 7 operating system.
If you're using VirtualBox or VMware, you can also apply the same method to quickly install Windows 7 on a virtual machine. Be sure to check the virtual machine's configuration to ensure the system runs smoothly after installation.