UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive - Create in Windows

How to Create a Bootable UEFI USB Flash Drive for Installing Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1

This tutorial will show you how to create a Windows 7 or Windows 8 or 8.1 installation bootable USB flash drive for UEFIfrom either a Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 installation ISO or DVD.

Requirements:
  • At least a 4GB USB flash drive
  • 64-bit Windows 7 ISO or DVD (If you want to install Windows 7)
  • 64-bit Windows 8 ISO or DVD (If you want to install Windows 8)
  • 64-bit Windows 8.1 ISO or DVD (If you want to install Windows 8.1)
  • 32-bit is not supported.
  • Set the boot mode to use UEFI and not CSM (Compatibility Support Module) in your UEFI firmware settings.
  • Temporarily disable Secure Boot in your UEFI firmware settings. Some motherboards will not boot from a USB unless you do this first. When the Windows installation is finished, you can enable secure boot if you like.
  • If you have fast boot or ultra-fast boot enabled in your UEFI firmware (if supported), then you may need to temporarily disable it until Windows has finished installing to be able to boot from a USB flash drive at boot.

EXAMPLE: UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive
NOTE: This is it listed in the motherboard's boot menu.

UEFI_USB_Boot_Menu.jpg





OPTION ONE

To Create a Bootable UEFI USB Flash Drive using Free Program "Rufus"



1. Download the latest version of Rufus at the link below, and save it's .exe file to your desktop.

Note   Note
This is a standalone exe file that doesn't install anything to your PC
For Rufus FAQs, see: FAQ · pbatard/rufus Wiki · GitHub





Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way



2. Connect your USB flash drive if you have not already.

3. Run the rufus_v###.exe file, and click/tap on Yes if prompted by UAC.
NOTE: ### = latest version number.

4. Set Rufus with the settings below: (see screenshot below step 5)


  • Under Device, select the USB flash drive you want to format and use.
  • Under Format Options, check Create a bootable disk using, click/tap on the browse icon icon.jpg to navigate to and select your 64-bit Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 ISO file, and then make sure that Standard Windows installation is selected (dotted).
  • Under Partition scheme and target system type, select GPT partition scheme for UEFI computer.
  • Under File system, select FAT32.
  • Under Cluster size, select the (Default) (ex: 16 kilobytes or 4096 bytes) it has listed.
  • Under Format Options, check Quick format.
  • Under Format Options, check Create extended label and icon files.
  • Under New volume label, you can enter any name you like for the USB flash drive, or leave the default name.

5. When ready, click/tap on Start. (see screenshot below)


Rufus_UEFI.png


6. Click/tap on OK to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Rufus-confirm.jpg


7. Rufus will now start creating the bootable UEFI USB flash drive. (see screenshot below)

Rufus_working.jpg


8. When Rufus is "DONE", you can close Rufus. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: It could take a little while to finish.

Rufus_Done.jpg


9. You are now ready to do a clean install of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 using UEFI with your bootable UEFI USB flash drive.






OPTION TWO

To Manually Create a Bootable UEFI USB Flash Drive



1. Connect the USB flash drive.

2. Open an elevated command prompt in Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1.

3. In the elevated command prompt, type the commands below one at a time and press Enter after each one. (see screenshot below step 5)

  • diskpart
  • list disk

4. Make note of the Disk # (ex: Disk 4) for the USB flash drive. (see screenshot below step 5)

It is critical that you use the correct disk #. If you do not, then you could delete the wrong drive below and lose everything on it


5. In the elevated command prompt, type the commands below one at a time and press Enter after each one. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute # in the first command with the actual disk # from step 4 above. For example: select disk 4


  • select disk #
  • detail disk (this is to verify that you selected the correct disk before using "clean" below)
  • clean
  • create partition primary
  • format fs=fat32 quick
  • active
  • assign
  • list volume
  • exit

Create_UEFI_USB-1.jpg


6. Make note of the volume letter (ex: K) for the USB flash drive in the command prompt. (see screenshot above)

7. Do step 8, step 9, or step 10 below depending on if you are using a Windows 7/8/8.1 ISO or DVD.

warning   Warning
It has been reported that using the downloaded Windows 8 upgrade ISO does not always give you an UEFI bootable USB option in the boot menu.

If this happens to you, then use the ESD-TO-ISO.exe program created by our member Simon (SIW2) below to create an ISO that will work with UEFI. Afterwards, start this tutorial over using this new ISO instead.

See OPTION TWO here: Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 ISO - Download or Create

download






8. If Using a Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 ISO File in Windows 8
NOTE: For a Windows 7 ISO or Windows 8/8.1 ISO file.


A) Open File Explorer, navigate to the .iso file, right click or press and hold on the .iso file, then click/tap on Mount. (see screenshot below)



W8_ISO.jpg


B) The mounted .iso file will now automatically open. Select all files in it, right click or press and hold on the selected files, click/tap on Send to and the Removable Disk for your USB flash drive letter (ex: K) from step 6 above. (see screenshot below)



Copy.jpg


C) This could take a bit to copy the ISO contents to the USB.

D) When finished, go to step 11 below.

9. If Using a Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 ISO File in Windows 7
NOTE: For a Windows 7 ISO or Windows 8/8.1 ISO file.


A) If you have not already, you will need to download and install the latest alpha version of the free program 7-Zip.
NOTE: You can use any program that performs the same function to extract or mount an ISO, but I just find 7-Zip easier to use.

B) Open Windows Explorer, navigate to the .iso file, right click on the .iso file, then click on 7-Zip and Extract files. (see screenshot below)




W7_ISO-1.jpg


C) In the Extract dialog, click on the browse button, select the Removable Disk for your USB flash drive letter (ex: K) from step 6 above, and click on OK, and OK. (see screenshots below)



W7_ISO-2.jpg


D) This could take a bit to copy the ISO contents to the USB.

E) When finished, go to step 11 below.

10. If Using a Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 Installation DVD


A) Insert the Windows 7 or Windows 8 installation DVD into the CD/DVD drive.

B) In the Computer window, open the DVD. (see screenshot below)



DVD.jpg


C) Select all files in it, right click or press and hold on the selected files, click/tap on Send to and the Removable Disk for your USB flash drive letter (ex: K) from step 6 above. (see screenshot below)



Copy.jpg


D) This could take a bit to copy the DVD contents to the USB.

E) When finished, go to step 11 below.


11. If Using 64-bit Windows 7

Note   Note
Thanks to theog for this step

You do not need to do this step unless you are creating a 64-bit Windows 7 UEFI USB flash drive.

If you are not, then go to step 12 below instead.




A) On the USB flash drive, "copy" the efi\microsoft\boot folder up one level into the efi folder as efi\boot. (see screenshot below)



11A.jpg


B) If you have not already, download and install the latest alpha version of the free program 7-Zip, then run 7-Zip.

C) In 7-Zip, navigate to the sources\install.wim\1\Windows\Boot\EFI\bootmgfw.efi on the USB flash drive, select the bootmgfw.efi file, copy it to your desktop, click/tap on OK, and close 7-Zip. (see screenshot below)



7-Zip.jpg



D) Rename the bootmgfw.efi file on your desktop to bootx64.efi.


E) Copy/Move the renamed bootx64.efi file into the efi/boot folder (step 11A) on the USB flash drive.



efi-boot.PNG


F) Go to step 12 below.

12. You are now ready to do a clean install of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 using UEFI with your bootable UEFI USB flash drive.






That's it,
Shawn


 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Ok, I don't really know then :L sorry but this is a que for someone else. Have you tried messing around with the boot option priorities maybe?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Those look like your PCI ports I would leave those alone if I were you. I can take a look as I actually have a very similar BIOS to yours :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Well, I took a look in my BIOS and I can't see anything to change it (but then again my BIOS is an older version)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Yeah that's right !

I put CSM on Enabled (= Desactivation of EFI on new Asus hardware).

After that, i simply copy Win7 on USB Key (FAT32) and after booting, i have the USB in UEFI mode and normal mode.

So the installation start without trouble , i delete all the partions and reinstall Windows

:)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Kiss said:
I put CSM on Enabled (= Desactivation of EFI on new Asus hardware).

NO, = options of

uEFI only
uEFI & Legacy
Legacy only
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Thank you for precisions ;)

Anyway, the main question is still here : error 0xc000000d, problem with BCD.

Perhaps it's due to the factory partitionning of the disk ? I will try to reinstall in uEFI after having delete all the factory partition.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
I figured it out sorry.


very weird how did that quote end up in there.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 ultimate x64
Great news Parman. What turned out to be the solution?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
The disk i was using had more then 1 version in it. I found the right version, but i decided to just download the iso from dell to make sure it all works correct.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 ultimate x64
Thank you for posting back.

I cleaned up the posts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
My new asus was getting the same errors as kiss's. after enabling CSM it booted into installation.

What is CSM?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 ultimate x64
Hi,

Hoping someone can help me with this.

I am using a sony vaio vpcsa3afx with 256 ssd. Trying to dual boot win7 and ubuntu.

BIOS Insydh20, options in the bios only lets me enable external storage boot, which works great. I can install ubuntu or windows separately using a usb stick, but as soon as I install one I can't install the other.

Installing Windows first, when I boot into ubuntu setup, it says all my HD has free space, which is inaccurate, since I've partitioned some to install windows.

Installing Ubuntu first, I can't install windows because of the GPT partition, which is how I got to this thread. I was under the impression that if I installed windows 7 in UEFI it would fix my issue. I am assuming I am running into this issue since my bios is not really letting me change form IDE to AHCI but that's besides the point.

Now I am not asking for help on the above, I am just posting how I got here.

However, what I need help on is this. I followed all the steps in the first post and my bios does not have the typical f12 boot menu to select what to boot from. The BIOS is supposed to just pick it up and know that there's a usb stick plugged in and boot into it. This works flawlessly for both Ubuntu and Windows 7 if I use the Universal USB Installer for Ubuntu and Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool?

Following all the steps to do a bootable USB stick is not working, my laptop doesn't recognize the usb stick as a bootable stick. Anyone have any ideas on how I can force it another way to use the usb stick other than using f12? Is there anything I can do to make the USB stick a true bootable stick like it does if I use the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool? Or how about changing the ISO itself to have the boot folder copied into the root of EFI with the other EFI file then load it using Universal USB Installer (the win 7 usb tool makes it NTFS automatically, I am assuming that it needs to be FAT32)?

I don't know just throwing out ideas.

Thanks in advance,

Ed
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Mountain Lion, Ubuntu, Win 7
edcampos said:
Following all the steps to do a bootable USB stick is not working, my laptop doesn't recognize the usb stick as a bootable stick. Anyone have any ideas on how I can force it another way to use the usb stick other than using f12? Is there anything I can do to make the USB stick a true bootable stick like it does if I use the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool? Or how about changing the ISO itself to have the boot folder copied into the root of EFI with the other EFI file then load it using Universal USB Installer (the win 7 usb tool makes it NTFS automatically, I am assuming that it needs to be FAT32)?

The format will need to be FAT32.

Follow post one for Windows 8, for Windows 7 also do Step 11.

To boot from the one time boot menu using the F? key, check your manual for the right key.

Windows 8 Downgrade-005 SB.PNG

Than boot from the UEFI drive.

Windows 8 Downgrade-006 SB for posting.PNG

How to install Windows 64 bit on a uEFI/BIOS firmware:

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with - Windows 7 Forums
or
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorial...e-firmware-interface-install-windows-8-a.html
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
So, if we skip step 11 when making windows 7 bootable usb then it will only become non-uefi bootable usb?

Is there any benefit if I format the usb as NTFS rather than FAT32?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H
    Memory
    G.SKILL Trident X 16GB GTX PC19200
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX Radeon 7970 Black Edition
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Crossover 27Q LED
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Vector 256GB, Seagate 2TB 7200 RPM
    PSU
    Corsair AX860i
    Case
    Corsair Graphite 600T
    Cooling
    Corsair H80i
    Keyboard
    Razer Arctosa
    Mouse
    Razer Abyssus
    Internet Speed
    Up to 3.6 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Internet Security 2014
    Other Info
    Speaker: Swan HiVi M50W 2.1 Channel

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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