New build ISO installation help

Maki role

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Dec 25, 2011
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Hello

I searched before posting this and found it to be quite a common question, although none of the answers seemed to work for me. I decided it would be best to ask myself so I can include more info.

I've just finished my first build ever, up till now it's gone really smoothly. The only problem I have is when trying to boot the OS. Basically I downloaded the windows 7 ISO file through my University (which is currently 300 miles away and closed so I can't ask for discs) and burnt it to a DVD. When I try to boot off of the DVD I get to the "Insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key" screen, but when I insert the DVD and press a nothing happens. Well not quite nothing, it skips to the next line and repeats the previous message again as if there's nothing in the drive.

So far I've checked all the boot orders, RAID status and checked whether the drive is properly connected by inserting the support DVD for my mobo. I don't have, sadly, a USB stick with a high enough capacity, nor an external HDD to connect instead. I can't use my previous HDD from my old computer as it's an iMac.

My mobo is an Asus P9 X79 Pro if that helps. I might not be able to reply for a while given it's late at time of posting (London so almost 3am).

Thanks

Ps I'm really new to this so I still have a lot to learn, if you could fully explain steps then I would be very grateful.
 
Was the download for a full version or an Upgrade ? IIRC the academic versions are Upgrade media so would not be bootable since they are designed to be installed from within the old windows OS to upgrade the license not to install as a new system.
 

I am not sure were you got that from but all versions of Windows 7 are bootable. And if it was a full ISO image there is nothing you have to do but burn it as an ISO ie not data. I would double check and make sure you burn the disc as an ISO file.
 

Maki role

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I just did a standard burn, I reckon ATM that's the problem. From what I saw at first IMGBurn did to seem to do anything differently. Also remember I burned the DVD on my mac so applications may have different features.
 

That could be the issue.
 


Not all images for upgrade versions are bootable -- I was just going by info I had seen for Example THis post on TechSoup.org :

Hi terri,

I know it flies in the face of everything you know about installing Windows as a clean install, but you don't boot from the Upgrade disks. In fact, Upgrade disks for Windows 7 are not bootable by design from Microsoft. They are intended to upgrade in place operating systems.

Stick the DVD in the drive while XP is running and it will give you the option for custom install from the screen. It will warn you that the drive will be destroyed.

If you need bootable media, you can download that from the Microsoft Licensing site. They offer ISO downloads for both the Windows 7 full install and its upgrade.

Chris Shipley
Nutmeg Consulting

So there are a ISO images for download that are designed to be used as In place upgrades only and are not bootable that many academic sales are using -- so not sure where you got your info from either but not ALL versions of Windows are bootable !