Loading the Windows operating system on any kind of computer has always involved floppy disks, CDs or DVDs.  That’s kind of a problem if you want to load Windows on a netbook.  Unless you buy an external CD/DVD-ROM, which isn’t cheap for one-time use, you are out of luck trying to install Windows on your netbook or ultraportable notebook.

Microsoft has realized that netbooks are here to stay, and has decided to help out the netbook community by creating a tool that will allow users to download the Windows 7 operating system onto a USB drive to be installed on a computer without a DVD drive.  This tool requires a 4GB USB drive, which most people can pick up at Target or Best Buy for under $20, and two support downloads: Microsoft .NET Framework v2 and Microsoft Image Mastering API v2.

There is one caveat using this tool.  From the Microsoft web site:

You may make one copy of the ISO file on a disc, USB flash drive or other media in order to install the software on a computer. Once you have installed the software on a computer, the license terms that accompany the software apply to your use of the software and replace these terms. The license terms for Windows 7, once accepted, permit you to make one copy of the software as a back-up copy for reinstallation on the licensed computer. If you do not delete the copy of the ISO file you made to install the software on your computer, then the copy of the ISO file constitutes your back-up copy.

Even with this caveat, it’s still a great way to have a copy of Windows 7 ready for installation on a netbook.  It’s also great to have in case you need supplemental files, etc and it asks for the operating system disk.   It’s nice that Microsoft is seeing where the industry is heading and wants to help out its user base. Now I know what I am doing this week.

Microsoft’s new tool makes loading Windows 7 on a netbook as easy as USB is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.

Digital River, the company handling (or mishandling) the Windows 7 student upgrade offer for Microsoft has finally issued a fix to the numerous problems users had with the Windows 7 upgrade files that were given to them.

One problem that users faced was the inability to do a clean install or upgrade from Windows XP due to the fact that the files provided by Digital River made it hard to do. Yes, you could turn your Digital River Windows 7 download into a bootable DVD, but it was an involved process.

Another issue that users had was the inability to extract the Windows 7 64 bit upgrade files on a Windows Vista 32 bit computer. Attempting to do so resulted in a, Unpacking the Box” error that prevented many users from enjoying the new features of Windows 7. While we showed you how to fix the, Unpacking the Box” error; it was still hit or miss and users needed a better way.

Finally, Digital River and Microsoft have released a new download that will work with the Windows 7 Product Key sent to you by Digital River. All you need to do is download one of the following files helpfully found by Lifehacker.

Upgrade Instructions [Microsoft/Digital River]

ISO file [Direct ISO link]

Bootable DVD/USB creator [Direct .exe link]

Digital River Provides Students With a ISO File to Fix Windows & Upgrade Problems is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Yesterday we showed you how to turn the files you downloaded from Windows 7 Student discount upgrade bootable on a flash drive or DVD to help users get past several upgrade errors but there are still issues plaguing many students.

The biggest issue is affecting users who want to upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows Vista to a 64-bit version of Windows 7. In many cases these users can’t even unpack the setup files to make a bootable disc.

The Problems:

While Microsoft is working on a solution to the following error messages;

“We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded”

“The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running. Check your computer’s system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher”

The Solutions:

There are few quick solutions that you can try to fix the error that shows up after the “Unpacking the Box” message.

The first solution would be to use a different computer, preferably one running Vista 64-bit, to do the unpacking and then follow the steps to make your installation bootable.

If you don’t have access to anther computer though, you may still be able to unpack your Windows 7 setup files pretty easily thanks to Sir Vikin in the Microsoft Answers Forums.

Pre Step-  Create a folder in the following directory-  C:usersyourname - example for me is “C:UsersSir_Vikinwin 7″

now follow the rest-

STEP 1-  Download the DLMWin7.exe  application but do NOT run it yet.
Step 2- Right click the DLMWin7.exe – select Unblock
Step 3- Under the compatibility tab select the bottom box-”Run this program as an administrator” Click “Ok” to close
Step 4- Right click the DLMWin7.exe file and select run as administrator
Step 5 – Download the files to the folder you created  example- “C:UsersSir_Vikinwin 7″
Step 6- Run it, it should unbox completely!

In the above example, “DLMWin7.exe” refers to the file you downloaded from Digital River, If you purchased Windows 7 Professional 64 bit, for example, your file would be named, “DLMWin7Pro64US.exe”.

We will continue to monitor the situation and if more solutions are found update you accordingly. If you still have problems using the Digital River upgrade files after trying these steps leave a note in the comments and we’ll try to help you out.

How To Fix the Can’t Unpack Windows 7 Student Upgrade Error is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

If you took advantage of the $30 student discount on Windows 7 upgrades through Digital River you may have run into a roadblock when you tried to install the upgrade; especially if you wanted to do a clean install of Windows 7.

To do a clean install you need to boot from a disc or flashdrive instead of starting the install process from inside your current version of Windows. Another reason you may need a bootable version is if you had the Windows 7 release candidate installed on your computer beforehand.

Thankfully there are 2 simple solutions to making your Digital River Windows 7 upgrade bootable.

1. You can create a bootable DVD
2. You can make a 4 GB or larger USB drive Bootable.

How to turn your Windows 7 EXE file into a bootable disc or drive:

The first step is to click on setup and let it extract the files to the expanded setup” folder. Even though this folder has a boot and autorun file simply putting it on a flash drive or burning it to a CD won’t work so you’ll need to do the following.

Turn your Digital River Windows 7 upgrade into a bootable DVD:

1. Download oscdimg from SevenForums and extract it to C:WindowsSystem32
2. Open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd.exe in your Vista Search box. When it shows up right click and select run as administrator.
3. Paste the following into the command prompt, be sure to put your username in:
   Oscdimg.exe u2 bC:Usersyour_usernameDesktopexpandedSetupbootetfsboot.com h C:Usersyour_usernameDesktopexpandedSetup C:7.iso
4. Press enter and wait for your ISO to be made.
5. Burn to a DVD with a burning program and you are ready to go.

These directions are expanded upon the original guide posted on SevenForums.com to be friendlier to novice users.

Turn your Digital River Windows 7 Upgrade into a bootable Flash Drive:

1. Get anything important off of your 4 GB or larger flashdrive
2. Download WintoFlash from Softpedia and unzip it.
3. Run WintoFlash
4. Click on Task
5. Choose, Transfer Windows Vista/2008/7 setup to Flash” and click Create
6. Select your expandedSetup” folder for the Vista setup files path
7. Choose your Thumbdrive location.
8. Click Create and wait for it to create your bootable Windows 7 upgrade USB drive.

From there you just need to Install Windows 7 like normal.

How to Make the Student Discounted Windows 7 Upgrade Bootable is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.