Problem using Win7 USB/DVD download tool (concerning bootsect.exe)

I've written up some instructions within another forum that should assist all of you, but please keep in mind that some of the instructions are specific to the PC I was using.  I think you'll find my instructions helpful for getting past the bootsect error.

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20100125085421843&board_id=20&model=Eee+PC+1201N&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

Hi!  Sorry, but this doesn't make sense:

5. Right-click the link and save the bootsect.exe file to the location where you installed the Windows 7 

The link you are revering to is the "Download" button, correct?  But this link downloads 'Windows7HomePremium32bit.iso'.  Not only is this NOT 'bootsect.exe', but is is 2.3 gigs!

Why doesn't microsoft just put this file where everyone can download it easily?

FeiJiefu, I suggest you ignore Gokul's instructions and follow the steps from my post on Tuesday, January 26, 2010.  You'll find a link to a working bootsect file there (Step 2b).  Many people have successfully used my instructions as guidance to get by this known issue.

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20100125085421843&board_id=20&model=Eee+PC+1201N&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

Please, Microsoft, get your act together. This problem with allowing access to 32 bit version of bootsect.exe has been unresolved for >7 months now.

You have created a problem where people end up downloading bootsect.exe from shady russian sites. Why? To get their legitimate copy of Windows running.

Because Microsoft sells this through digitalriver, yet requires a Microsoft Store purchase to have been made before allowing a download.

So you have to buy Windows twice, or risk getting a virus.

No wonder Microsoft products get derided for being virus prone. Microsoft drives legitimate buyers of their product to download a BOOT SECTOR tool from third parties. This is every virus writers wet dream, to be able to insert a virus into the boot sector, where it can be loaded before the OS, and remain undetected forever.

I feel sorry for all the hard working software engineers at Microsoft who toil to make the OS secure, only to find that the marketing division makes decisions that ruin their work. And what for? This only affects legitimate buyers, illegal copies do not have this problem. They might in fact be safer in the end.

Hope this wakes up someone at Microsoft (I bet this will get another canned copy/paste job from the marketing division at best)

OK there seems to be a bit of a confusion around botosect.exe. I don't believe this tool is required at all to make a bootable USB device. Let me see if I understand the question first:

I am running a 32-bit Windows Operating System, have access to a 64-bit Win7 ISO, and would like to use a USB device (instead of burning the ISO to a DVD) to install 64-bit Win7 to a target computer.

1. Plug in a USB device that is 4GB or bigger.
2. Find the disk number of the USB device:
    Open up an elevated command shell, run diskpart.exe.
    Within diskpart, run 'list disk'. The output will list all disks on the computer. From looking at the size, infer which one is your USB disk and note down the disk number.
3. Correctly format the USB device:
    Run diskpart.exe and enter the below commands one by one.
        select disk <disknumber of your USB disk>
        clean
        create partition primary
        format fs=ntfs quick label=Win764
        active
        assign letter=Q
        exit
    Now you should see a "Q:" drive in Windows Explorer. This is your USB disk.
4. Mount the 64-bit Win7 ISO:
        Windows does not have a built-in ISO mount feature. So you will have to use a third-part tool. I suggest "Virtual CloneDrive". Once you have downloaded and installed Virtual Clonedrive, navigate to the folder that your ISO file is in, in Windows Explorer. Right-click on the ISO file and select "Mount". After this, all your ISO files should show up in a drive called "I:".
5. Populate the USB disk:
    Copy all files and folders from I: to Q:.
6. UnMount the ISO:
    In Explorer, navigate to the folder that has the ISO, right-click and select UnMount.
7. Boot from USB:
    Turn off the target computer, plug in the USB device, turn on the computer, get to the BIOS boot options (using F9 or some other key, depends on your computer), select USB boot, and you should see setup run.

Hope that helps.

It looks like my link to bootsect.exe is dead and I'm unable to edit my post.  Here's a link to the needed file:http://www.everettsporting.com/bootsect.zip

Thanks thadizzogg, your link worked.  Hours of searching finally over, and I'm installing win 7 now!

microsoft, it is pretty ridiculous that your download tool won't work without any hitches.  I legitimately downloaded my .iso file from MSDNAA, not from the microsoft store.

It seems disingenuous for one MS employee to offer a solution that is clearly not applicable and then have another MS employee mark it as THE answer.

While it is nice of MS to make a convenient tool to enable purchasers of the 64bit .iso to make an installable USB drive, not making it usable for many, if not most, of the purchasers is just wrong-headed. Because MS, for whatever reason, has chosen to fix this issue for only those that bought the software directly from them and all others can go ____ up a stick, clearly THE answer is to not use the MS tool. There are many alternatives to everything offered by MS. Since they want to you use one, go ahead; you may find alternatives to other MS products, as well.

If you are trying to make the USB key bootable on a 32 bit machine, then you need a 32 bit version of bootsect.exe, regardless of which version is being installed from the USB key.  One way to get bootsect is to download it from Microsoft:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc442495.aspx

If the link goes bad just Google Windows 7 Trial.  Then select to download the 32 bit iso version of the Windows 7 Trial.  You can then use some tool to read the iso and extract the bootsect.exe file from the boot subdirectory in the iso.  7-Zip will extract it, and there are several tools for mounting ISOs as drives that could be used also.

Once you get bootsect.exe extracted, run a command prompt (run as Administrator if using Vista or later) from the folder where bootsect is located.  Then type bootsect.exe /nt6 q:  where q: is the drive letter of the USB key you are wanting to boot.  There is also an /nt52 switch for booting older OSs like WinXP.  The Win7 iso can be deleted once you have your copy of bootsect.exe.