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Bootable Windows
Bootable Windows
Bootable Windows
A boot disk is a removable digital data storage medium from which a computer can load and run (boot)
an operating system or utility program. The computer must have a built-in program which will load and execute a
program from a boot disk meeting certain standards.
While almost all modern computers can boot from a hard drive containing the operating system and other
software, they would not normally be called boot disks (because they are not removable media). CD-ROMs are the most
common forms of media used, but other media, such as magnetic or paper tape drives, ZIP drives, and more
recently USB flash drives can be used. The computer's BIOS must support booting from the device in question.
Uses
Boot disks are used for:
Operating system installation
Data recovery
Data purging
Hardware or software troubleshooting
BIOS flashing
Customizing an operating environment
Software demonstration
Running a temporary operating environment, such as when using a Live USB drive.
Administrative access in case of lost password is possible with an appropriate boot disk with some operating
systems
Games (e.g. for Amiga home computers)
Process
The term boot comes from the idea of lifting oneself by one's own bootstraps: the computer contains a tiny
program (bootstrap loader) which will load and run a program found on a boot device. This program may itself be a
small program designed to load a larger and more capable program, i.e., the full operating system. To enable booting
without the requirement either for a mass storage device or to write to the boot medium, it is usual for the boot program
to use some system RAM as a RAM disk for temporary file storage.
As an example, any computer compatible with the IBM PC is able with built-in software to load the contents of
the first 512 bytes of a floppy and to execute it if it is a viable program; boot floppies have a very simple loader program
in these bytes. The process is vulnerable to abuse; data floppies could have a virus written to their first sector which
silently infects the host computer if switched on with the disk in the drive.
Here are some of the possible obstacles of using a 32-Bit operating system:
Applications. Just like any legacy technology, vendors no longer develop applications for 32-Bit operating
systems.
Hardware. The many processors require a 64-Bit operating system.
Drivers. Manufacturers often do not offer 32-Bit driver versions for their hardware due to lack of market demand
or their product.
Conclusion
Before purchasing a 32-Bit operating system, it is important to define what you will be using the system for, is the
current hardware in place, and are there 32-Bit versions of the device drivers and any applications that will be used.
WINDOWS 7, 8, 10
Windows 7
Windows 7 is an operating system released by Microsoft on October 22, 2009. It follows the previous (sixth) 6th
version of Windows, called Windows Vista. Win 7 is the 7th version released by Microsoft.
Like previous versions of Windows, Windows 7 has a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows you to interact
with items on the screen using a keyboard and mouse. However, Windows 7 is also includes a feature called "Windows
Touch" that supports touchscreen input and multitouch functionality. For example, you can right-click a file by touching it
with one finger and tapping it with another. You can also zoom in on an image by touching it with two fingers, then
spreading your fingers apart. Windows 7 is bundled with several touch-ready programs that are designed for
touchscreen use.
Windows 7 also includes several new multimedia features. One example is "Play To," a program that allows you
to stream audio and video to different computers or devices within your house. The "HomeGroup" feature makes it easy
to share media files and other data between computers. It also makes it possible to share printers on a home network.
The "Remote Media Streaming" feature allows you to access the music, video, and photo libraries on your computer
from remote locations.
The search feature in Windows 7, called "Windows Search," allows you to see results of searches as soon as
you start typing in the search box. Windows Search categorizes the results by file type and displays text snippets that
indicate where the search phrase was found in each result. After the search results are returned, it is possible to narrow
the results by filtering them by date, file type, file size, and other parameters. You can search local drives, external hard
drives, and networked drives all using the standard Windows Search interface.
Windows 7 is available in the following editions:
Windows 7 Home Premium - the standard version installed with most home PCs and includes all of the
features listed above.
Windows 7 Professional - typically installed on business computers and includes all the Home Premium
features as well as additional features such as Windows XP mode (XPM) and Domain Join.
Windows 7 Ultimate - the most complete version, which has all of the Professional features as well as
BitLocker data protection and additional language support.
The system requirements for Windows 7 are:
1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of RAM or 2 GB of RAM for the 64-bit version
16 GB of available hard disk space or 20 GB for the 64-bit version
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Windows 8
Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft's Windows operating system. It was released on October 26, 2012,
and is the first major update to Windows since Windows 7, which was released over three years earlier.
While Windows 7 offered several performance improvements over Windows Vista, there were few changes to
the look and feel of the operating system. Windows 8, on the other hand, provides an entirely new user interface
compared to its predecessor. This interface (initially called "Metro," but now labeled the "Modern UI" style) displays a
collection of tiles rather than a traditional desktop environment. These tiles provide access to commonly used programs
and tools, such as Internet Explorer, Maps, Weather, Photos, Videos, Music, and the Windows Store. Several of the
tiles, such as the Weather and social networking tiles are updated in real-time.
The goal of the new Windows 8 interface is to function on both traditional desktop PCs, such as desktop
computers and laptops, as well as tablet PCs. Windows 8 supports both touchscreen input as well as traditional input
devices, such as a keyboard and mouse. This flexibility allows Windows 8 to run on a wide range of desktop and
portable devices and it is especially well-suited for hybrid computers that include a touchscreen as well as a keyboard
and mouse.
For users that don't need the touchscreen functionality, Windows 8 still includes the traditional Windows
desktop and Windows Explorer, which can be accessed from the home screen. In other words, if you don't want to use
the new tile-based interface, you can simply bypass that "layer" of the interface and access the Windows desktop you
are used to. Microsoft has also provided several performance improvements to Windows Explorer and added a few new
interface elements, such as "File," "Home," "Share," and "View" tabs to the top of each window. Each of these tabs
include one-click access to multiple options. For example, the "View" tab allows you to show hidden files and show or
hide file extensions, two options that used to require several steps to change in previous versions of Windows.
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a major version of the Microsoft Windows operating system that was released on July 29, 2015.
It is built on the Windows NT kernel and follows Windows 8.
Part of the reason Microsoft decided to name the 2015 release "Windows 10" (and skipped "Windows 9") is
because the operating system is designed to be a new direction for Microsoft. One of the primary aims of Windows 10 is
to unify the Windows experience across multiple devices, such desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. As part of
this effort, Microsoft developed Windows 10 Mobile alongside Windows 10 to replaces Windows Phone – Microsoft's
previous mobile OS. Windows 10 also integrates other Microsoft services, such as Xbox Live and the Cortana voice
recognition assistant.
While Windows 10 includes many new features, it also brings back the Start Menu, which was dropped in Windows 8.
The new and improved Start Menu provides quick access to settings, folders, and programs and also includes tiles from
the Windows 8 interface. The bottom of the Windows 10 Start Menu includes a search bar that allows you to search
both your local PC and the web.
Another major change in Windows 10 is the introduction of the "Edge" web browser, which is designed to
replace Internet Explorer (IE). While the OS still includes IE, Edge is the default browser in Windows 10. Other new
features include Continuum, which automatically optimizes the user interface depending on whether you are using an
external keyboard or touchscreen, and Action Center, which is similar to the Notifications bar in OS X. Windows 10 also
supports multiple desktops on a single monitor and provides Snap Assist, a feature that helps organize windows on the
screen.
One of the biggest differences between Windows 10 and previous releases of Windows is that the Windows 10
upgrade is available for free to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. However, Microsoft still charges a licensing fee for
copies of Windows 10 shipped with new computers and for non-upgrade purchases. The full version of Windows 10
Home is available for $120 and Windows 10 Pro costs $200.
One tip does not fall into any category. If you created the disc yourself (e.g. you downloaded the files, and
created a bootable disc from them), try burning at the slowest speed possible.
Problem: Error message “Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition.”
What to try:
Make sure that the partition is primary, active, and formatted with NTFS.
Instructions for marking a partition as active using Diskpart:
Open an elevated command prompt:
Method 1: From Windows
Click on Start and type “command prompt”
Right-click on the application and select “Run as administrator”
Choose “Yes” when asked to confirm
Try changing the SATA setting in the BIOS to AHCI, or IDE if AHCI is already set.
As a last resort, because this will erase your data, try this tutorial.
Some users have also reported that they solved this problem by deleting the recovery partitions that came with the
computer.
If you still have problems with the DVD drive try installing with a USB memory key: USB Windows 7 Installation Key
Drive - Create
If nothing is working, try clearing your CMOS. There is usually an option in the BIOS to reset to defaults, or something
along those lines.
If none of the above suggestions work for you, please create a new thread in the Installation section. DO NOT reply to
this post with your question.