Install Windows 7 from ISO image
I have an ISO file of the Windows 7 DVD and I want to install it on my PC which currently only runs Linux. I don't have any DVD drive. I have some unpartitioned space on one disk where I want to install it in.
When I am doing this for Linux, I usually just create the partitions from the running system, format them, mount them, copy files over, chroot into it, setup the stuff and I can boot into it (or I use some of the uncountable available scripts which do exactly that automatically).
However, I have no idea how to do the same thing with Windows.
So far, I tried with VMware, i.e. I gave it direct full access to the disk where I want to install it in, installed it there, then tried to boot natively into it. The Windows logo showed up but after maybe 3 seconds or so, it crashes. Safe mode also crashes.
I already expected that this probably would exactly behave the way it does right now because I have heard that Windows is quite sensible about hardware changes (i.e. the VMware hardware and the real hardware). However, how can I fix it now that it works?
Or I could also just delete it again and try just over. But how exactly?
I also searched for ways to boot directly into an ISO file. There seem to be ways to do that via GRUB (and maybe some additional boot loader), although quite complicated. I already tried one method (GRUB: map ...iso (hdX)), however, that didn't worked. Also, even if it does work, I will get into trouble when I boot into the newly installed Windows and it requests for the DVD (because it does that at the first boot into the new system).
Seems all quite complicated. Isn't there some easy way like I would do it for Linux? Or what would be the easiest way to get what I want?
Solution 1:
Two options:
Buy or borrow a USB or internal DVD-ROM drive
Alternatively, Microsoft provide an official utility to put the Windows 7 ISO onto a USB Flash Drive: Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
Solution 2:
Use an USB thumb drive or a USB HDD. Extract the ISO contents there and boot from it. 10 minutes later you should have your Windows 7.