creating UEFI USB Boot stick using rufus option gives errors

Question

I am trying to install windows 7 from a USB UEFI stick that I tried to create in vain. I read other posts on creating UEFI USB Boot sticks and found Rufus the most convenient option . However , Rufus won't allow me a choice of GPT method and Fat32. It complains that it needs a UEFI ISO image.

So I gather , from this that my ISO does not have the typical EFI files. How do I get these files and what files are needed. What I have is a multiboot ISO that lets you choose between 64 and 32 bit versions. Dir structure is like this

Drive letter
Boot
EFI 
source64
sources 
etc

Under EFI

Microsoft --> Boot --> Fonts(d),Bcd (file)

Under Boot

en-us,fonts,bcd(file),boot.sdi,bootfix.bin,bootsect.exe,etfsboot.com,memtest.exe 

Is this is an issue with missing EFI files is there a way I can download them , alternately can I use GRUB BASED EFI Loader to boot dual boot windows 8 and windows 7 on a EFI Laptop. Just to clarify windows 8 is pre-installed.Windows 7 needs to be installed as dual boot option to windows 8 using a UEFI USB stick .

Solution 1

It won’t work because you have a non-official ISO image. You need an unmodified Windows 7 x64 ISO image. Windows 7 x86 aka 32-bit is not UEFI-compatible.

Solution 2

Another approach:

1. Create your USB bios boot key with Windows USB/DVD Download Tool and use the Microsoft Windows 8 ISO
2. Move all the content off the key to a temporary location
3. Format the USB key to FAT32 (use diskmgmt.msc or diskpart for this)
4. Move the files from the temporary location onto the USB key
5. Disable "Legacy BIOS"
6. Boot on the USB key
7. When the install wizard starts, press Shift+F10 to open the Command Prompt.
   From here, you can execute diskpart, then use "clean" & "convert GPT" subcommand, etc.

Enjoy!

Comments

[stackprotector]

If a solution without any third party tools is ok for you, this is a way to do it.

[Daniel B]

That’s simply not true. Windows 7 x64 supports UEFI.

[barlop]

Win7 x64 does support UEFI. Win7 x86 doesn't support UEFI. So rufis gives that .. Or maybe it doesn't support GPT.. It doesn't support the option of GPT with UEFI in Rufus that's for sure.