This article provides 5 methods to create a Windows 7 system recovery USB without needing a DVD or CD. The first method uses MiniTool ShadowMaker to easily create a recovery USB in a few steps. The second method uses the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool to copy the Windows 7 ISO file to a USB. The third method uses MiniTool Partition Wizard, which also has a built-in tool for making bootable media. The fourth method uses the built-in Windows 7 system repair image creator in Control Panel. The fifth method involves manually copying necessary files to a USB. The summary provides an overview of the 5 methods and their basic steps.

1. Title: [5 Ways] How to Create Windows7 RecoveryUSBWithoutDVD/CD
Keywords: create windows 7 recovery usb without dvd
Description: How to create a Win7 recoveryUSB withoutDVDor CD? How to use the created
systemrecoverydisk?Whatshouldyoupayattentiontoduringthe processes?
URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/create-windows-7-recovery-usb-without-dvd.html
Summary: This article posted by MiniTool official site provides you with five solutions to create
Windows system recovery USB. Each method is special and easy to complete. Just read through,
compare them all, and figure out which one suits you most. Also, you can restore your dead computer
with the recovery disk following the guide at the end part.
About Create Windows 7 Recovery USB Without DVD
As forcreatingWindows7 recoveryUSB withoutDVD,itmeansto putsystem-relatedfilesand
processes,notcomingfroman installationDVDorCD, intoa USB flashdrive tomake itan
installationdevice.Once youneedto restore orrecoveryourcomputer,youcan make use of itfor
systeminstallation.
Such recoveryUSB drive isa type of repairdisk.Otherrepairdisksare recoveryDVD,CD,external
hard disk,andso on. Theyall can alsobe usedto boot upworkingor crashedcomputers.
Why Need to Create Recovery USB Disk?
Unlike mostlargerdesktopsandlaptopsthatcome witha systemrecovery CD/DVDthatyoucan use
to repairyourcomputersystem, netbooksandothersmall devices usuallydonothave a DVD/CD
drive.So,evenif youhave the recoveryCDor DVD, youcan’t make use of it.

2. However,since small Windowsdeviceslike netbookssupportUSBdisks,youcan create a recovery
USB diskwiththe same functionas recoveryDVD/CDtodo the repairworkon not onlythose small
devices,butalsolarge laptops,notebooks,desktops, andservers.
https://www.minitool.com/news/windows-10-installation-disc-vs-recovery-disc-009.html
Then,howto make a recoveryUSB? How to buildarecoveryUSB withoutDVD/CD?
Solution 1. Create Windows 7 Recovery USB Without DVD with MiniTool
ShadowMaker
MiniTool ShadowMakerisaprofessional andpowerful file backupsoftware that enables youtonot
onlyback upimportantfilesbutalsocreate a recoveryUSD drive injusta few steps.
Before start,youneedto prepare a USB flashdrive withatleast 4 GB of free space.Itis betterto
have no otherfilesonthe USB. If the USB isfreshnew andhas not yetbeen formatted,youcanrely
on MiniTool PartitionWizardto formatitas the NTFSfile systeminthe firstplace.Also,aworking
Windows7 computerisneededtoconductthe task.
Note:The USB drivewill be formatted during theprocess.Therefore,pleasemoveimportantfilesto
anothersafeplace.
Step1. Connectthe USB diskto the Windows7 computer.
Step2. Downloadandinstall MiniTool ShadowMaker onthe computer.
SM-Trial
Step3. Launch the programand click KeepTrial if it prompts.
Step4. Move to the Tools tab and selectMediaBuilder.

3. Alt=selectMediaBuilderinMiniTool ShadowMaker
Step5. In the newwindow,click WinPE-basedmediawithMiniTool plug-intochoose it.

4. Alt=choose WinPE-basedmediawithMiniTool plug-in
You can clickthe Optionsbuttonto selectwhichdriverstobe integratedintothe WinPEbootdrive.
 Add Drivers: Manuallyadddriversonyour hard diskstothe recoverybootdisk.
 Detect Drivers:Automaticallycheckforandadd driversonyourcomputerto the recovery
drive.

5. Alt=adddriverstoWinPEboot disk
Step6. On the nextscreen,select USBFlashDisk to continue.
Step7. It will warnyouabout data damage to the targetUSB drive.PLEASEMAKE SURE THAT THERE
IS NOIMPORTANTDATA ON THE USB OR CRUCIALFILES ARE MOVED OUT ALREADY. Just confirmby
clickingYes.

6. Alt=datadamage warning
Tip: If you accidentally click Yes withoutmoving vitaldata outof the USBdrive,justplug outthe USB
immediately fromyourcomputerforthere is no cancel option foryou oncethe creation starts.Then,
you may try yourluck to recoverthe data with the help of MiniTool Data Recovery.
PDR-Trial
Step8. Wait until the processfinishes.Itwon’ttake long.Then,click Finishtoexit.

7. Alt=successfullycreatedWindows7recoveryUSBwithoutDVD
Now, youhave successfullycreatedyourWindowsrecoveryUSB.You can plugout the USB drive,
connectit to anothercomputer(maybe dead),andbootthe machine fromthe USB.Or, youcan just
rebootthe currentcomputer, enteritsBIOSto change the bootorderto put the USB drive at the
first,andtry to boot fromthe USB.
Solution 2. Make Use of Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
Windows7 USB/DVDDownloadTool isa programthat enablesyoutocreate a copyof the Windows
7 ISOfile andstore the copy ina USB diskto make ita recoverydevice.Thus,besidesaUSB with
enoughdiskspace,youalsoneedtoprepare a Win7 ISOthat you can downloadfromMicrosoft’s
official website.
Tip: If you download Win 7 ISOfile fromthe officialwebsite,you will be asked to provideyour
productkey.If you lost yourproductkey or don’thaveone,you can free download Windows7ISO
file here.Justpick up the rightone based on yourown situation,32 bit or 64 bit; Ultimate, Home
Premium,Professional,orStartup.
DownloadWindows7USB/DVD DownloadTool >>
Step1. Download,install,andlaunchthe Windows7USB/DVDDownloadTool onyour computer.
Tip: This tool requires .NETframework2.0 to install. You can download and installNETFramework
3.5, which includes NET framework2.0.
Step2. On the firstscreen, clickBrowse to selectsource Windows7ISOon your machine.

8. Alt=choose ISOfile
Step3. Choose the USB device button.
Alt=choose mediatype of Windows7backup
Step4. It will automaticallydetectandselectyourUSBdevice as a target location.If not,clickthe
Refreshicon.Finally,click Begincopying.

9. Alt=clickbegincopying
It will startcopyingthe Windows7 ISOfile tothe target USD drive.Take yourpatience andwaituntil
it completes.Youcando othernon-relatedbusinessesduringthe copyprocess.
Solution 3. Build Windows 7 Recovery USB Without DVD by MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool PartitionWizard isa powerful andreliablediskpartitionmanager.Itcanhelpyoumanage
your harddiskswithcomplete featureslikebasic
create/delete/extend/shrink/move/format/wipe/split/merge partitions,advancedconvertdisks
betweenbasicanddynamic,MBRand GPT, NTFS andFAT, as well as migrate OSfromone diskto
another.
Besides,itenablesyouto recoverdeletedorlostfiles.Moreover,itallowsyoutocreate a bootable
USB diskas a recoverydrive withitssnap-inMediaBuilderutilitythatisthe same as in MiniTool
ShadowMaker.
PW-Trial
The preparationworkand precautionsare alsothe same as mentionedabove.Justdownloadand
install MiniTool PartitionWizardonyourcomputer.Openitandclick the Bootable Media optionon
the upperrightto launchMiniTool MediaBuilder.

10. Alt=selectBootableMediainMiniTool PartitionWizard
Solution 4. Create Windows 7 System Repair Image in Control Panel
There isa built-infeature thatenablesyoutocreate Windows7 repairdiskUSB withoutDVDsor
CDs. Go to Start > Control Panel > Systemand Security> Backup and Restore and click Create a
systemimage inthe leftpanel.Inthe pop-upwindow,selectyourUSBdrive underthe On a hard
disk section andclick Next.Then,justfollow the guidance tofinishthe task.

11. Alt=create Windows7systemrepair image
Solution 5. Manually Copy Necessary Files into USB to Make It Bootable
Besidesthe above methods,youare alsoable tomake a bootable USBrecoverydrive withcopyand
paste actions. The USB drive space youneedhere canbe smallerthanthe above onesand itstill
needstobe at least165 MB. Anyhow,the largerthe better.
WithinyourblankUSB device,create afoldernamed Win7andtwo subfoldersnamed Sourcesand
Boot respectively.Then,copysome systembootandrecovery-relatedfilesfromyourcurrent
Windows7 to the Win7 folder.
Filesneedtobe copiedtothe root locationof the Win7 folder:
 C:WindowsBootPCATbootmgr
Filesneedtobe copiedtothe Sourcessubfolderof the Win7folder:
 C:Recoveryd1cd3dae-004a-11e7-9cac-f76e0d315310winre.wim
Tip: The 32-character series of numbersand letters is differentfordifferentusers.
Filesneedtobe copiedtothe bootsubfolderof the Win7folder:
 C:WindowsBootDVDPCATen-USbootfix.bin
 C:WindowsBootDVDPCATBCD

12.  C:WindowsBootDVDPCATboot.sdi
Tip: For the first file, if you are using otherlanguages,justchangethe en-USinto thelanguageyou
use.For example,if you are using French,the first file you should copy is
C:WindowsBootDVDPCATfr-FRbootfix.bin.
Finally,in the targetUSB disk,rename the BCD file tobcd andthe winre.wimtoboot.wim.
Tip:
 To open the Recovery folderand copy the wim files within it, you need to takeownership and
changepermissionsof thefolder.By default,you haveno rightto access it even if you are the
administrator.
 You may need to unhidethehidden files if you can’tfind any of the abovefiles. In Windows
Explorer,click Organizein the upperleft and select Folderand search options.In the popup,
choosethe Viewtab,select Showhiddenfiles,foldersand drives,and check Hide protected
operatingsystem files.
How to Use Windows 7 Recovery USB?
If your Win7 computercrash downdue to a virusattack, software error,orwrong operation,youcan
relyon the createdWin7 recoveryUSBflashdrive torestore yoursystem or reinstall Windows.Then,
getyour machine towork again.
Change Startup Settings in BIOS
No matterwhattask youwill use the recovery discfor,firstof all,youneedto alterthe startup
settingsandchange the boot orderinthe BIOS of your computer. Proceduresforaccessingthe BIOS
and changingsettingsdifferfromdifferentcomputers.So,checkthe info thatcame withyour
machine or goto the official websiteof yourcomputertofindthe processto accessyour BIOS.
Note:The BIOSis designed foradvanced users. Yourcomputermay notstartup if you makesome
mistakesthere.So, becareful when changing bootorderin BIOS settings.
Thoughfor differentcomputers,the waytoaccessand change bootsettings isunlike,theyare
generallysimilar.Belowisausual guide foryourreference.
Step1. Plugthe Windows7recoveryUSB intothe targetcomputerand poweronthe machine.
Step2. Pressa key(F2,F12, Delete,Esc,etc.) ora keycombination(suchasAlt+ F10) immediately
afteryou turnon your computerbutbefore Windowsstarts.
Step3. In most cases,a startupor bootmenuwill appear.Onthe menu,selectBIOSrelatedoption.
Step4. In the BIOS setupscreen, selectthe Boottab.

13. Alt=BIOSsetupsettings
Since the mouse isunavailableinBIOS,youcan onlyuse a keyboardtooperate.There are
instructionsonthe screen.
Step5. In the Boot tab, use the arrow keystoselect yourUSB or Removable Devices or something
similaranduse the “+” or “-” keyto move the optionupor downtochange the bootorder of the
computer.
Step6. Press F10 or otherkeysto save the changes.If will popup askingforyourconfirmation.Just
selectYestosave changesand exit.
Then,restartyour computerandit will bootfromthe Windows7 recoveryUSB.
Restore Windows with Recovery USB Disk
Whenyouboot up yourcomputerfromthe Win7USB recoverydrive,yourwill be prompttopressa
certainkeyto install Windows.Whenthe Windowsinstallationscreenappears,just clickthe
correspondingkeystoinstall the systemorrepairyourdevice.Then,follow the onscreen
instructionstofinishyourtask.

14. Alt=Windows7systemrecoveryoptions
Tip: If you create yourWindows7 USBrecovery disk with therecommended MiniToolShadowMaker,
afteryou bootfromthe USBand into the WinPE,the embedded MiniToolShadowMakerwillhelp you
to finish yoursystemrecovery taskwith an easy graphicguide.
Conclusion
Finally,nomatterwhichmethodyoutake tocreate Windows7 recoveryUSB without DVDor CD,
hope youcan do it successfullyandthe createdrecoverydiskisappliable.If youhave anyquestions
aboutthe contentsabove,feelfree toleave acommentbelow.Or,if youencountersome problem
while usingMiniTool ShadowMaker,youcancontactits supportteamat support@minitool.com.