Booting from a different partition.

I have a question.

I run Windows7 on C:\ drive and it is the only operating system.
I want to install Windows8 developer installation (iso image), and I have it saved in a new partition I created, which has only this.G:\
I want to boot from this partition G:\ so that I can install Windows 8, but in my boot options I get only Internal Hard Disk, CD ROM, and USB Drive. I don't have a USB drive.
How can I boot from G:\ with that iso image ?

Legolas

Posted 2011-11-22T19:40:52.017

Reputation: 51

Answers

By far the easiest thing to do would be to simply burn the iso to a DVD and boot from that.

Download this software

Then follow these instructions to burn the ISO file to DVD

The only other option is to use this software to copy the ISO to a USB flashdrive and then boot from the flashdrive to install W8.

Jonathan

Posted 2011-11-22T19:40:52.017

Reputation: 291

I don't have a dvd or a usb :( That is why I am looking at options ... – Legolas – 2011-11-22T20:09:45.563

You need a USB dvd drive or large USB stick if you wish to install it, no other options. – Moab – 2011-11-23T00:24:18.773

It is possible, but you have to install a boot manager, since the BIOS will not allow you to select a partition.

One boot manager that can do this is grub4dos (setup files, guide, how to boot disk image).

You do not even need a separate partition for this. You can store the .iso whereever you want.

Dennis

Posted 2011-11-22T19:40:52.017

Reputation: 42 934

2A boot manager comes with Windows 7 out of the box. – JdeBP – 2011-11-22T21:57:45.807

@JdeBP: I know. But can you boot an .iso with it? – Dennis – 2011-11-23T02:03:35.793

The question, confusingly, actually talked about bootstrapping from the new partition, not from the image file. For that purpose, Microsoft's Boot Manager is just fine. But if one wants to bootstrap via the VBR in a volume image file, then I suspect that one needs something more, yes. Not that that will do one much good unless the bootstrapped operating system, in this case Windows PE, can itself be run with an image file as its boot volume. The WinPE image as supplied expects the boot volume to be a proper disk volume, as burned onto a disc from the image per Microsoft's instructions. – JdeBP – 2011-11-23T12:43:42.767