How To Make A Partition Bootable?
Definition
Bootable Partition is an important element of a computer and there is always a need to create one anytime. Once you have created it, you can use it as per your requirement to do various tasks like installation of OS – Windows, Linux – other software etc.
There are many reasons why we need to make a partition bootable
1. You want to Install Operating System (OS) such as Microsoft Windows or any Linux Distro like Ubuntu etc on different partitions one by one without removing the previous installed OS from other partitions. Bootable Partition comes very handy in this case because installing any OS will occupy considerable space on the hard disk and also might overwrite the existing data which you should definitely avoid and for this purpose we should definitely make another partition as bootable so that we can install another OS on it.
2. Sometimes, while installing the Operating System (OS) like Windows or Linux if there is no other option than to overwrite the existing partition because of less space and you need to keep both the Operating Systems (OS) because you may need them at different times in office hours for example you will definitely use Windows in office hours but after coming back from office you might feel like using some good music player with your system which can be only done with Ubuntu or any other distro of Linux so Bootable Partition comes very handy here also.
This is the process of making a partition bootable for various reasons like installing OS, Software updates etc.
Things You’ll Need
1. A pen drive or USB Drive with Minimum 1 GB free space
2. Administrative rights on your computer
3. Original Windows Disk
4. Original Drivers disk (for drivers installation)
5. One Blank CD/DVD with 700 MB Free Space (to burn ISO file to create bootable DVD). OR USB Flash drive of 8GB size minimum . We recommend you use an External Hard Drive since it’s the most convenient way to store lots of data outside your system without having to bother about storing it separately on each and every machine or laptop you work on.
The process is fairly simple. Follow the steps mentioned below to create a Bootable Partition or bootable USB drive.
1. First of all insert your pen drive in your computer and backup all data from it to an external hard disk if it’s important for you
2. Now copy the entire contents of your Windows 7/8/10 ISO file to the pen drive or USB Drive by opening up another computer which has an internet connection
3. Open Command Prompt on Administrator Mode (Right Click with Shift key > click on “Open command window here” option)
4. If using Pen Drive, Type following commands one by one in cmd prompt without quotes but press enter after each line with required information “e:\” is the drive letter of my pen drive “D:\” is the drive letter of where I have copied all contents from Windows 7/8/10 ISO file.
e:
cd D:\Users\I1\Desktop\win7.bat
5. If using USB Drive or External Hard Disk, Unzip the ISO file on your desktop and use following commands to make partition bootable in cmd prompt without quotes but press enter after each line with required information “y:” means “yes”. Any other letter means NO so be careful while typing yes and no here. e: Is the USB Drive’s letter and F: Is the external hard disk’s letter
e:
fdisk /MBR F:
7. After the process is finished, you will have to burn this ISO file or all files which are created by this command on your blank CD/DVD with 700MB Free Space using any software like Nero etc.
8. Now put this CD in your PC and restart it. Make sure that there is no other Operating System installed on this computer before starting it up again after inserting the Bootable DVD. You will have to select the first option i.e “Boot from CD/DVD” to boot up your PC from the Bootable DVD..
9. Now click on the “Install Now” button to start installation of the Operating System (in our case Windows 10) choosing the Custom Install option . It won’t overwrite the existing Operating System installation on your computer. After the installation is finished you will have to restart your PC again.
10. This time while Configuration Wizard appears click on “Install by creating virtual hard disk” option and select the drive where you want to install Windows 10 which is unallocated space in our case since we were already using this drive for installation of Windows 10 initially, so highlight that particular unallocated space and press SHIFT+R (Diskpart) buttons on keyboard simultaneously which will open up Disk Partition window.
11. Type following commands one by one replacing ‘n’ with desired number for new partition that’s why I’m entering ‘4’ here for my fourth partition command but it should be same as the one you made in step 9. Make sure that this partition should be higher than the Windows Boot Partition which is 100MB. Command ‘n’ means New and enter command ‘p’ for Primary .
e:
select disk 0
list volume
select volume n (where n= number of new desired partition)
format fs=ntfs quick label=”Windows 10″
assign letter=”p” (where p= drive letter assigned to your newly created unallocated space, you can change it according to your liking like I’m using “z”)
12. After the process is finished click on the Windows finish button and restart the PC . You should then see the Windows Boot Manager screen with all 4 partitions highlighted.
13. You can then install your desired Windows 10 build with default settings by clicking on the “Install Windows” button and wait until it finishes downloading all necessary updates automatically after which Start Menu tiles will appear on your desktop of the newly installed Operating System.
14. Now click on Settings Icon > Update & Security > continue to wait until updating is completed .
15. Click on Network Icon in system tray > Click on Ethernet cable if plugged> Disable Ethernet if already enabled> Click on Wireless Networks Tab > click on desired network you want to connect to by right clicking below that particular network name> Connect Automatically option should be selected by default so just click ok, no need of entering password or any other details here . If you face any issues during this process, don’t panic as there is also an option to install Ethernet Drivers manually by downloading them from the PC manufacturer’s website or just type device manager in the search bar and open it up .
16. After finishing the updating system now you will have to Install all those drivers which were missing and if you received any error message while installing those drivers don’t worry I’ve got you covered here with a download link of the driver pack for your computer. These driver packs are collected from different computers so that they can be installed smoothly on various systems without any issue.
Conclusion
All of this seems like a lengthy process but if you follow this guide correctly without skipping any steps, it will take no more than 30 minutes for making the partition bootable and installing the OS on your PC. After the installation of all drivers is finished, your PC should show a fully functional Windows 10 system with working sound driver, Wi-Fi connectivity and all necessary apps.
You can then proceed to use your computer for doing whatever tasks you want without any issue.
