Microsoft to Offer Windows 7 on USB Flash Drives | TechMirage

Microsoft Plans to Offer Windows 7 on USB Flash Drives

29 June 2009 20,201 views 11 Comments

Netbooks are gaining popularity by the day for it’s compact size and portability along with the wallet friendly price tag. But even then, there are a few aspects of the netbooks which bothers the current users. The missing optical drive being one. Now, with the launch of Windows 7 coming this September, people are wondering how to get the new OS onto their computers, with no Optical drive on it?

Microsoft seems to have come up with a solution for this. Looking at the heavy increase in the netbook sales, Microsoft has admitted to CNET, that they will offer the brand new OS on USB Flash drives. The USB, being an open Read-Write module, needs appropriate protection from malicious uses. Microsoft is currently working on this as well, but not yet confirmed other than the normal CD Key. Along with ready-to-use USB drives, Microsoft will also feature Windows 7 on their Download centers as a Digital Download, which the Users can download and create bootable USB drives from the file. The software giant has not yet confirmed it’s plans regarding this, but has surely taken note of the growing concern of netbooks.

If this plan successfuly comes through, Windows 7 will be the first in history to be a major OS to be released on a digital platform as well. A USB drive release will be something of a landmark for the company, giving it an edge over the other OSs. It’s quite obvious that the size and cost of the USB drives that Microsoft will use would be quite higher, since the OS itself needs around 10 GB of free space and flash drives of considerably that big a size are expensive than it’s predecessor media, the DVD. Lets wait and hope for a new era of OSs as Windows 7 makes it’s grand appearance soon.

For TechMirage,
Pranav Shirodkar

11 Comments »

Microsoft to Offer Windows 7 on USB Flash Drives | TechMirage … | All about windows 7 said:

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# 29 June 2009

GFYM said:

Any official links to M$ confirming this ?

# 18 July 2009

JP said:

First major OS?
Ubuntu released this like 2 years ago…
I guess superior OS’s aren’t “major” based on the flimsy “market share” data.

# 9 August 2009

Roger said:

If Ubuntu linux isn’t considered a major OS, then I can’t think about any other one than Mac OSX. If that’s the case, you should’ve just said “Windows did it before mac.”

# 10 August 2009

saitokthx said:

Window’s 7 = new mainstream os

# 10 August 2009

Henry said:

“Windows 7 will be the first in history to be a major OS to be released on a digital platform as well.”…

Does Ubuntu not count as a major OS? I would consider hundreds of thousands of users to be “major”, though I don’t know about you.

# 11 August 2009

Adude said:

I normally dislike *nix users, but my first reaction was “Ubuntu did it before that, I guess that’s why they used ‘major OSes’ crap.. for once I agree with the *nix crowd..

# 11 August 2009

Sonsum said:

Actually, the flash drives would not have to be much bigger than the 4 gigs nowadays. Because you are not installing Windows 7 onto the flash drive, you are just putting the installation files onto the flash drive, which will extract themselves onto the actual computer. The DVD installation disk image is about 3.93 gigs. And running the OS off of the flash drive is never a good idea.

I feel sorry for those netbooks with the 8 gig SSD. No Windows 7 for you! lol.

# 12 August 2009

Ezcall24x7 said:

Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade from XP Without Buying the Full Version…

Caveat: before you follow any advice in this article make sure you first run Windows Upgrade Advisor to determine if your PC can run Windows 7 and always backup your data whenever installing or upgrading to anything.
Microsoft says you can upgrade to…

# 23 October 2009