I can't install with no cd ??

[PcTek9]

Of course many of us are familiar with the free software for microsoft xp, vista, and 7 that let us mount an iso, then run setup off the mounted 'fake' virtual cd to install software. It's been around for well over a decade, it's free, and it's tiny, and it is made by microsoft as a utility you download from there website. Very easy to stick it on a usb key with iso's of software that we normally kept on cd to just mount and run. Sure you could just move all the software off the cd to a usb stick in the first place, but that doesn't always work.
Many people still don't know that windows 8 through 10 have a mount command built in the file system explorer where you can mount any iso and run setup.exe just like you had a real dvd or cd drive. But it's there... can you find it?

 

[Porthos]

I just extract the ISO to the disk using 7zip.

 

[mraikes]

Is this a trick question? Don't you just right-click the iso and choose mount?

 

[Porthos]

Is this a trick question? Don't you just right-click the iso and choose mount?

Many people still don't know that windows 8 through 10 have a mount command built in the file system explorer where you can mount any iso and run setup.exe just like you had a real dvd or cd drive.

 

[PcTek9]

That's right! And mount which is actually a very old linux command that we have used in linux for decades to mount drives! Now that I think about it, we tend to use many of the same letter combinations for multiple things in computers - at least in this case it means the same thing.

 

[PNW-ITGUY]

I just extract the ISO to the disk using 7zip.

I second that! 7zip is an amazing tool. I install it on almost any PC i touch! lol

 

[Sky-Knight]

7zip can extract ISO images, but beware... should you choose the burn the extracted result the boot sector is lost.

And that built in right click mount? It works for VHD and VHDX images too, so if you've got something on Hyper-V you want to read the files in, right click and done!

 

[Porthos]

7zip can extract ISO images, but beware... should you choose the burn the extracted result the boot sector is lost.

True, I use the extracted files of a Win 10 ISO to run setup on a Win 7/8 computer to upgrade to 10.
It is was/is good to note that the boot sector is lost if one was looking to make a bootable USB to install when one does not have a CD/dvd Rom.
There are other ways to make bootable USB drives.

 

[Sky-Knight]

True, I use the extracted files of a Win 10 ISO to run setup on a Win 7/8 computer to upgrade to 10.
It is was/is good to note that the boot sector is lost if one was looking to make a bootable USB to install when one does not have a CD/dvd Rom.
There are other ways to make bootable USB drives.

Yeah, I use https://rufus.ie/en_IE.html for that... I have a huge library of ISOs images and if I need to make an install disk I just "burn" it to the USB via Rufus and move on. Works great, upgrades for Win10 run off USB 3.0 keys made that way. I burn up a key every 4-5 months or so.

 

[GTP]

Rufus, Etcher, Yumi, WinToFlash, and many others are available.
My personal favourite is WinISO. Not cheap at AU$80, (though I just saw they have it for US$20!) but has many options to play with.

 

[Your PCMD]

I have a huge library of ISOs images and if I need to make an install disk I just "burn" it to the USB via Rufus and move on.

My personal favourite is WinISO.

My favorite is the iODD and a $20 128Gb SSD. Load every ISO file on it and call it a day. But you should already know that @Barcelona, my Aussie brother across the water.

 

[GTP]

My favorite is the iODD and a $20 128Gb SSD. Load every ISO file on it and call it a day. But you should already know that @Barcelona, my Aussie brother across the water.

I do already know that my "Long Tall Texan" friend lol.

My IODD has about 30 ,iso's and it's simple to add more with just a cut and paste!
But sometimes I need a secondary for times when the IODD is plugged into a system and I need to boot another system from a USB key.

I also like to have a backup just in case...