No CD/DVD Can a USB system recovery disc be made

I have now got Windows 7 on my laptop. I have window7 7 professional and want to make a complete image as I have all my applications set as I like them. My laptop does not have a CD/DVD drive. I sent the system image and backups to an external USB drive. When I went to make the "system recovery disc" it would not make one because I do not have a cd/dvd drive. is it possible to make "system recovery usb stick"?. If so how?

Originally Posted by rigel

I have now got Windows 7 on my laptop. I have window7 7 professional and want to make a complete image as I have all my applications set as I like them. My laptop does not have a CD/DVD drive. I sent the system image and backups to an external USB drive. When I went to make the \"system recovery disc\" it would not make one because I do not have a cd/dvd drive. is it possible to make \"system recovery usb stick\"?. If so how?

Providing you have access to a Win7 Professional ISO, you can use the tool at
Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool released again
to create a bootable Win7 flash drive. That will accomplish your desires.

Thanks, I may be a little confused here, but as I read the USB/DVD download tool link it seems to be set up for a new initial installation. I can do that, but I would then have to load all the programs again. What I was looking for was to be able to boot up to directly on the USB and then reload onto laptop's C: drive a complete image that was previously loaded on an external drive that contains all my programs as well. I can do this now on my desktop computer from the "system recovery disc" CD made on that computer. and the desktop's full image backup on the desktop's external drive. But I appear not to be able to do that on my laptop because it does not contain a CD/DVD drive. I could purchase an an external CD/DVD, but it seems like there should be another option here.

I have also checked the windows 7 professional files I purchased. I have a Microsoft update disc and the update already on a bootable USB stick, In either case there appears to be no ISO file. Where is this normally obtained from?

Originally Posted by rigel

Thanks, I may be a little confused here, but as I read the USB/DVD download tool link it seems to be set up for a new initial installation. I can do that, but I would then have to load all the programs again. What I was looking for was to be able to boot up to directly on the USB and then reload onto laptop's C: drive a complete image that was previously loaded on an external drive that contains all my programs as well. I can do this now on my desktop computer from the "system recovery disc" CD made on that computer. and the desktop's full image backup on the desktop's external drive. But I appear not to be able to do that on my laptop because it does not contain a CD/DVD drive. I could purchase an an external CD/DVD, but it seems like there should be another option here.

I have also checked the windows 7 professional files I purchased. I have a Microsoft update disc and the update already on a bootable USB stick, In either case there appears to be no ISO file. Where is this normally obtained from?

Boot to the bootable USB that you create and select Repair at boot. You will then have access to your image on your external drive.

I tried it out, it works!! Thank you, busydog, for your assistance, I would not have tried it out without your help. Now I have the confidence that I can always quickly reload a good image on my laptop.