Easy Way to create a bootable Windows 7 DVD

10/28 Update: Seems Microsoft finally made the iso files available for easier creation of a boot DVD - here are the links:

x64 Pro
x32 Pro
x64 Home Premium
x32 Home Premium

So if you are like me and took advantage of the sweet deal on the Student $29 Windows 7 Pre-Order or you downloaded a copy from one of the digital stores selling Windows 7 you might notice that the download is not in a format that you can easily burn a bootable DVD (sorry won't fit on a CD).

The official way to get a DVD from your download copy involves grabbing a 1.7 GB download of the Windows Automation Installation Kit (WAIK for Windows 7), and you are welcome to waste your bandwidth getting this download, but in the end you need just one file - one 128k file called oscdimg.exe.

Let's get a bootable DVD the easy way shall we?

Prerequisites:

1) Your Windows 7 download install files

2) OSCDIMG.EXE

3) ISO burning software - assuming you already make CD/DVDs then this should already be on your system.

Prep Work:
1) After you download Windows 7 (I sent mine to my C:\Win7) you end up with 3 files:

setup1.box
setup2.box
Win7-P-Retail-en-us-x64.exe

Note: this is for Pro x64 - your exe may have different name depending on the version you downloaded

Running the exe file will get you an ExpandedSetup folder in the same location as these files (as well as starting the setup, just close the setup window for now).

2) unzip OSCDIMG.exe file to C:\Win7
*if you went the WAIK route, oscdimg should be in your path after install*

Make the ISO:
1) Open an Elevated Command Prompt (right click the Command Prompt icon (Start - All Programs - Accessories) - Left Click Run As Administrator)

2) CD to c:\Win7

C:\Windows\system32>CD C:\Win7

3) Create the ISO

C:\win7>oscdimg.exe -u2 -bc:\win7\expandedSetup\boot\etfsboot.com -h c:\win7\exp
andedSetup c:\win7\7.iso

you will see something like this:

OSCDIMG 2.54 CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Premastering Utility
Copyright (C) Microsoft, 1993-2007. All rights reserved.
Licensed only for producing Microsoft authorized content.


Scanning source tree (500 files in 46 directories)
Scanning source tree complete (874 files in 200 directories)

Computing directory information complete

Image file is 3242131456 bytes

Writing 874 files in 200 directories to c:\win7\7.iso

100% complete

Final image file is 3244328960 bytes

Done.

4) burn the iso with your favorite ISO burning software (slower speed the better). You should now have a fully bootable Windows 7 Install CD.