Vista ISO - Download and Create Installation DVD or USB

How to Download a Vista ISO and Create an Installation DVD or USB
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   Information

Downloads are available for the 32 (X86) and 64 bit (X64) versions of Vista Ultimate only, in English, French and German, but if, during the install, you do not enter the product key when initially prompted for it then you will be asked to select the version of Vista you want to install. It can be any of these four:

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Windows Vista Home Basic​

Windows Vista Home Premium​

Windows Vista Business​

Windows Vista Ultimate​

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   Warning

You must have a valid installation key, which should be on the COA sticker on the computer, to activate the installation once it completes.

STEP ONE

To Download the Vista Setup Files

   Warning

The Vista downloads listed below seem to come and go. Right now, 10/12/2014 at 3:39PM EST they are available. I don't know of any other location they are legally available from, sorry.

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1. Downloaded the Vista X64 or X86 setup files.​

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X64 (64 bit):​

install.wim​

boot.wim​

X14-63453.exe​

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X86 (32 bit):​

install.wim​

boot.wim​

X14-63452.exe​

   Note

Both X14-63453.exe and X14-63452.exe will be downloaded as MicrosoftInstaller.exe. For consistency, please rename MicrosoftInstaller.exe to X14-63453.exe or X14-63452.exe, depending on which you downloaded.

   Warning

Wait for all downloads to complete before continuing

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2. Double click (or right click and Open) on the downloaded X14-63453.exe or X14-63452.exe. It extracts all the files into a Vista sub-folder.​

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3. If they are not already there, copy boot.wim and install.wim into the Vista\sources folder that is created when you doubled clicked on the .exe file in step 2.​

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4. Download the Windows Bootable Image Creator zip file, WBICreator.zip.​

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5. Extract the files in WBICreator.zip to a folder.​

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STEP TWO

To Create the Vista ISO File

   Warning

You can download the files on any computer but you must be running on a 64bit (X64) system to create a 64Bit install DVD or flash drive

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6. Open the folder and double click (or right click and Open) WBICreator.exe​

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7. Click Next​

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8. Select OS Type: Windows Vista (all the way to the bottom)​

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9. CD/DVD Label: VistaX64 or VistaX86​

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10. Setup Location: The Vista folder created when you double clicked on X14-63453.exe or X14-63452.exe.​

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11. Output Path: Somewhere with enough free space to hold the .iso file that will be created (X64 = 3,837,112KB, X86 = 3,013,816KB).​

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12. Click GO. When done a VistaX64.iso or VistaX86.iso file will be created in the Output Path you chose.​

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STEP THREE

To Create Vista Installation DVD or USB Flash Drive with ISO File

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13. You can use the generated .iso to create a Vista Install DVD.​

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13a. Download and install and run ImgBurn.​

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13b. Make sure you deselect anything other than ImgBurn during the install by always taking the Custom choice.​

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13c. Click on Write image file to disc​

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13d. Click the Browse for file button and selecta the ISO file you just created.​

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13e. Click Write. A nice little tune will play when the DVD create completes.​

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14. You can also create a bootable USB Flash drive (4GB or larger) to install Vista from.​

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14a. Download and run Universal USB Installer Easy as 1 2 3​

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14b. Select Vista from the first drop down list, all the way to the bottom​

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14c. Select the VistaX64.iso or VistaX86 .iso file​

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14d. Select your USB flash drive​

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14e. Click Create​

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   Information

I created a X86 flash drive and used it to install a clean copy of Vista Home Basic on my HP DV2200 Laptop. Worked great using the key on the COA sticker of the laptop.

Remember to activate after the install has completed.

Note: You may need to download drivers for the computer from the manufacturers web site so I would suggest getting the Network (LAN and Wireless) and video/VGA drivers ahead of time so you can install them as soon as you finish installing Vista.

Related Tutorials

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• How to Create a Bootable USB Flash Thumb Drive to Install Vista with

 

[Ztruker]

Follow the link in the other post about Ex_Brit. He will send you the link to download 32 or 64 bit. Not a torrent, used by hundreds already.

 

[silverfx]

I have a 32bit Vista .iso made by SIW2 that has both service packs and all Windows updates up to 11-10-13
I will give the link to interested parties who contact me and not post it publicly

Hi

I downloaded the iso thanks, just wondering if there is an MD5 or SHA hash to verify it with?

Many thanks!

 

[Ztruker]

This is what I have for them:

Vista Ultimate with SP2 X64 en_windows_vista_sp2_x64_dvd_342267.iso

MD5 A1C024D7ABAF34BAC3368E88EFBC2574
SHA-1 AAEE3C04533899F9F8C4AE0C4250EF5FAFBE29A3
SHA-256 EDF9F947C5791469FD7D2D40A5DCCE663EFA754F91847AA1D28ED7F585675B78

Vista Ultimate with SP2 X86 en_windows_vista_with_sp2_x86_dvd_342266.iso

MD5 19CA90A425667812977BAB6F4CE24175
SHA-1 25AD9A776503E6A583BEC07879DBCC5DFD20CD6E
SHA-256 9C36FED4255BD05A8506B2DA88F9AAD73643395E155E609398AACD2B5276289C

 

[matt4x4]

Hello, I had a HP a6700f desktop with an OEM version of Vista, and the motherboard failed. So I ordered a different motherboard (ASRock), new memory, a new case, and a better CPU. I retained the original HDD with the OEM copy of Vista. With everything installed, I tried booting up on the new motherboard, but it would blue-screen. I then changed the HDD from default ACHI to IDE mode, and it booted up. All I had to do was re-enter the product key, and it activated perfectly. Now, my problem is that I can't access HP's recovery options to restore the PC to the original condition. If I create a Vista image using the method above, can I use the Vista x64 OEM product key from my HP a6700f, or am I better off purchasing a new copy of Windows?

I thought O/S were stuck to the motherboard, this is news to me what you did.
Did you replace the old broken motherboard with an exact make and model or is it upgraded?
I hear so many different stories online, I just read somewhere you are allowed 2 installs. Then your story. You didnt phone them up did you?

I am going to wait a few more years, until DDR4 ram gets cheaper, along with their corresponding mobo's and cpu's. I just installed Vista ISO and Office 2007 into same system, but upgraded graphics, and installed a 120GB SSD for $50.

 

[VinceVickery]

I have a 32bit Vista .iso made by SIW2 that has both service packs and all Windows updates up to 11-10-13
I will give the link to interested parties who contact me and not post it publicly

I could really use the Vista iso if you are still giving it out, Idk how to receive it or if I'm even messaging you correctly, I swear I won't give out the DL link or anything. I have a decent laptop running XP but everything is outdated and unsupported, I'm trying to create a bootable USB to install Vista to it. If you are able to send it to my email it is [email protected]
Thank you

 

[Ztruker]

Read here and follow the link: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/3...allation-dvd-usb-post1400720.html#post1400720

 

[netbids]

I have a 32bit Vista .iso made by SIW2 that has both service packs and all Windows updates up to 11-10-13
I will give the link to interested parties who contact me and not post it publicly

How do I contact you to obtain the link to your Vista .iso file? I don't see any options to send you a message. Hopefully, you'll see my reply to your post and will send me a message.

 

[Ztruker]

Send ilikefree a PM (Personal Message).

 

[netbids]

Send ilikefree a PM (Personal Message).

Thx for the suggestion, Ztruker. I was in the process of doing that before I joined this forum but wasn't able to because I wasn't a member here. So, after I joined, I went back to ilikefree's original post about the Vista .iso files and tried again to send a PM but couldn't because the option to do so didn't display on the menu that came up when I clicked on his (I assume) name. That's why I posted a reply to his original post. Then I saw the other posts at the end of this thread that took me back to his post about removing and replacing the links on his website because of problems that others have had downloading and/or installing the .iso file. So, now that I know where the links are, I need to know which one I should download: the retail version, the SP1 version, or the SP2 version. My situation is as follows:

My mother inherited an eMachines computer with Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 from my brother when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in July 2009. She is now 80 years old and knows how to do email and Facebook but not much more. She lives in Pennsylvania, and I live in New Mexico. Last summer, I found out about TeamViewer and walked her through the installation process so that I could access and maintain her computer remotely. (Btw, I have a Dell with Windows 7 Pro 64bit.) Since then, I've discovered that the OS stopped doing updates several years ago because of a corruption or virus. I also came to the realization a few months ago that it was time to buy her another computer because of the age and limited capabilities of the eMachines computer. So, last month I bought her a refurbished Dell 7010 with Windows 7 Pro 64bit, which my other brother and his son set up for her and then transferred most of the data to from the old eMachines computer. But because the hard disk on the Dell only has two partitions (one large partition for the OS/data and a very small partition for the system recovery software), I want to create a third partition for data so that the OS and programs will have their own partition. Before I can do this, however, I need to make a restorable backup of her OS partition. The only place available for this backup is the eMachines hard drive because she doesn't have an external removable hard drive. But I wasn't able to do this because of some weird corruption in the Vista OS that prevented me from sharing any folders on the eMachines hard disk with other computers on the network. This issue alone probably requires a clean OS install, which I was planning to do after I created a second partition on the hard disk that would be large enough to hold the Windows 7 64 bit backup. Unfortunately, when I attempted to create the second partition using MiniTool Partition Wizard, the operation never finished because the computer got stuck in a reboot loop. It won't even boot into Safe Mode. Then I found out that there is no Vista OS installation disk in the room where the eMachines computer is located (my mother looked everywhere). So, I now need to create such a disk for her to reinstall Vista, but I'm not sure which file to download.

 

[Ztruker]

You want the SP2 version. That will save a lot of time. They are all Retail versions. The SP1 and PS2 versions are the retail with that Service Pack installed, so the one with SP2 is the way to go.

Just remember, once Vista is reinstalled you will need to do Windows Updates to get any updates since 11-19-13.

 

[netbids]

You want the SP2 version. That will save a lot of time. They are all Retail versions. The SP1 and PS2 versions are the retail with that Service Pack installed, so the one with SP2 is the way to go.

Just remember, once Vista is reinstalled you will need to do Windows Updates to get any updates since 11-19-13.

Thanks! Now I just need to go buy some DVDs because I don't have any blanks.

 

[netbids]

You want the SP2 version. That will save a lot of time. They are all Retail versions. The SP1 and PS2 versions are the retail with that Service Pack installed, so the one with SP2 is the way to go.

Just remember, once Vista is reinstalled you will need to do Windows Updates to get any updates since 11-19-13.

Well, Ztruker, I downloaded the SP2 file but discovered afterwards that it is only the SP2 executable because it's slightly less than 500 MB. So, I went back to ilikefree's links page and saw that the "Retail Version" file is the Vista 32-bit installation file without any service packs, and the "SP1" file is the executable for installing SP1 only. This means that I need all three files if I want to install the OS plus both service packs. I guess ilikefree decided to separate the service packs from the OS because of problems others were having with the download and/or installation.

 

[netbids]

You want the SP2 version. That will save a lot of time. They are all Retail versions. The SP1 and PS2 versions are the retail with that Service Pack installed, so the one with SP2 is the way to go.

Just remember, once Vista is reinstalled you will need to do Windows Updates to get any updates since 11-19-13.

Okay, I extracted the files from the Vista installation download and ended up with two files, which I don't know what to do with next. One of them is named "LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.MDS" and is 5 KB, and the other file is named "LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.ISO" and is 2.6 GB. The instructions at the beginning of this thread doesn't mention these filenames, so I'm stuck and need some direction.

 

[SIW2]

You can ask for one Vista ISO download

 

[netbids]

You can ask for one Vista ISO download

I don't think that's going to make any difference. I did some research and found the following explanation of .mds and .dvd files on another forum:

"They're normally created when reading a double layer disc (but a bug in the code means they're created all the time). They contain info about the layer break position.

If you have no intention of burning the image to another disc and have a single large ISO file (so file splitting isn't being used), you don't need them and they can be deleted.

ImgBurn understands MDS (v1) and DVD (they're just plain text) files, but you have the option of which (if any) it creates alongside the ISO depending on which other tools you use. The MDS is meant for mounting the image in DAEMON Tools. The DVD is meant for mounting the image in Virtual CloneDrive."

So, it appears from this that I don't need the .mds file. Is this correct? I've downloaded Windows 10 .iso files from Microsoft's website, and they didn't included either .mds or .dvd files, just the .iso file.

 

[Ztruker]

One of them is named "LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.MDS" and is 5 KB, and the other file is named "LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.ISO" and is 2.6 GB.

The MD5 (not MDS) is the check-sum value of the ISO. If you run a program against the ISO that generates check-sum values, including MD5 then you can compare the results. If the same then you know the ISO file is identical to the one on the web site, no corruption.

All you need to do is burn the ISO to a DVD using a program like Imgburn, or better yet, create a flash drive to install from. I use a program called Rufus to create bootable flash drives, but all you really need to do is format the flash drive as FAT32 then copy the contents of the ISO to the flash drive.

 

[netbids]

The MD5 (not MDS) is the check-sum value of the ISO. If you run a program against the ISO that generates check-sum values, including MD5 then you can compare the results. If the same then you know the ISO file is identical to the one on the web site, no corruption.

All you need to do is burn the ISO to a DVD using a program like Imgburn, or better yet, create a flash drive to install from. I use a program called Rufus to create bootable flash drives, but all you really need to do is format the flash drive as FAT32 then copy the contents of the ISO to the flash drive.

The filename extension of the second file in the Zip file that I downloaded from ilikefree's website is indeed "MDS," not "MD5." I copied and pasted the filenames into my comment before I posted it. Nevertheless, it seems like I don't really need this file to burn a DVD with the .iso file. I don't have a flash drive. Plus, I have to send this Vista OS installation file to my mother in Pa for her to reinstall Vista on her eMachines PC (with my help over the phone, of course). So, a DVD is what I'll be using. It would be nice if I could test the installation file before I send it to my mother, but I don't have another PC with an available hard disk on which to do that.

 

[netbids]

The MD5 (not MDS) is the check-sum value of the ISO. If you run a program against the ISO that generates check-sum values, including MD5 then you can compare the results. If the same then you know the ISO file is identical to the one on the web site, no corruption.

All you need to do is burn the ISO to a DVD using a program like Imgburn, or better yet, create a flash drive to install from. I use a program called Rufus to create bootable flash drives, but all you really need to do is format the flash drive as FAT32 then copy the contents of the ISO to the flash drive.

So, where do I obtain the Imgburn program without any viruses, etc? Earlier in this thread, someone said that it only burns CDs, not DVDs. Is this true? And is there a way to read the .mds file I downloaded to know for sure if it is an .mds or an .md5 file? If it's an .md5 file, perhaps I should do a checksum operation on the .iso file to make sure that it's free of errors. How do I do that?

 

[netbids]

So, where do I obtain the Imgburn program without any viruses, etc? Earlier in this thread, someone said that it only burns CDs, not DVDs. Is this true? And is there a way to read the .mds file I downloaded to know for sure if it is an .mds or an .md5 file? If it's an .md5 file, perhaps I should do a checksum operation on the .iso file to make sure that it's free of errors. How do I do that?

Never mind. I found the Imgburn download in the instructions at the beginning of this thread. I should have looked there first. The checksum operation process is probably explained elsewhere in this thread as well, so I'll look for that as well. I think I'll be able to proceed from here without any more issues, so I want to say "Thanks!" to those who have responded to my questions and helped me get through this.

 

[Ztruker]

You can test the Vista DVD once you burn it. Download and install Oracle VirtualBox of VMware then use the Vista DVD to setup a VM (Virtual Machine) using the Vista DVD.