The easiest way to create a bootable USB flash drive for MDT

By Idea 11 Consulting | February 21, 2011

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is an excellent – and free – tool for automated desktop and server builds. We use it all the time.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, installing a PXE server or using a boot CD ISO isn’t desirable. Using a boot USB flash drive is the best bet in these situations. The problem: the guide to create a bootable USB drive in the MDT documentation doesn’t work. There is plenty of confusing information out there on the web for painful, slow ways to create a boot USB. And most of those don’t work either.

So what’s the easiest way?

  1. Download and install the Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. Aside: This is probably the most poorly named software, ever. It creates bootable flash drives and DVDs.
  2. Use the Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD to write your LiteTouch ISO to a USB flash drive.
  3. That’s it! Your USB is now bootable.

This is the easiest, most pain-free way we’ve found for what is usually a cumbersome task.

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