Windows 7 Install Reaches Boot Screen, Then Dies

[jfk52917]

Which version of Windows 7 did you use to create portable Windows? Home, Pro, Ultimate or Enterprise? We recommend using Windows 10/8.1/8 to create Windows To Go, Windows 7 is not recommended. Because Windows 7 To Go is not completely portable, you may have driver problems when booting on different computers. In particular, Windows 7 Home/Pro doesn't support VHD native boot, so you cannot create a VHD(X)-based Windows To Go. From our tests and user feedback, the legacy mode based Windows To Go may not work properly when using USB flash drives to create portable Windows, and the VHD mode has best compatibility, so we recommend that you use Windows 10/8.1/8 or Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise to create a VHD(X)-based Windows To Go on a USB flash drive.

I was actually using Windows 7 Ultimate, which it appears should work. That being said, I may try using Windows 8 instead, though I think I'd prefer to use 7, if possible.

Is the USB drive an external hard disk or a USB flash drive? Some computers produced in recent years may not be compatible with Windows 7. Are you sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7?

The drive is USB flash, unfortunately. I would imagine that my computer is compatible - it's a fairly moderate-spec laptop from 2015 with Windows 10 as its native OS, but dual-booting that and Manjaro Linux.

Please note that Windows 7 does not have built-in USB 3.0 support, you can only start Windows 7 To Go from the USB 2.0 port, please check it.

Yeah, I had noticed that, too. The first time I tried, I did use the USB 3.0 port on my computer, but when that failed, I used a 2.0 instead, but that also failed in the same way. Unfortunately, I reformatted the drive and used 8.1, but that also didn't work (at least installing it under the GPT settings) - after rebooting and selecting the USB as a start device, the computer spent about an hour setting up the drive, but never actually booting to Windows. Are there any requirements for the drive used when creating a Windows To Go installation?