Hi

How do I create a bootable harddisk in Windows 8?

There is no such as Format C:/s/u command.

Even fdisk is no longer available.

I have to use alternative command like diskpart.

fdisk is deprecated and superseeded for a long time.

Diskpart is now the main command, not alternative one.

However, your Windows 8 boot media allows you to wipe, create and format partitions using graphic UI.

You can also create boot environment using commands, such as bootsect and bcdboot. You can also edit boot preferences using bcdedit  

The Format command is still around, but the /s option is no longer supported to add system files.

BCDBoot C:\Windows  will copy a set of boot files from your Windows partition to the system partition. For more info, see:

* BCDboot Command-Line Options
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824874.aspx

* How to Capture and Apply Windows Images
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825041.aspx

First of all you need that Windows 7/Vista/8 (or XP) is installed on disk.

If you have no Windows system on disk there is no meaning in making it bootable (at least you need WinRE installed on disk)

For Vista/7/8 you need only 2 commands to make a disk bootable (using recovery/install DVD/USB).

Open command prompt:

1. bootsect /nt60 /all /mbr

2. bcdboot c:\windows

assuming Windows 7/Vista is installed in c:\windows.

There is also another requirement - one primary partition on disk must be marked as active. 

diskpart.exe can be used to check if there is an active partition on disk and also to mark a partition as active.

If you are booted to Windows 8 the commands above can be found in \windows\system32.

You need to open command prompt with admin privileges to successfully execute commands.

• Edited by BoYans Wednesday, October 24, 2012 11:09 PM
• Marked as answer by Juke ChouMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Sunday, November 11, 2012 6:08 AM

First of all you need that Windows 7/Vista/8 (or XP) is installed on disk.

If you have no Windows system on disk there is no meaning in making it bootable (at least you need WinRE installed on disk)

For Vista/7/8 you need only 2 commands to make a disk bootable (using recovery/install DVD/USB).

Open command prompt:

1. bootsect /nt60 /all /mbr

2. bcdboot c:\windows

assuming Windows 7/Vista is installed in c:\windows.

There is also another requirement - one primary partition on disk must be marked as active. 

diskpart.exe can be used to check if there is an active partition on disk and also to mark a partition as active.

If you are booted to Windows 8 the commands above can be found in \windows\system32.

You need to open command prompt with admin privileges to successfully execute commands.

• Edited by BoYans Wednesday, October 24, 2012 11:09 PM
• Marked as answer by Juke ChouMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Sunday, November 11, 2012 6:08 AM

Thank you! I was trying bcdedit and diskpart to no avail. BTW, all is an argument, so no slash:

bootsect /nt60 all /mbr

I am so happy ! At least i found someone that has some helpful skills.

I am not precisely a newcomer to computer but I am just discovering 8.1 (and anxious to switch to 10 !). I ran into trouble as soon as I wanted to change my laptop HDD to a SSD. "Re-install" made a beautiful job at partitioning my SSD and I guess nearly everything is now setup...except the SSD doesn't want to boot and I have no clue why and how to fix it.

The "original" HDD still work fine when I put it back in place, but the SSD is just "no boot disk"!

I gonna try and fiddle with the commands you mention, though I have no clear understanding of them.

Where may I get some "training" for all the funny new commands? Does Microsoft intend the customers to just guess how to operate the Operating System when it doesn't operate by it-self ... I have read somewhere, "if this is the way Microsoft goes, I am changing for Linux : it is also complicated, I have no experience yet but at least it seams to be a community to help efficiently, all is "open" and... I don't have to pay for every "new" release...