Hi, I recently downloaded Windows Server 2008 R2 from dreamspark.com. The download resulted in a zip file which I unzipped and wrote onto a DVD. I tried booting my laptop from the burned DVD, the installation wont start. Any ideas on how I can get a bootable DVD from the downloaded zip file? Thank you

When you burned the DVD did you make it bootable?

Please download it from Micrsofts website which is an Authentic Source and give a try http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyId=13C7300E-935C-415A-A79C-538E933D5424&displaylang=en http://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

Hello, as Dreamspark is from Microsoft i assume the file itself is fine. What actually do you see on the burned disk? I assume that you have the .iso burned direct to disk instead using an image burning software that is able to extract the .iso file to the required folder structure that then is also bootable as you need it.Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

Hi, Base on my experience, the download file from Dreamspark should be an iso or an img file. I suspect that you associated the iso and img file with a extraction application such as 7zip. If so, you can uncheck the “Hide extensions for known file types” box to check the extension name of the file. For more information, you can refer to: Show or hide file name extensions http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Show-or-hide-file-name-extensions By the way, if it’s an image file such as .iso and .imge, you can’t extract it and burn the files directly, that will make the DVD non-bootable. You can check the following link to see how to burn an ISO to DVD. How To Burn an ISO Image File to a CD or DVD http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ht/burnisofile.htm In addition, you can burn the image file to a thumb drive as the following blog. Installing Windows 7 using usb thumb drive http://blogs.technet.com/aviraj/archive/2009/02/01/installing-windows-7-using-usb-thumb-drive.aspx Important Note: This response contains a reference to a third party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites; therefore, Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. There are inherent dangers in the use of any software found on the Internet, and Microsoft cautions you to make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any software from the Internet. Best Regards, Vincent Hu

Generally when you download the image file it comes with .iso extension, you need to burn on DVD using any free DVD burner software. Make sure you make selection in BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD ROM drive. You can also check this article to make DVD bootable from the unzipped source contents. Thanks