BOAC No, but your question lead me to this site. Thanks, I'll give it a go.
How to create a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive | Ars Technica
I'm surprised it only requires such a small USB memory capacity.
I'm sticking with W7, but still some of the following is an issue to folk with the latest kit. i.e., those with W8 machines that they've downgraded to W7.
The problem with W8 is that the OS seems to be tied to the motherboard and every download has to be done separately. I gathered this from a protest from someone with multiple PCs who wanted to upgrade to 8.1 Certainly, my upgrade was a tediously long download and I wouldn't have wanted to do it multiple times.
Then there's the issue of the product key. That seems to be imbedded in the firmware and dealers have the means to access it. What about us mere mortals?