The "ESXi 7.0 download ISO portable" is a myth born from a misunderstanding of hypervisor types. VMware does not offer, nor can it technically create, a portable executable version of ESXi. Your practical paths are:
You cannot download a single "ESXi 70 portable.exe" file. However, you can download the and make it portable by installing it inside a VMware Workstation virtual machine . That VM file (the .vmx folder) is truly portable—you can copy it to a USB drive and run it on any computer that has Workstation installed.
Install to Stick B. After installation, reboot. You must set your BIOS to boot from Stick B. You now have a physically portable ESXi 7.0 server on a stick.
: If you are using branded hardware, it is often better to download a customized ISO (e.g., from Dell or HPE ) which includes pre-installed drivers for that specific hardware. Creating a Portable USB Installer
Install or VMware Workstation Player on your laptop.
: Select "VMware Cloud Foundations" or "VMware" from the division dropdown. Search : Look for vSphere under the "My Downloads" section.
But there is a growing need among IT pros, field engineers, and homelab enthusiasts: . What if you need to deploy ESXi 7.0 on a server that has no internet connection? What if you need a recovery environment on a USB stick? Or what if you want to run ESXi from an external SSD for a temporary lab?
Download the file (typically named VMware-VMvisor-Installer-7.0U3-xxxxxx.x86_64.iso ). Step 2: How to Build a Portable ESXi USB Drive
Navigate to the Broadcom Support Portal and log in with your credentials.
Legal and safety notes (short)
For those with specific hardware, like Dell PowerEdge servers, a specialized path exists through the Dell Support site , where —pre-loaded with essential drivers—can be found.
An ESXi instance that is already installed onto a USB flash drive, allowing it to boot and run on any compatible hardware without touching the internal hard drives.
: Newly downloaded ISOs typically function in a full-featured evaluation mode for 60 to 90 days.