Bootable USB
What Does USB Boot Mean?
USB boot is the process of using a USB storage device to boot or start a computer’s operating system. It enables the computer hardware to use a USB storage stick to get all essential system booting information and
files rather than the standard/native hard disk or the CD drive.
All popular operating systems support the creation of a bootable USB drive that can be plugged into a USB slot to boot a computer, server, or laptop.
USB boot works much like the legacy floppy disk drive (FDD) booting capability. It is mainly used to recover, repair and install an operating system. It provides users with an alternative method to boot a system. Typically, to perform a USB boot, a bootable USB device must first be created. The bootable USB drive can be set up using a native operating system component or through various third-party utilities. The software/utility will copy all the operating system files and boot sequences into the USB drive to enable the USB boot.
Advantages in the use of Bootable USB
Our computer geeks have never stopped improving and innovating technologies. And USB flash drives, sticks, or keys were invented to replace the old CDs that were normally used for data backup storage, including the bootable OS. The new bootable USB demonstrated ultra-convenience when used. It is so small and more portable than the CD. You can just place it in your pocket without being too concerned that it may get damaged. There is no danger of scratches as there would be in the CD. What could be even more advantageous is that it is faster to load data when you are using flash drives such that it becomes faster to boot your PC with a bootable USB stick. The majority of computer users opt for netbooks for convenience. However, most of the models of these PCs do not have a CD drive such that the bootable CD would not be of any use for a non-booting netbook. If all netbooks have USB ports, then it is possible to install your OS through the use of bootable USB sticks or keys.
Disadvantages in the use of bootable USB
Despite the practicality and convenience of using the bootable USB stick or key, it is never free from any drawbacks. The USB is too hardware dependent. This negative aspect shows the dependence on the BIOS, motherboard, and model of the flash drive. This will have to match your bootable USB stick. There are known instances when the bootable USB drive works on one PC but does not do well with on another laptop. The bootable USB then is sometimes selective so you have to be sure that your USB is compatible with your computer hardware. This gives the advantage of bootable CDs which can be used in almost any PC that has a CD drive.
Any computer user should always have a backup for his data. These are now stored in USB drives. Choosing a USB stick with a larger storage capacity will enable you to make room for a bootable USB that will rescue you when the OS in your hard drive malfunctions. The non-booting of the hard drive seldom happens, but it may so it is still paramount to keep a bootable USB device handy at all times.
Creating a Bootable USB
first you should install ISO Files to use them in creating bootable USB
Then you should use a software to create a bootable USB
Using Rufus
Steps:
Download and install Rufus. You can download it from the Rufus website.
Connect the USB drive that you want to use to create the bootable USB.
Run Rufus.
Select the USB drive in the Device field.
Select the ISO image of the operating system that you want to install in the Boot selection field.
Click on the Start button.
Rufus will start creating the bootable USB. This process may take a few minutes.
Once the process is complete, the bootable USB will be ready to use.
Here are some additional tips for creating a bootable USB using Rufus on Linux:
Make sure that the USB drive is at least 8 GB in size.
The ISO image of the operating system must be in the FAT32 file format.
You can use Rufus to create bootable USB drives for a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
for more details on how to set up a Bootable USB , you can watch those YouTube Videos/Tutorials (From a windows 10 computer or From a windows 11 computer) created by David Bombal.
Using Ventoy
Steps:
Download and install Ventoy. You can download it from the Ventoy website.
Connect the USB drive that you want to use to create the bootable USB.
Run Ventoy.
Click on the Select a ISO file to add button.
Select the ISO image of the operating system that you want to install.
Click on the Add button.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 to add more ISO images to the Ventoy bootable USB.
Click on the Install button.
Ventoy will start creating the bootable USB. This process may take a few minutes.
Once the process is complete, the bootable USB will be ready to use.
Here are some additional tips for creating a bootable USB using Ventoy on Linux:
Make sure that the USB drive is at least 8 GB in size.
Ventoy can create bootable USB drives for a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
Ventoy can also create multiboot USB drives, which can contain multiple operating systems on a single USB drive.
for more details on how to set up a Bootable USB , you can watch this YouTube Video/Tutorial created by ThioJoe.
Other Software
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