How to create an ISO image on a USB stick for Windows and Linux?
How to create an ISO image on a USB stick for Windows and Linux?
If you need to reinstall Windows and Linux on your computer, check out how to create an ISO image on a USB stick and use it.
Creating installation media for your operating system used to be simple. Simply download an ISO and burn it to a CD or DVD. We are now using USB drives, and the process is slightly different for each operating system.
You cannot simply copy files from an ISO disk image directly to your USB stick. The data partition on the USB drive needs to be bootable, to begin with. This process will usually wipe your USB stick or SD card.
How to create an ISO image on a USB stick for Windows and Linux
Use a USB 3.0 drive if you can
USB 2.0 has been around for a long time, and all devices support it, but it is notoriously slow. You will be able to install much faster if you use a USB 3.0 flash drive. Prices have fallen dramatically, and speed increases are considerable. You can have up to 10x more speed. And speed really matters when you’re making a pluggable unit.
Don’t worry about compatibility, these faster drives are fully compatible with an old USB 2.0 system, you just won’t have the benefit of speed.
How to create an ISO image on a USB flash drive for Windows 7, 8 or 10
Use Microsoft’s USB / DVD download tool to create a bootable drive. You will need an ISO file for the Windows installer to run this tool. If you don’t have one, you can download the Windows 10, 8, or 7 installation media for free, but you’ll need a legitimate product key to use them.
Provide the ISO file and a USB flash drive, and the tool will create a bootable drive.
Alternatively, if you are installing Windows 10, you can download a disk image or burn Windows 10 installation media directly using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool .
How to create an ISO image on a USB stick for Linux
There are many tools that can do this job for you, but we recommend a free program called Rufus – it is faster and more reliable than many other tools, including UNetbootin.
How to create an ISO image on a USB stick for Windows and Linux
Download the Linux distribution you want to use in ISO format. You can for example download from the Ubuntu download page.
Run the tool, select the desired distribution, browse to the downloaded ISO file, and choose the USB drive you want to use. The tool will do the rest.
When you run Rufus on your Windows PC, the tool will open immediately – you don’t even have to install it.
Connect a USB drive with at least 2GB of free space to your Windows PC.
The contents of this drive will be erased, so back up all important files on the drive first.
Click on the “Device” box on Rufus and make sure your connected unit is selected.
If the “Create a bootable disk using” option is...
