The days of installing an operating system from CD/DVD drives are long gone. The most popular option today is to create a bootable USB installer and install the operating system by using the USB stick. There are thousands of free tools available to create a bootable USB, but few utilities offer a fast experience. Today, we have created a list of 10 tools to create bootable USB for PC.
Using USB sticks as bootable discs are much more frequent than using CDs or DVDs, this because of the ease with which they can be formatted and reused for other purposes and because of their evident durability compared to optical discs.
Table of Contents
Requirements For Bootable USB Stick
To create a bootable USB stick correctly, you need the following:
- A formatted USB flash drive.
- The ISO image of the operating system that we want to install.
- A software to create our bootable USB
- The BIOS must allow booting from USB
Top 10 Tools To Create Bootable USB For PC
1. Rufus
Rufus is a Windows application that sacrifices beauty for speed: it is twice as fast as other applications such as UNetbootin and Windows USB / DVD Download Tool. Rufus is ideal for creating USB installation media from ISO images (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.). Its interface is very simple visually but functional, it has a portable application and it is also free and open-source software.
2. UNetbootin
UNetbootin: A tool similar to the previous ones, but it has a version for both Windows and GNU / Linux or macOS. When creating USB, it allows you to use an ISO that you have downloaded or use its source list so that the application itself downloads the ISO automatically before putting it on the USB. It has an infinity of distributions compatible with the program, among which, of course, is Ubuntu.
3. YUMI
YUMI – Multiboot USB Creator is an open-source application that allows you to create bootable USB drivers with various operating systems. YUMI supports a wide range of operating systems such as Windows, all major Linux operating systems, bootable antivirus, and other testing tools such as password finders, backup utilities, etc. So if you are someone who deals with multiple bootable pen drives then try YUMI. It will make your life much easier.
4. Windows USB / DVD Download Tool
Official Microsoft tool. The most basic and simple that you will find with an interface without options and in just two steps. You select the medium (DVD or USB) and you’re done. It is free but only works on Windows systems. When loading the.ISO image, the application inspects the file, which ensures that it is not a corrupt copy and that there will be no problems during installation.
5. Universal USB Installer
It is a good tool for creating a bootable USB key. Like UNetBootin, it is used to create Live USB distributions for Linux. From GNU / Linux distributions to special security units, also units with persistent memory. It supports a few additional ISOs, but it does not offer an automatic download option. Instead, it gives you the link to the distribution download page. But we don’t think it would cause a lot of problems.
6. ISO to USB
ISO to USB does not have any portable version, so we will have to install it yes or yes, although it is still free. The other big downside is that it only supports Windows bootable discs (ISO images). We will not be able to use an ISO file from macOS, GNU / Linux, or any other operating system or software other than Microsoft’s OS.
7. WinSetupFromUSB
The biggest advantage of using WinSetupFromUSB is that you can put multiple ISO files on a flash drive and create a multiboot USB drive. This will allow you to have the choice between several operating systems at the time of installation. Like Rufus, it has many features and lets you create bootable USB media for different types of operating systems.
8. LiLi USB Creator
Lili is free and open-source software. It works only on Windows (Windows 10, 8.1, 7, Vista, and XP), making it ideal for those curious who want to try Linux for the first time. It is beautiful, smart, simple, intuitive and is compatible with almost any Linux distribution. All this with a much more original and colorful interface than the difference of the rest.
9. LiveUSB Install
This application written in python and specifically designed to facilitate the installation of GNU / Linux distros. The application is in fact to create the USB in Linux, although it also has a version for Windows. It allows you to extract the image of the operating system that you want to put into the USB from a torrent, from the original CD or DVD, or from the.ISO files.
10. Novicorp WinToFlash
Novicorp WinToFlash A tool that differs from the rest by using an installation wizard, which is like the installation processes of some applications, and guides you step by step explaining everything you do. A good alternative for inexperienced users.
FAQ
[sc_fs_faq html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”What Is A Bootable USB?” img_alt=”” css_class=””] The word bootable is a computer term that means boot. Therefore, when we refer to a bootable USB, we really mean bootable USB, which are those that are capable of automatically running on a computer without the need for an operating system installed. [/sc_fs_faq]
[sc_fs_faq html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”Can I Install Windows 10 On a 4gb USB Stick?” img_alt=”” css_class=””] No, you need at least 8gb USB stick to Install Windows 10 on PC, and also the utility tools won’t let you use a smaller than 8gb memory stick. [/sc_fs_faq]
Conclusion
Do not think that these are the only applications to create a bootable USB because there is a lot of support for Windows and Linux, and some also work from OS X. they allow the multi-start function. Surely you have your favorites. If you comment it will be useful for other users.