How to Create a Bootable Linux USB Drive
Before you can enjoy user-friendliness, flexibility, security and Reliable Linux Operating SystemThere’s still one thing you need to take care of first: installing the operating system.
Remember that Modern Linux installers are easy. With just a few quick clicks, you can enjoy the power, flexibility, and security of this open source platform.
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The gate there open source world is a bootable USB drive that allows you to install an operating system on your computer.
Don’t worry; even that step is simple. Let me show you how to do it.
How to create your bootable USB drive
What you need: To create a bootable USB drive, you will need the following:
- A machine with a USB port.
- USB flash drive with at least 16GB capacity.
- A software to create bootable drives.
There are many tools that help you create bootable USB drives, such as Ventoy, Rufus, Etcher, dd, Fedora Media Writer, Popsicle, etc. The only one I have used for years is UNetbootinUNetbootin is available for Linux, MacOS, and Windows. You can easily install UNetbootin by downloading the executable to your desktop and running it. (It installs like most applications on both MacOS and Windows.) Even better, you can install UNetbootin on Ubuntu-based distributions by first adding a new repository with the command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gezakovacs/ppa
Update apt with:
Install UNetbootin with the command:
sudo apt-get install unetbootin -y
Once you have installed UNetbootin, it’s time to create your first bootable USB drive, ready to install Linux.
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First, plug the USB drive into the computer you installed UNetbootin on. Make sure the system recognizes the drive and notes the drive letter.
From the menu on your computer screen, click to launch the UNetbootin application.
Choose from a list of preconfigured distributions in the UNetbootin window.
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Make sure to select the latest version of that distribution from the Select Version drop-down list in the upper right corner.
Creating a bootable USB drive with UNetbootin is easy.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Make sure USB Drive is selected in the Type drop-down list, then select the name of your USB drive from the Drive drop-down list. Select the correct drive because UNetbootin will erase everything on the drive you select. I recommend erasing all external drives except the one that will serve as your boot drive. Alternatively, you can issue the command lsblk to see a list of all connected drives. Find the correct drive from the list in the output.
Click OK and the process will begin. UNetbootin will first download the necessary ISO, then extract and copy the files, install the bootloader, and complete the process.
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This process shouldn’t take more than five to 15 minutes. You may notice that UNetbootin seems to stop halfway through the extraction and file copying phase. Be patient and it will complete.
UNetbootin can create a USB drive for you in less than 15 minutes.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Once the process is complete, click Exit, safely remove the USB drive, and you’re good to go. You can now plug the USB drive into the computer that will serve as your new Linux desktop, boot up the computer, and begin installing the operating system.
