USB Drives Are Currently The Most Convenient Device When You Need To Get A Media Boot. USB Drives Have Slowly Overtaken Cds Or Dvds Due To Their Easy Access And Adjustability. 

Install Windows And Linux Via USB Flash Drive, But even when USB port ports often outperform CDs / DVDs in most cases, there are some caveats. One of the most prominent ways to create a USB installation media for Windows or Linux is to use Rufus software.

Of all the bootable driver software, Rufus is the most popular software of choice in Windows 10. This article will introduce you to the steps of creating a USB bootable media for Windows or Linux operating system using Rufus software.

How to create a USB boot using Rufus?

Items needed:

•     Rufus software.
•     ISO file to create installable media.
•     Sufficient capacity USB device (at least 4 GB for Linux and 8 GB for Windows).

Download the latest version of Rufus

Rufus tool is free software. You can download it from the official website – https://Rufus.akeo.ie/.

Go to the bottom of the download section, where you will find both new executable and portable files. Additionally, you can download previous versions by going to Other Versions.

Create bootable media

Rufus software does not need to be installed to run. Just run the file, and that’s it.

First, connect the USB device and run the program as Administrator.

If the USB is connected, Rufus automatically detects and displays the drive. If multiple USB devices are connected, select one from the drop-down menu in the Devices section.

Rufus can create bootable devices with various settings such as partition layouts, cluster size, and file system. As you know, different hardware and operating system ISO files require different settings, so make sure you specify these settings.

Next, navigate to the Windows 10 ISO file or any other ISO file for which you want to create a bootable USB media. You can do this in the Boot selection section. The latest Rufus software (Rufus-3.1 and above) provides FreeDOS non-bootable files and disk or ISO options. Select the disk or ISO Image and click to browse the ISO file.

Then click Start, and in the next window, click OK to clear the content and format the disk. This process will probably not take more than a few minutes. The status bar shows the progress. Finally, when everything is done, your boot device is ready.

Recommended settings for Rufus

The default software settings are usually sufficient, and you can start creating Windows 10 or Linux media boot. For those who want to know the hardware tips, it is better to look at those tips.

Basically, the two types of low-level software that run for the first time when a computer starts are UEFI and BIOS. Due to the limitations of older hardware, most newer devices come with a UEFI (Unified Extension Firmware) interface. UEFI is much more powerful than the BIOS Legacy. We have listed them below.

Boot Windows 10 with UEFI

• Partition layout: GPT.
• Target system type: UEFI.
• File system: FAT32.
• Cluster size: Select 4096 bytes (default).

In the format options, select both:

Quick format.

Create extended label and icon files

Boot Windows 10 USB using Legacy BIOS

• Partition layout: MBR.
• Target system type: BIOS or UEFI-CSM.
• File system: NTFS.
•  Cluster size: Select 4096 bytes (default).

In the format options, select both:

• Quick format.
• Create extended label and icon files

Another thing to consider when creating Linux media boot is that Rufus checks for updated Syslinux or GRUB files. As a result, a window will appear asking you to choose between downloading a newer file from the server or using existing files.

Troubleshooting Rufus errors

Error: [0x00000015] The device is not ready.

Mostly, this error indicates a hardware problem that the USB is not connected properly. This type of error may occur when auto-connect to the USB device is disabled. In addition, such an error is likely to occur during the USB formatting process. To solve this problem in Rufus, follow these steps:

•     Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
•      Type mountvol / e and press Enter.

Additionally, if an error occurs during the ISO extraction process, it may be due to a bad USB connection. Therefore, using an external cable for a USB 3.0 connection is not recommended.

The device eliminates because it appears to contain no media

If you encounter this error, try using another USB device, as this error means that the device can no longer write to memory.

Error [0x00000005] Access is denied

Obviously, these types of errors are mainly related to third-party software that is not compatible with Rufus. You should check for external software such as anti-virus or anti-malware software that may block Rufus’s access to the USB drive.

Additionally, if you are using Windows 10 to create a bootable USB device, a feature called Controlled Folder Access can cause problems if enabled. Controlled Folder Access is an application that prevents writing to the drive outside the software. So make sure you disable the feature. To do this, follow the instructions below:

• Select Start> Settings> Update & security> Windows Defender.
• Open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Go to Virus & threat protection> Virus & threat protection settings.
• Under Controlled folder access, could you turn off the key to disable it?

USB boot via Rufus

When creating a USB drive using Rufus to install Windows 10 or Linux distributions, this is almost everything you need to know. Finally, if you encounter a problem with any of these processes, see the Frequently Asked Questions section of the  GitHub Official FAQ. Also, if you want to talk more about USB bootable media creation software, contact us in the comments section.