Program for writing to usb disk image. Programs for writing an image to a USB flash drive

21.10.2019

In articles on how to install Windows from a USB flash drive, we have already described some ways to create bootable flash drive, but not all. Below are instructions on this topic, but we recommend that you first read the article itself - in it you will find new, simple and interesting ways.

This review will look at free utilities that allow you to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows or Linux, as well as two programs for burning a multiboot USB flash drive. All download links in the article lead to the official websites of the programs.

Bootable flash drive Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 without programs

Those who have a modern computer equipped with a motherboard with UEFI software (A novice user can determine UEFI by the graphical interface when entering the "BIOS"), and who need to make a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 on this particular computer, can generally do not use any third-party programs to create a bootable USB flash drive.

Everything you need to use this method: support for EFI boot, a USB drive formatted in FAT32 and preferably an original ISO image or a disk with the specified versions of Windows OS (for non-original ones, it is more reliable to use the creation of a UEFI flash drive using command line which is described later in this article).

Microsoft Windows Installation Media Creation Tool

For a long time, the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool was Microsoft's only official utility for creating a bootable flash drive (originally designed for Windows 7, described later in this article).

And now, after more than a year since the release of Windows 8 and 8.1, the following official program has been released - Windows Installation Media Creation Tool to burn an installation USB drive with the Windows 8.1 distribution kit of the version you need.

With this free program, you can easily make a bootable USB or ISO image by choosing a professional, single language or basic version of Windows 8.1, as well as the installation language, including Russian. This downloads the official distribution from the Microsoft website, which may be important for those who need the original Windows.

Detailed instructions for using this method and how to download the program from the official Microsoft website here: http://remontka.pro/installation-media-creation-tool/

Multiboot flash drives

First of all, I will talk about two tools designed to create a multiboot flash drive - an indispensable tool for any computer repairman and, with the skills, a great thing for the average computer user. As you can understand from the name, a multiboot flash drive allows you to boot in different modes and for different purposes, for example, one flash drive can have:

Installing Windows 8
Kaspersky Rescue Disk
Hiren's Boot CD
Installing Ubuntu Linux

This is just an example, in fact, the set may be completely different, depending on the goals and preferences of the owner of such a flash drive.

WinSetupFromUSB

Main program window

In my personal opinion, one of the most convenient utilities for creating a bootable USB flash drive. The functions are quite wide - in the program you can prepare a USB drive for its subsequent transformation into a bootable one, format it in a variety of ways and create the necessary boot record. The main function, which is also implemented quite simply and clearly, is burning a bootable USB flash drive from Linux installation images, utility disks, as well as Windows 8, Windows 7 and XP installations (Server versions are also supported). It's not as easy to use as some of the other programs in this review, but if you're more or less familiar with how this kind of media is made, you'll have no trouble figuring it out. For everyone else I will write one day detailed instructions with a description of the process of creating a multiboot flash drive for work.

Easy2Boot and Butler (Boutler)

Programs for creating a bootable and multiboot USB flash drive Easy2Boot and Butler are very similar to each other in terms of the principle of operation. In general terms, this principle is as follows:

You prepare the USB drive in a special way
Copy the bootable ISO images to the created folder structure on the flash drive

As a result, you get a bootable drive with images of Windows distributions (8.1, 8, 7 or XP), Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, utilities for computer recovery or virus treatment. In fact, the number of ISOs you can use is limited only by the size of the drive, which is very convenient, especially for specialists who really need it.

Of the disadvantages of both programs for novice users, one can note the need to understand what you are doing and be able to manually make changes to the disk if necessary (not everything always works the way you want by default). At the same time, Easy2Boot, given the availability of help only on English language and lack of a GUI, somewhat more complex than Boutler.

xboot

XBoot is a free utility for creating a multi-boot flash drive or ISO disk image with several versions of Linux, utilities, antivirus suites (for example, Kaspersky Rescue), Live CD (Hiren's Boot CD). Windows is not supported. However, if we need a very functional multi-boot flash drive, then we can first create an ISO in XBoot, and then use the resulting image in the WinSetupFromUSB utility. Thus, by combining these two programs, we can get a multi-boot flash drive for Windows 8 (or 7), Windows XP, and everything that we wrote in XBoot. You can download it on the official website https://sites.google.com/site/shamurxboot/

Creating bootable media in this program is done by simply dragging the desired ISO files into the main window. Then it remains to click "Create ISO" or "Create USB".

Another opportunity provided by the program is to download the necessary disk images by selecting them from a fairly extensive list.

Windows bootable flash drives

This part presents programs whose purpose is to transfer the installation files of the Windows operating system to a USB flash drive for easy installation on netbooks or other computers that are not equipped with optical CD drives (does anyone say so?).

Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool is an official free program from Microsoft designed to burn a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7 or Windows 8. Although the program was released for previous version operating system, with Windows 8 it also works fine.

Selecting a Windows ISO image in a utility from Microsoft

The use is not difficult - after installation, you will need to specify the path to the Windows disk image file (.iso), specify which USB drive to write to (all data will be deleted) and wait for the operation to complete. That's all, a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 (7) is ready.

Bootable flash drive in Windows command line

If you need a flash drive to install Windows 8, 8.1, or Windows 7, then you don't have to use any third-party software to create it. Moreover, some of these programs are simply a graphical interface, doing everything that you can do yourself using the command line.

The process of creating a bootable flash drive on the Windows command line (including with UEFI support) looks like this:

You prepare the flash drive using diskpart on the command line.
Copy all operating system installation files to the drive.
Make some changes as needed (for example, if you need UEFI support when installing Windows 7).

There is nothing complicated in such a procedure, and even a novice user can handle it by following the instructions.

WiNToBootic

Another free and perfectly working utility for creating a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 or Windows 7. Little known enough, but, in my opinion, noteworthy program.

Benefits of WiNTBootic over Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool:

Support for Windows ISO images, unpacked OS folder or DVD
There is no need to install on a computer
High operating speed

Using the program is as simple as the previous utility - we indicate the location of the files for installing Windows and which flash drive to write them to, after which we wait for the program to finish.

WinToFlash Utility

This free portable program allows you to create a bootable USB flash drive from the installation CD of Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, as well as Windows Server 2003 and 2008. And not only that: if you need a bootable MS DOS or Win PE flash drive, you can also make it using WinToFlash. Another feature of the program is the creation of a flash drive to remove the banner from the desktop.

Rufus

Rufus- free utility, which allows you to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows or Linux. The program works on all relevant this moment versions of Windows OS and, among other functions, can check the flash drive for bad sectors, bad blocks. It is also possible to place various utilities on a flash drive, such as Hiren's Boot CD, Win PE and others. Another important advantage of this program in its latest versions is the simple creation of a bootable UEFI GPT or MBR flash drive.

The program itself is very easy to use, but quite limited. It is somewhat reminiscent of the truncated WinSetupFromUSB, which was mentioned above.

Considering the fact that many users in Russia do not pay very much for programs, using UltraISO to create bootable flash drives is quite common. Unlike all the other programs described here, UltraISO costs money, and allows, among other functions available in the program, to create a bootable Windows USB flash drive. The creation process is not entirely obvious, so we will describe it here.

With a flash drive connected to the computer, launch UltraISO.
Select the menu item (top) Boot.
Specify the path to the distribution boot image to be written to the flash drive.
If necessary, format the USB flash drive (done in the same window), then click "write".

That's all, a bootable Windows or Linux flash drive created using the UltraISO program is ready.

Other utilities related to bootable flash drives

Windows Bootable Image Creator - Create Bootable ISO

WBI Creator - is somewhat out of the general range of programs. It does not create a bootable USB flash drive, but a bootable ISO disk image from a folder with files for installing Windows 8, Windows 7 or Windows XP. All you need to do is select the folder where the installation files are located, select the version of the operating system (for Windows 8, we specify Windows 7), specify the desired DVD label (the disk label is present in the ISO file) and click the "Go" button. After that, you can create a bootable USB flash drive with other utilities from this list.

Universal USB Installer window

This program allows you to choose one of several available Linux distributions (as well as download it) and create a flash drive with it on board. The process is very simple: select the version of the distribution, specify the path to the file with this distribution, specify the path to the flash drive formatted in advance in FAT or NTFS and click Create. That's all, it remains only to wait.

These are not all programs designed for these purposes, there are many others for various platforms and purposes. For most common and not quite tasks, the listed utilities should be enough. I remind you that it is quite easy to create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 or Windows 7 without using any additional utilities - just using the command line, which I wrote about in detail in the relevant articles.

The program for installing Windows 7 from a USB flash drive eliminates the need to use a CD drive.

It is only required to prepare the distribution in advance, set the BIOS settings.

Important: the installation program should be selected as carefully as possible - you can accidentally download a virus, trojan. The situation is similar with the Windows distribution. If possible, you should use the licensed version. Otherwise, check all files with an antivirus.

UltraISO Program

The UltraISO program needs to be installed. There are no difficulties, for this you need to run the executable file and press the next button all the time.

Important: the program during installation should not ask for a phone number, other data - it is provided free of charge.

If something like this takes place, then it should be removed immediately. Most likely, the utility is infected with a virus.

Creating a bootable flash drive is as follows:

after launch, a window immediately opens in which you need to click on the “trial period” (Fig. No. 1);

then the program will open the main working window, you must click on the context menu "open" - you must select the Windows distribution prepared in advance for installation;

then the USB flash drive connector is inserted into the USB port;
click on the menu under "boot" - select "write hard disk image";

after installation, click on "format";
after formatting the flash drive is completed, you need to click on "write" (Fig. No. 4);

Advice: it is not necessary to use third-party utilities to install - you can use standard means OS.

It is possible to use the official application to create a bootable USB flash drive.

To create a bootable device, again, you need a distribution kit - preferably in ISO format. The operation itself looks like this:

launch is in progress;
by clicking on "Browse" open the file with the distribution;

Specify "USB device";

To record to a USB disk, media must be inserted beforehand;

Press "Start over".

After that, you must wait 5-15 minutes - until the creation of a bootable flash drive is completed.

WinToFlash program

You can also use the WinToFlash utility. You can download it for free on the official website - http://wintoflash.com/.

You only need to do two things:

run the installed utility;
select the appropriate menu - "transfer the Windows setup program to the drive";
click start (Fig. No. 6).

WinSetupFromUSB program

A convenient utility for performing this task is WinSetupFromUSB. You will need an ISO image and a USB drive. After starting, do the following:

format memory;
run MasterBootRecord (MBR) in Bootice (Fig. No. 7);

write everything you need using WinSetupFromUSB (Fig. No. 8).

BIOS setup

To install Windows 7 in this way, you will need to configure the BIOS accordingly.

If possible, you should familiarize yourself with the manual, it can be downloaded for free on the official website of the manufacturer.

Bios settings may have their own characteristics, some specifics. It is purely individual for each model - even from one manufacturer.

To enter the settings, it is usually enough to press the Delete key for another initial stage PC downloads. As a result, a window with a table view menu will appear (Fig. No. 9).

After successfully enabling Bios, you need to find the option that is responsible for the boot order from devices various types.

In all Bios, this menu is called differently. This is where the complexity lies.

But, as a rule, all such items contain the word boot in their name.

Download settings are made as follows:

open the boot priority selection menu (Boot);
select USB-HDD.

Important: you must first insert the USB drive into the connector - only after that it will appear in the list of devices from which you can start.

Operating system installation

It will be possible to download completely free of charge all programs from the Internet.

But it is worth familiarizing yourself with all the requirements in advance - to the quantity free space on the hard drive, RAM and other characteristics.

When all the preparatory work is completed, you can proceed to install Windows. This operation is carried out as follows:

after setting up Bios and installing the drive in the port, you need to reboot, a window will appear asking you to press any key (Fig. No. 10);

the OS installation window will open - you need to click on "next" (Fig. No. 11);

in the future, a window will open - you need to click on the "install" button (Fig. No. 12);

you need to select the version of the operating system to be installed - almost all pirated distributions allow you to do this (Fig. No. 13);

the system requires you to read the license agreement, check the box next to "I accept the terms of the license" and click "next";
select in the next window that opens full installation"(Fig. No. 14);

In articles on how to install Windows from a USB flash drive, I have already described some ways to create a bootable USB flash drive, but not all. The list below lists individual instructions on this topic, but I recommend that you first read the article itself under the list - in it you will find new, simple and interesting ways to make a bootable USB flash drive, sometimes even unique ones.

This review will look at free utilities that allow you to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows or Linux, as well as programs for burning a multiboot flash drive. It also provides options for creating a USB drive for Windows startup 10 and 8 without installing and using Linux in Live mode without rebooting the computer. All download links in the article lead to the official websites of the programs.

Update 2016. Since writing this review of programs for creating a bootable USB flash drive, there have been several new options for preparing a USB drive for installing Windows, which I consider it necessary to add here. The next two sections are these new methods, and then the “old” methods that have not lost their relevance are described (first about multiboot drives, then specifically about creating bootable Windows flash drives various versions, as well as a description of several auxiliary useful programs).

Bootable flash drive Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 without programs

All that is needed to use this method: support for EFI boot, a USB drive formatted in FAT32 and preferably an original ISO image or a disk with the specified versions of Windows OS (for non-original ones, it is more reliable to use the creation of a UEFI flash drive using the command line, which is described later in this material).

Microsoft Windows Installation Media Creation Tool

For a long time, the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool was Microsoft's only official utility for creating a bootable flash drive (originally designed for Windows 7, described later in this article).

More than a year after the release of Windows 8, the following official program was released - Windows Installation Media Creation Tool for burning an installation USB drive with the Windows 8.1 distribution kit of the version you need. And now a similar Microsoft utility has been released for burning a bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive.