How to make a bootable USB pen drive

Discussion in 'Application Software' started by Tito, Oct 24, 2010.

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  1. Tito

    Tito Super Mod / Adviser
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    #1 Tito, Oct 24, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2014
  2. gamepoint

    gamepoint MDL Senior Member

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    Nive thread here tito...may help newcomers to make their own bootable pendrive..just to add...sometimes, your machine does not automatically boot your pendrive, so you need to press f2, f8, f10 (depending on your laptop) and select your pendrive as a boot device..
     
  3. Tito

    Tito Super Mod / Adviser
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    I didn't add this, because its a known fact and different brands have their own key to get into the bios..... well, thanks for the complement...
     
  4. Tito

    Tito Super Mod / Adviser
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  5. gamepoint

    gamepoint MDL Senior Member

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    i tried wintoflash yesterday..for beginners, i must say ot is quite complicated.So, i tried unetbootin to create bootable pendrive.It works.Just leave the linux distros choice blank and browse for ISO file.Maybe you can add unetbootin into both linux and the windows section
     
  6. Tito

    Tito Super Mod / Adviser
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    Info added....
     
  7. gamepoint

    gamepoint MDL Senior Member

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    nice one tito....
     
  8. sam3971

    sam3971 MDL Guru

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    Very nice post tito dude. This can be very useful to many people. I know you don't have to use the tool as long as you copy bootable content to the USB like win7 install iso but it still a good tip dude. :)
     
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  9. Tito

    Tito Super Mod / Adviser
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    Thanks sam... yes, I dont need those tools always, but in case of Windows XP, I have to use them... :(
    Anyway, pls spread these words, as I always update the thread with latest info....
     
  10. Deb_Rider

    Deb_Rider MDL Senior Member

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    nice job tito.....
    Didn't know the way to make bootable pen drive for linux,it's realy helpful....
    Keep it up.....
     
  11. dinadana

    dinadana MDL Novice

    Feb 11, 2011
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    Hmm.
    If you want to make your usb bootable for Mac you can use ProteMac LogonKey. Reliable and cheap soft.
     
  12. Sugadevan

    Sugadevan MDL Junior Member

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    Its so nice.. helped me.. thnx!!
     
  13. Mike89

    Mike89 MDL Member

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    Once an bootable OS is put on a flash drive, does that mean no other files for storage can be added later? If that is the case, anything larger than say a 4 gig flash drive is going to be wasted.
     
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  14. PAN_SCN_SUX

    PAN_SCN_SUX MDL Novice

    Oct 10, 2009
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    #15 PAN_SCN_SUX, Apr 4, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2011
    No worries...

    Answer to question 1:

    No, you can add all you like to a Microsoft OS install once it is on your flash drive; providing you don't over-write or delete something, OR add a file the installer might look for during an AIK/PE installation (Automated install, or automated recover environment...)

    Answer to question 2:

    No. This should be obvious by reading the answer to question 1, but... I've routinely used 20GB USB flash drives and built very elaborate AI's or unattended installs that include a giant amount of added software deployments - as many as would fit on the rest of the 20GB. Think Windows OPK for OEM's... ;)

    Incidentally, if you use a large USB flash drive and only have your OS deployment on it and a pile of space left over and want to use it "as-is" for storage too, simply make a folder called, "Stuff taking up the space I'm worried about wasting..." or ANYTHING that's simple for you, and use that folder for your storage needs. The second more logical option would be to reformat the drive with a primary, bootable ("active") partition for the OS image and the rest as empty space for daily use, just make sure the OS is the partition flagged in the MBR as bootable/active (and DO NOT GOOF AND MARK BOTH ACTIVE BY ACCIDENT; you'll be displeased.)
     
  15. Mike89

    Mike89 MDL Member

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    #16 Mike89, Apr 4, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2011
    Cool. I just did this tutorial with putting Windows 7 Ult x64 (using Ultra ISO) on my Corsair 16 Gig Flash Drive. I was a bit worried at first when it had to erase everything to put Windows 7 on it. That's what made me wonder if I could not now put anything else on the drive. I've never used a USB flash drive to install Windows before. Now I have the option to do it when I next need to.
     
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  16. PAN_SCN_SUX

    PAN_SCN_SUX MDL Novice

    Oct 10, 2009
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    Another thing to think of...

    Just from reading your reply, I'm guessing perhaps you used the "Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool." If so, you can take a look at the documentation and find by adding a registry key and I believe changing another (can't recall off hand, but it's documented) you can get rid of the default behavior of the app to "force" the reformatting. This is all OK, providing I am going to assume that if you used the tool on a USB flash drive that already has data on it, I am unsure if it flags the partition as active/bootable with the aforementioned change; this is something you'd want to investigate BEFORE setting the registry flag as I DON'T think that item is mentioned in the notes about disabling auto-pre-formatting...;)

    Anyhow; useful, ever so simple tool, at least for WINDOWS OS installs; you'll never use a DVD again if your system has USB, as it is so much faster. The suck job of the tool is the portion that checks what it is you want to put on the USB drive - "if it ain't Windows - it ain't gonna work."

    It's GPL, perhaps if I get super-bored, I'll turn the source into a far better tool and douche all the MS crap out of the GUI... (ImageX/Microsoft conspiracy, sort of helpful, sort of not since it ended that project in a hurry...)

    Enjoy campers...:clap:
     
  17. Mike89

    Mike89 MDL Member

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    I used UltraISO from the tutorial, that's it.
     
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  18. PAN_SCN_SUX

    PAN_SCN_SUX MDL Novice

    Oct 10, 2009
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    Unless things have changed...

    IIRC, one can use .7zip on your Microsoft Windows OS .iso image, transfer the data and mark the partition active, unless something has changed...

    No software of any importance needed. Don't know, does Windows native zip API unzip .iso files? If so, one would need nothing, at least for Microsoft OS's (WIN98, 95 and other DOS-like bootables are a bit more challenging though...)

    It's been a while for me doing that stuff 24-7; well since the days of VISTA and update pack Hell - where the updates ended up larger than the OS and at once point needed a lot of "trimming" to even fit on a DVD - what a mess!
     
  19. stayboogy

    stayboogy MDL Addicted

    May 1, 2011
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    prob a dumb question, but this is only for BIOS that support booting from usb, correct? such as newer desktops, laptops, and netbooks?