Reinstalling the operating system is a fairly simple process, especially if the main tool for carrying out this operation has been prepared in advance - a bootable USB flash drive.

Today, users are offered a wide variety of utility options for creating flash drives for installing an operating system. At the same time, some utilities are clearly designed for novice users, while there are much more functional tools that are clearly designed for professionals.

Let's start with the most popular program for creating a boot drive for Windows 7 and other versions of this OS - Rufus. This utility has a simple interface, where you only need to select a USB drive and specify the ISO image of the operating system distribution, as well as support for the Russian language, the ability to check the disk for BAD blocks, and much more.

WinSetupFromUSB

This tool is an effective way to create a flash drive with any version of Windows, however, the program is clearly not designed for beginners, as evidenced by its high functionality. At the same time, it is one of the best tools for creating bootable and multi-boot media, which is absolutely free.

WinToFlash

Returning to simple utilities for creating USB drives with Windows OS, one cannot fail to mention the simple and completely free WinToFlash program. Despite the rather high functionality, the application interface is designed in such a way that the user can get to work and create a bootable USB flash drive without any questions.

WiNToBootic

An extremely simple program to create a drive with the image of Windows XP and above. The application has a minimum of settings, allowing you only to specify a removable media and an image file with an operating system distribution kit, after which the process of creating bootable media will immediately begin, which will take only a few minutes.

UNetbootin

More and more users are becoming interested in the Linux operating system: it is completely different from Windows, has many more features, and is also distributed absolutely free of charge. If you want to install Linux OS on your computer, then the UNetbootin utility will be an excellent choice. This tool has basic functionality, but at the same time allows you to download Linux distributions directly in the main window, and therefore it can be safely recommended to novice users.

Universal USB Installer

Another utility aimed at creating bootable media with a Linux distribution.

Like UNetbootin, this tool allows you to boot any Linux distribution directly from the main window (or use a previously downloaded image). In principle, this is where the possibilities of the program end, making it an excellent tool for those users who first decided to try the Linux OS.

Linux Live USB Creator

Unlike Unetbootin and Universal USB Installer, this application is already a much more interesting tool for creating media for installing Linux OS. In addition to the ability to download the OS distribution directly in the program window, it is worth highlighting the ability to run Linux from under Windows. To do this, not only the image of the operating system will be written to the USB flash drive, but also the files of the VirtualBox virtual machine will be loaded, allowing you to run Linux in Windows directly from the drive.

DAEMON Tools Ultra

DAEMON Tools Ultra is a popular software solution for extensive imaging. One of the features of the application is, of course, the ability to create bootable flash drives, and both Windows and Linux distributions are supported. The only caveat is that the program is paid, but with a free trial period.

PeToUSB

Returning to the topic of utilities for working with Windows distributions, it is worth noting the simple and completely free PeToUSB utility, which has proven itself well in working with old versions of this operating system. It is worth noting that if you are creating a bootable USB flash drive already with modern versions of Windows (starting from the 7th), then you should pay attention to alternative options, for example, WinToFlash.

Win32 Disk Imager

This tool, unlike, for example, WiNToBootic, is not only a tool for creating a drive, but also an excellent choice for creating backup copies of data and then restoring them. The only caveat of the program is that it only works with images of the IMG format, and as you know, most distributions of operating systems are distributed in the popular ISO format.

Butler

Bootler is a free solution for creating a multi-boot drive with Windows OS. Among the features of the program, it is worth highlighting a clear interface (which the WinSetupFromUSB utility cannot boast of), command management (for example, to immediately set a USB flash drive as the main boot device), as well as the ability to customize the menu design.

UltraISO

And finally, one cannot fail to mention the most popular program not only for creating bootable media, but also for working with burning discs, creating and converting images, and more - this is UltraISO. This tool has excellent functionality, but at the same time, it will allow you to easily and quickly create a USB flash drive for installing both Windows and Linux.

In conclusion. Today we reviewed the main utilities for creating bootable USB media. Each program has its own advantages and disadvantages, and therefore it is rather difficult to advise something specific. We hope that with the help of this article you were able to make your choice.

Hello, friends! Today we will talk again about creating a bootable USB flash drive.

How to create a bootable USB device? For what purpose should it be used and with what program to write it down?

A brief overview of the five most popular and free programs for creating a bootable USB flash drive.

Modern developments do not stand still, and yesterday's technologies are slowly but surely losing their relevance. So the once popular CDs and DVDs no longer seem to be such an unambiguous solution for storing, transferring information and working with it. High data reading speed, versatility and reusability are only a small part of all the advantages of a flash drive as a bootable medium over disks. Already today, almost all personal computers and laptops, if they are not more than ten years old, support the ability to boot from USB devices. And in some cases (for example, a netbook), a flash drive may be the only boot device from an external drive.

By the way, the new Windows 10 operating system will be the first axis, the distribution of which will be officially distributed on a USB drive. And if you suddenly need to recover files from a flash drive, read about it. I also recommend paying attention to, which will help you escape from everyday work and cheer you up.

With the help of additional software, a USB flash drive can be used not only as a boot device for installing, reinstalling and restoring the operating system, but also for creating an emergency device (Multiboot). This is a kind of resuscitator, a tool from which you can boot at any time and cure your computer of viruses, restore system files or save important data. How to create such a flash drive, I described in the article "Creating a bootable Live CD / DVD / USB device and its use." You can familiarize yourself with this article.

Despite all the obvious advantages and the growing popularity of a flash drive as a boot device, there are not so many programs for creating it. Nevertheless, they are, and today I will introduce you to them in more detail, but first a few words about the preparatory stage.

Preparing a flash drive

We need the flash drive itself, plus knowledge of some important aspects. First you need to make sure that the computer supports booting from USB devices. There is an erroneous opinion that if the bios (boot section) does not have the ability to select boot from usb (there are only floppi, hdd and dvd-rom options), then booting from usb is not supported. This is not true!

More precisely, it is not always so. The only correct solution is to refer to the manual (user manual) of your motherboard or use specialized software (as an option - AIDA64) to get a detailed report on the hardware used.

The second point is the size of the flash drive. Here everything will depend on what we write on it. For example, to create a Live-USB, a Linux or Windows 7 installation disk, a 4 GB flash drive is enough. To create a bootable device with the latest versions of Windows, it is advisable to have at least an 8 GB flash drive on hand.

The third point is the transfer of files from a USB flash drive. As a rule, the process of creating a bootable device involves its complete formatting. If there are important files on the flash drive, transfer them to another device in advance. To create a bootable flash drive and then work with it as a bootable device, use the USB-2.0 port (Windows 7 does not support USB 3.0).

How to create a bootable flash drive

Let's look at five different ways using five free programs for Windows as an example.

A small but quite functional utility with a telling name WinSetupFromUSB. Equally well suited for burning a bootable and / or multi-boot flash drive (up to 10 operating systems) and creating Live devices. Official site .

Of the shortcomings - the lack of support for the Russian language. Among the advantages, as I said, is its versatility. The utility can work not only with the Windows distribution, but is also suitable for burning a Linux installation disk.

The usual option for creating a bootable USB flash drive, for example, with a Windows distribution kit, provides for the selection in the appropriate columns of the flash drive itself, the option to automatically format the media and the ISO image of the operating system. The recording process starts after pressing the "Go" button. You can read more about the work of this program.

To create a multi-boot flash drive (several operating systems), you need to specify the path to the ISO images of operating systems. The Windows 10 selection item is not available by default at the time of this writing, but in reality everything is written and works, you just need to select the appropriate column with the available versions - Vista, 7, 8.

2. Rufus

Perhaps the easiest solution to create bootable USB drives. Everything is simple and intuitive. Suitable for work on systems that do not have an installed OS. Official site rufus.akeo.ie.

Of the main advantages - speed, simple interface, Russian language. An excellent solution if there is a need to create a bootable Windows 10 USB flash drive with UEFI support. By the way, I wrote in detail about how to do this in.

It is distributed in the format of a regular installer and a portable version. To create a bootable flash drive in the utility window, you must specify the path to the ISO image to be burned and click the "Start" button.

On new systems that use UEFI instead of BIOS, set the Partition Scheme and System Interface Type menu to GPT for UEFI Machines.
Otherwise, the default settings will suffice. The option to format the flash drive is assigned by default.

3. Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

This utility is an official application from Microsoft. The interface is minimalistic, simple and clear, it is easy to work with it. Downloading from the official site wudt.codeplex.com.

Perhaps the name of the utility (Windows 7 USB) will mislead many that it can only be used to write the Windows 7 distribution to removable media. However, this is not the case. In addition to the seventh version, Windows 8.1 and 10 distributions can be written to a USB flash drive.

Of the minuses - the utility is not Russified, however, a simple and intuitive interface is designed to level this drawback.

All that is required from the user is to insert a USB drive in advance, select the ISO image with the operating system and specify the path to the media (flash drive) to which this image should be deployed.

The principle of operation of this program is based on the standard tools of the Windows operating system - these are "diskpart", "bootsect / nt60", unpacking ISO to a USB flash drive. The program acts only as a graphical interface.

UltraISO is one of the best and most functional disc imaging programs. A universal "combine" that supports almost any known format. Able to work in tandem with Nero Burning Rom and integrates with virtual emulators. It will help if the boot disk image is not in ISO format.

The program can convert other image formats into ISO files - NRG, MDF, MDS, IMG, CCD, etc. With UltraISO you can edit ISO files without unpacking them. The UltraISO interface has been translated into many languages, including Russian. For downloading, you are offered a choice of several editions of UltraISO, adapted for individual versions of Windows, as well as a portable version of the program. Download link www.ezbsystems.com.

By and large, the program does not care what boot devices will be created with its help, with what operating system, what software and from what manufacturer. The writable ISO image must be opened in the program window, either using the "Open" command in the "File" menu, or using the browse button on the toolbar. You can also do this with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + O.

Then, in the window that appears, if the program automatically selects the desired flash drive, you should click the "Burn" button.

Daemon Tools Ultra is a professional imaging tool. The program itself is familiar to many users from the free Lite version, which allows you to mount virtual drives to read disk images. Its more functional version - Daemon Tools Ultra - among other features offers the creation of bootable devices.

Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting that it is paid, but to create a bootable USB flash drive on the official website of the program, you can download a free trial 20-day version. Official website of the program.

We go to the official website and download the program. During installation (installation), you need to select a trial license type.

The program works with a huge number of disk image formats and can be used both to create a bootable device with subsequent installation of the operating system, and to restore it (Live-disk).

To create a bootable flash drive in the main window of Daemon Tools Ultra, select the "Tools" menu item, and among its commands - "Burn bootable image to USB". Or the hotkey combination Ctrl+B.

In the recording options window, specify the path to the image, make the MBR overwrite option active and click "Start".

When the flash drive is ready, it remains only to boot from it. The easiest way is to use the boot menu keys. The table below shows an illustrative example of such keys.

Of course, this is not the whole list of programs designed to create bootable devices, however, for the vast majority of users, the capabilities and functionality of the listed software will be enough.

For example, the Rufus program can be used as the easiest and fastest tool to create a bootable USB disk with one Windows distribution or to flash the BIOS from under DOS.

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. There are also options for creating a USB drive to run Windows 10 and 8 without installing and using Linux in Live mode without restarting 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 of various versions, as well as a description of several auxiliary useful 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.

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 flash drive.

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.

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 can be completely different, depending on the goals and preferences of the owner of such a flash drive.

WinSetupFromUSB

WinsetupFromUSB 1.6 main window

In my personal opinion, one of the most convenient utilities for creating a bootable USB flash drive. The functions of the program are 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, check the bootable USB flash drive in QEMU.

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 10, 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.

Free program SARDU to create a multiboot flash drive

SARDU is one of the most functional and simple, despite the lack of a Russian-language interface, programs that allow you to easily burn a multi-boot flash drive with:

• Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 and XP images
• Win PE images
• Linux distributions
• Antivirus boot disks and boot drives with utilities for system resuscitation, setting up partitions on disks, etc.

At the same time, for many images, the program has a built-in downloader from the Internet. If all the methods of creating a multi-boot flash drive that have been tried so far have not yet suited you, I strongly recommend trying: Multi-boot flash drive in SARDU.

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:

1. You prepare the USB drive in a special way
2. 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 in English and the lack of a graphical interface, is somewhat more complicated 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, anti-virus 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. Despite the fact that the program was released for the previous version of the operating system, it also works fine with Windows 8 and Windows 10 . You can download it on the official website of Microsoft

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 10, 8 or Windows 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:

1. You prepare the flash drive using diskpart on the command line.
2. Copy all operating system installation files to the drive.
3. 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.

Flash drive with Windows 10 and 8 in WinToUSB Free

The WinToUSB Free program allows you to make a bootable USB flash drive not for installing Windows 10 and 8, but for directly launching them from a USB drive without installation. At the same time, in my experience, it copes with this task better than analogues.

As a source for a system written to USB, an ISO image, a Windows CD, or even an OS already installed on the computer can be used (although the latter option, if I'm not mistaken, is not available in the free version).

WiNToBootic

Another free and perfectly working utility for creating a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8 or Windows 7. A rather little known, but, in my opinion, worthy of attention 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 that of 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 working.

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 is a free utility that allows you to create a bootable Windows or Linux flash drive. The program works on all current versions of Windows OS and, in addition to its 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, and, in recent versions, among other things, can make a Windows To Go drive to run Windows from a USB flash drive without installation.

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 I 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

Below are additional programs that can help create a bootable USB flash drive (including those with Linux), and also offer some features that are not available in the already mentioned utilities.

Linux Live USB Creator

Distinctive features of the program for creating bootable flash drives Linux Live USB Creator are:

• The ability to download the desired Linux image using the program itself from a fairly good list of distributions, including all popular Ubuntu and Linux Mint variants.
• The ability to run Linux from the created USB drive in Live mode in a Windows environment using VirtualBox Portable, which is also automatically installed by Linux Live USB Creator on the drive.

Of course, the ability to simply boot a computer or laptop from a Linux Live USB Creator flash drive and install the system is also present.

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 location of 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 10, 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 installation or resuscitation disk of the operating system, with the help of certain programs, can be transferred to a flash card and used in case of computer failure or recovery of the operating system from the BIOS, as a result of complete damage to Windows or other OS. For this purpose, you can use programs for creating a bootable Windows 7 flash drive:

UltraISO

An application for creating a bootable flash drive or converting ISO CD/DVD formula files, which provides the ability to directly analyze and modify audio or image files contained on CD/DVD optical discs and extract the necessary information from them.

You can manipulate downloadable ISO information by creating installation flash media and CD/DVDs. This is a utility for reviewing and editing documents in ISO format, able to work with all modern image codes.

Rufus

E It is a small tool for formatting and compiling bootable USB media, memory sticks and keys. Compared to its peers, Rufus is faster and more useful when you need to create an installation and recovery flash drive with an ISO image of a variety of operating systems.

The utility can also flash BIOS or DOS or run low-level applications.You can download the program for creating a bootable USB flash drive from torrent sources or on our website.

Win32 Disk Imager

The program removes the ability to clone USB information and memory cards for SD (Secure Digital) portable devices and store them in the form of IMG files. In addition, the utility is able to transfer ISO-images to removable media. Win32 Disk Imager has a 128-bit hashing algorithm and does not require a separate installation.

UNetBooting

Allows the user to create LiveUSB installation disks for Ubuntu, Fedora, and other Linux distributions without being written to CDs. The tool works with Mac OS X, Windows or Linux operating systems. A collection of installation files can be downloaded directly from the application window or via a native Linux ISO image file.

PeToUsb

Computer resources-saving software written for formatting flash drives and removable HDDs with subsequent formation of recovery distributions of Windows operating systems on them and creating their reserves on USB drives. To do this, the utility uses Master Boot Record. One of the indisputable advantages of PeToUSB is that the software works with pre-installation versions of BartPE and WinPE.

WinToFlash

A multilingual program for creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7. It opens up the possibility for the user to accurately move the installation files of almost all operating systems of the Windows family to removable drives in a few clicks.

The utility supports 32 and 64 bit processors and also works with CAB, ARJ, ISO, DMG, ZIP, RAR and 7z formats. The application can format drives in FAT-32, NTFS and FAT-16 file systems.

Windows Bootable Image (WBI) Creator

The application was created in order to assemble a bootable ISO image file in a few steps, imitating in full the operating system of any generation of Windows 7, 8. The utility is so unpretentious in use that basic knowledge of the computer is enough to create a resuscitation flash backup. If the speed of the program is a plus, then the lack of a burn function will be a disadvantage.

Download Windows Bootable Image (WBI) Creator

Universal USB Installer

A utility from a series of freeware programs that provides the perspective of creating a bootable flash drive from Linux recovery file groups, based on Debian, Puppy Linux, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Mint, Linux and Fedora builds.

To perform the entire operation, you must select the assembly that you are going to write to removable media and specify the path to the image on the computer's HDD. The program has the ability to format the USB flash drive in the FAT32 system.

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Microsoft developers have provided an official version of a small program for creating a clone of the working version of the Windows 7 operating system, with subsequent deployment to optical or flash media. The tool is designed for owners of netbooks and other computer devices that are not equipped with disk wires. The program is as simple as possible - after installation, it remains only to select the distribution kit of the system in the ISO image and specify the installation path.

WiNToBootic

An application that allows you to create an installation USB NTFS disk for Windows and Linux families. Software focused on ease of use and speed. You can burn an ISO dummy using drag and drop information.

The program, unlike competing applications, has features such as USB creation with NTFS support, Windows 7 bootloader, ISO 13346 (UDF), ISO 9660 (Joilet), ISO: Windows 7/8/2008 / Vista / PE2 and PE3.

WinSetupFromUSB

The program can format removable media in the FAT32 and NTFS file systems, as well as create an ISO copy-image of operating systems BartPE, WinBulder, Windows 7, XP, WinFLPC, Vista and others on it. One caveat - some anti-virus programs may recognize the WinSetapFromUSB setup_dbg.ex and setup.ex extensions as malicious. Therefore, the response of antiviruses should be taken as false.

xboot

Powerful program for creating a bootable DVD/CD or USB media of one or more ISO image files. Management is very simple - after dragging information into the program window, just run the executive command "Create USB" or "Create ISO".

The application has a universal option for loading Grub4dos or ISO Emulation, in case of working with operating systems that do not support this utility. You can download this program to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7, 8 for free on our website, using a direct link.

With many programs offering their own solution to the problem of archiving and storing a working copy used by the user of the operating system, it is difficult to make an unmistakable choice. Nevertheless, the listed applications are able to effectively perform the declared functions. You just have to choose the option with the most suitable set of features.

Now most modern computers and laptops come without an optical CD / DVD drive. In this regard, the issue of creating bootable flash drives for installing the Windows 10 operating system is acute. The Internet is full of various programs for creating bootable USB media, and it can be difficult for a novice user to choose the one that suits him best.
I will tell you about the best and most convenient applications that will help you burn Windows onto a USB flash drive for installation on a PC without any problems. Go!

1.Microsoft Media Creation Tool

In my opinion, Microsoft's proprietary Media Creation Tool is the best Windows 10 bootable USB flash drive software for beginners. Firstly, it is universal and allows you not to bother searching the Internet for a normal image with Windows! Microsoft Media Creation Tool will automatically download it from the official server and write it to bootable media.

Secondly, the utility can easily create not only USB installation media, but also a DVD, if necessary. Thirdly, the program interface is very simple and built in the form of a dialogue. Even a schoolboy can figure it out!

2. UltraISO

This program does not just allow you to make a USB flash drive with Windows 10 - it is a whole multifunctional combine. Creating bootable USB drives is just one of its functions, among which are the creation of images of various formats, their conversion, editing and burning.

To create a bootable USB flash drive in the UltraISO program, open the operating system image with it and select the following menu item "Boot" -> "Burn Hard Disk Image".
In the window that appears, you need to select the logical drive of your drive, format it and start recording to a removable drive.

3. UNetBooting

This is an excellent free utility that allows you to easily and quickly create a bootable USB flash drive not only with Windows 10. There are a bunch of Linux, MacOS and recovery LiveUSB distributions to choose from. All you need to do is connect to the Internet to access them. The program is small in size and cross-platform.

UNetbootin does not use distribution rules to create your Live USB drive, so most ISO files should boot correctly using this option. However, be aware that not all distributions support booting from USB, and some others require additional boot options or other modifications before they can boot from USB drives, so these ISO files will not work as is.

4.Etcher

A great option for those who do not like to mess with the settings, but want to quickly make a bootable USB flash drive with Windows is the free Etcher cross-platform application.

In order to make an installation USB disk, you just need to press 3 buttons in turn: image selection (formats supported: ISO, IMG, DSK, GZ, BZZ, XZ), logical disk selection and recording. Everything! What I really liked is that Etcher works great not only with USB flash drives, but also with SD and MicroSD cards.

5. Rufus

Rufus is already a fairly well-known utility that has already proven itself quite well. It perfectly knows how to format and create bootable USB drives with Windows 10, Linux, LiveUSB and other operating systems.

The main feature of the Rufus program is its speed. Rufus is really fast! On the test, the program managed to burn a USB flash drive with "Ten" almost 2 times faster than UNetbootin and Universal USB Installer.

6. WinToUSB (aka Windows To USB)

Many computer publications consider Windows To USB, or WinToUSB for short, to be the best free tool for creating USB installation disks. It will help you quickly install and run the Windows 10 operating system on your PC using a flash drive or external hard drive.

The utility works without problems with ISO, WIM, ESD, SWM, VHD, VHDX image formats. WinToUSB works fine with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/Server 2008/2012/2016 ISO files. Also, with its help you can create a bootable USB-disk with Windows PE.
The application interface is logically clear and does not cause any difficulties during operation.

7.RMPrepUSB

The RMPrepUSB application is not just a great program for creating bootable USBs, but a whole multifunctional combine that supports a bunch of different formats, file systems and types of virtual images. In general, this is a console utility, but there are many different shells for it. The best, in my opinion, is a proprietary version from its developers.

RMPartUSB can create a partition of any size and is primarily intended for USB Flash Drives (UFDs), although it can be used to create a bootable partition on other removable drives or SD and MicroSD memory cards. The utility can easily place a bootloader for XP / WinPEv1 (ntldr), Windows 10 / Windows 7 / WinPEv2 (bootmgr), MS-DOS (io.sys) or FreeDos (kernel.sys) on a USB device. The result can be immediately tested thanks to the built-in Qemu virtual machine.
This is a great option for those who like to tinker with settings and options to get the results they want.

8.Universal USB Installer

The name of this program is translated into Russian as "Universal USB Installer". It is also known as UUI. The interface is built in the form of a wizard. In order to make an installation USB with Windows 10 using the Universal USB Installer, you need to select the “Windows 10 Installer” option in the list in the first step.

In the second step, you must specify the path to the file with the image of "Tens". In the last step, specify the letter of the flash drive and click the "Create" button.
The only thing I want to warn about is that you must first format it. Otherwise, further problems may arise.

9.WinSetupFromUSB

In the review, I cannot fail to mention another cool combine utility for writing bootable USB flash drives - WinSetupFromUSB.

It is this program that is always present on my computer in case it is necessary to make a multiboot USB drive for installing Windows or Linux operating systems. It also has a built-in QEMU emulator that allows you to test the result right there on the spot. The WinSetupFromUSB program is simple, free and undemanding to computer resources.

10. Novicorp WinToFlash Lite

The main difference of the program is that it does not use an image file. In the case of using this utility, this image must be unpacked into some folder. Next, the standard procedure occurs: the folder with the installation files is selected, the path to the flash drive is indicated.

11.ISO to USB

This simple program is designed to burn an ISO image to a bootable USB drive: a USB flash drive or hard drive.

The operation algorithm is no different from the same UUI: select the Windows 10 installation image file, indicate the drive letter from which the flash drive was connected and click the "Burn" button.

12.ISO2Disc

Looking at the name, you might get the impression that the ISO2Disc utility only works with optical CDs or DVDs. But no! Thanks to the support of the Windows To Go function, it allows you to make a bootable USB drive or memory card for installing Windows 10. The interface is simple, similar to the previous application. The only limitation is that only ISO format images are supported.

What I personally really liked was the ability in ISO2Disc to choose the type for the installation flash drive - MBR for old hard drives or GPT for modern SSDs. So definitely a Must Have!

13. Win32 Disk Imager

Perhaps the most minimalistic software of all presented. The insignificant size and the elementary interface.

However, Win32 Disk Imager does a great job. Plus, it's pretty slick. With it, you can easily burn a CD or DVD image to a USB or SD card. By the way, this is one of the few programs in the review that can not only record, but also capture an image from the desired media.

14. PeToUSB

PeToUSB is a small and resource-intensive application, and it's also very easy to use. But despite this, it has excellent functionality for formatting usb flash drives and removable external hdd drives, as well as for further creating installation media with both the old faithful Windows XP and the new "Ten".

In addition, she knows how to perfectly create a backup copy of the installed system and then transfer it to a USB drive. Not bad, right?
PeToUSB can also be used to obtain detailed information about the external drive itself.

15.Passcape ISO Burner

As you might guess from the name of the utility, it is designed to work with ISO images - write to various media and unpack correctly. We are interested in creating a bootable USB disk. To do this, in the main window there is an item "Create bootable USB disk":

16. WinToHDD Free

This program stands out among others in that it allows you to make a multi-boot USB flash drive with different operating systems or several versions of Windows at once.

In fact, it is a kind of bootloader that allows you to launch any of the ISO images that you put on removable media for installation.
If you often install OS on computers and laptops, then WinToHDD is your choice!

17. Windows Disc Image Burner

The last in the review of programs for creating bootable flash drives, I decided to include the proprietary Windows Disc Image Burner utility for burning ISO from Microsoft, which it has built into its Windows operating systems since the Seven.

ISO and IMG files are supported.
This application is unremarkable, but in the absence of alternatives for burning an image, it can quite help out in a pinch.