Download a program to create a multiboot flash drive. How to make an image of a bootable flash drive in the WinSetupFromUSB program. Windows Emergency Boot

If you want to create a bootable USB flash drive or burn a distribution kit of some utility/program onto it, you need the appropriate software. This article will present several of the most convenient and easy-to-use programs and utilities. All that remains is to choose the most suitable one for yourself.

First solution - official program from Microsoft, called Media Creation Tool. Its functionality is small, and all it can do is update the current Windows version to the current 10 and/or write its image to a flash drive.

The advantage is that it will save you from searching for a clean and working image, thanks to the fact that it will record the official distribution kit on a USB drive.

Rufus

This is a more serious program that has all the necessary functions to create a full-fledged bootable USB drive. Firstly, Rufus suggests formatting before burning the distribution. Secondly, it carefully scans the flash drive for damaged sectors so that you can replace the media if necessary. Thirdly, it offers two types of formatting: quick and full. Of course, the second will delete information more efficiently.

Rufus supports all types file systems and is portable program. By the way, thanks to the Windows To Go feature, you can burn Windows 8, 8.1, 10 to a flash drive and run this system on any PC.

WinSetupFromUSB

The next solution is Win Setup From USB. Unlike the previous program, this utility is capable of recording multiple images at once, creating multi-boot media.

Before starting use, she suggests doing backup copy all information on the media, as well as configure boot menu. However, the utility is not Russified, and the menu through which control takes place is quite complex.

SARDU

This program will save you from having to search for the necessary distributions on the Internet, since you can select the ones you need directly in its interface. She will download everything she needs from official websites and record it on the required media. The created image can be easily tested for functionality through the built-in QEMU emulator, which was also not the case in previous software solutions.

There were some downsides too. The fact is that most images can be downloaded via the SARDU interface for subsequent recording on media only after purchasing the PRO version, otherwise the choice is limited.

XBoot

This program is easy to use. All that is required to get started is using the mouse to drag the required distribution kits into the main program window. There you can distribute them into categories and create a description for convenience. In the main window you can see the total size of all distributions loaded into the program in order to select the media of the required size.

As in the previous solution, you can download some images from the Internet directly through the XBut interface. The choice, of course, is small, but everything is free, unlike SARDU. The only negative of the program is the lack of Russian language.

Butler

This is a utility created by a Russian developer, which is not very different from previous solutions. With it, you can record multiple images and create unique names for them so as not to get confused.

The only thing that distinguishes it from other similar programs is the ability to choose the design of the menu of your future bootable media, but you can also select a regular text mode. One bad thing is that Butler does not provide the ability to format a flash drive before recording.

UltraISO is a multifunctional program for burning images not only to a flash drive, but also to CDs. Unlike some previous programs and utilities, this one can create an image from an existing disk with a Windows distribution for subsequent recording on another medium.

Another one good function– creating an image from one already installed on your hard drive operating system. If you need to run a distribution, but don't have time to burn it, there is a mount function that allows you to do this. In addition to all this, you can compress and convert images to other formats. The program has only one drawback: it is paid, but there is a trial version for testing.

UNetBootin

This is a simple and portable utility for burning images to a flash drive. As in some previous programs and utilities, the functionality of YunetButin is limited to recording an existing image on media and the ability to download what you need from the Internet through its interface.

The main disadvantage of this solution is the inability to simultaneously record several images on one drive.

PeToUSB

Another free, portable utility for creating bootable media. Among its capabilities, it is worth noting the formatting of a USB drive before recording, which is clearly lacking in the same UNetBooting. However, the manufacturer has long stopped supporting its brainchild.

It supports writing OS images to a flash drive with a capacity of no more than 4 GB, which will not be enough for all versions. In addition, the utility is not yet Russified.

WinToFlash

The selection is completed by a functional program for recording images – WinToFlash. Using it, you can burn several distributions at once and create multi-boot media, unlike Rufus. As with UltraISO, through this program you can create and burn an image of an existing disk with a Windows distribution. It is also worth noting the function of preparing the media for recording - formatting and checking for bad sectors.

Among the features there is also a function to create bootable flash drive with MS-DOS. VinTuFlash provides a separate item that allows you to create a LiveCD, which may be necessary, for example, to restore Windows. There are also paid versions of this program, but the functionality free versions quite enough to simply create a bootable USB flash drive or disk. Essentially, WinToFlash has collected everything useful features previous software solutions discussed above.

All the programs and utilities listed in this article allow you to create a bootable USB flash drive, and some even a CD. Some of them are modest in terms of functionality, while others offer a range of features. You just need to choose the most suitable solution and download it.

In articles on how to install Windows from a flash drive, I have already described some ways to create a bootable flash drive, but not all. Listed below are separate 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 Windows installations or Linux, as well as programs for burning a multiboot flash drive. 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 flash drive, several new options have appeared for preparing a USB drive for installing Windows, which I consider 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 USB flash drive Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 without programs

Those who have modern computer, equipped 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, may not use any third-party programs at all to create a bootable one flash drives.

Everything you need to use this method: EFI boot support, USB drive formatted in FAT32 and preferably original image ISO or disk with the specified versions of Windows OS (for non-original ones it is safer to use creating a UEFI flash drive using 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 the only official Microsoft utility for creating a bootable USB flash drive (originally intended for Windows 7, described below in this same article).

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

With this free program you can easily make a bootable USB or ISO image, selecting the professional, single-language or basic version of Windows 8.1, as well as the installation language, including Russian. In this case, the official distribution kit is downloaded from the Microsoft website, which may be important for those who require the original Windows.

Multiboot flash drives

First of all, I’ll tell you about two tools designed to create a multiboot flash drive - an indispensable tool for any computer repairman and, if you have the skills, a great thing for regular user computer. As the name suggests, a multiboot flash drive allows you to boot in different modes and for different purposes, for example, on one flash drive you 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

Main window WinsetupFromUSB 1.6

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 subsequent conversion into a bootable one, format it in a variety of ways and create the necessary boot record, check the bootable flash drive in QEMU.

The main function, which is also implemented quite simply and clearly, is recording a bootable USB flash drive from images Linux installations, utility discs, as well as installations of Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 and XP (Server versions are also supported). The use is not as simple as some of the other programs in this review, but, nevertheless, if you more or less understand how this kind of media is made, it will not be difficult for you to figure it out.

Free SARDU program for creating a multiboot flash drive

SARDU is one of the most functional and simple, despite the lack of a Russian-language interface, programs that make it easy to burn a multiboot flash drive with:

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

Moreover, 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 worked for you, I strongly recommend trying: Multi-boot flash drive in SARDU.

Easy2Boot and Butler (Boutler)

The programs for creating bootable and multiboot flash drives Easy2Boot and Butler are very similar in operating principle. In general terms, this principle looks like this:

1. You prepare the USB drive in a special way
2. Copy 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. Essentially, the number of ISOs you can use is limited only by the size of the drive, which is very convenient, especially for professionals who really need it.

The disadvantages of both programs for novice users include the need to understand what you are doing and be able to manually make changes to the disk if necessary (everything does not always work as desired by default). At the same time, Easy2Boot, taking into account the availability of help only for English language and lack of a graphical interface, somewhat more complicated than Boutler.

XBoot

XBoot is a free utility for creating a multiboot flash drive or ISO disk image with several versions of Linux, utilities, antivirus kits (for example, Kaspersky Rescue), Live CD (Hiren’s Boot CD). Windows is not supported. However, if we need a very functional multiboot flash drive, 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 recorded in XBoot. You can download on the official website https://sites.google.com/site/shamurxboot/

Creating bootable media in this program is done by simply dragging and dropping the desired ISO files into the main window. Then all you have to do is click “Create ISO” or “Create USB”.

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

Bootable Windows flash drives

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

Microsoft Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Windows utility 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 previous version operating system, it also works great with Windows 8 and Windows 10. You can download it from the official Microsoft website

Selecting a Windows ISO image in a utility from Microsoft

Use does not present any difficulties - after installation, you will need to specify the path to the Windows disk image file (.iso), indicate which USB drive to write to (all data will be deleted) and wait for the operation to complete. That's all, the bootable USB flash drive with Windows 10, 8 or Windows 7 is ready.

Bootable USB flash drive in Windows command line

If you need a flash drive to install Windows 8, 8.1 or Windows 7, then it is not necessary to use any third party programs to create it. Moreover, some of these programs are simply GUI, doing all the same things you can do yourself using the command line.

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

1. You are preparing a flash drive with 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 require UEFI support when installing Windows 7).

There is nothing complicated in this procedure, and even a novice user can handle it if you follow 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 its analogues.

An ISO image, a Windows CD, or even an OS already installed on the computer can be used as a source for the system recorded on USB (though last chance, 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. Quite little known, but, in my opinion, a program worth attention.

Advantages of WiNTBootic compared to Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool:

• Supports ISO images from Windows, unzipped OS folder or DVD
• No need to install on your computer
• High 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, and then 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 needed a bootable MS DOS or Win PE flash drive, you can also make one using WinToFlash. Another feature of the program is the creation of a flash drive for removing a banner from the desktop.

Rufus

Rufus is a free utility that allows you to create a bootable Windows or Linux USB flash drive. The program works on all current this moment versions of Windows OS and, among its other functions, can check the flash drive for bad sectors and 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 latest versions, among other things, can make a Windows To Go drive to run Windows from a flash drive without installation.

Considering the fact that many users in Russia do not really pay 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, run UltraISO.
• Select the menu item (top) Bootstrapping.
• Specify the path to the bootable image of the distribution that you want to burn to the flash drive.
• If necessary, format the flash drive (this is done in the same window), then click “write”.

That's it, boot Windows flash drive or Linux created using the UltraISO program is ready.

Other utilities related to bootable flash drives

Below are collected additional programs, which can help in creating a bootable flash drive (including with Linux), and also offer some features that are missing in the already mentioned utilities.

Linux Live USB Creator

Distinctive Features programs for creating bootable USB flash drives Linux Live USB Creator are:

• The ability to download the required Linux image using the program itself from a fairly good list of distributions, including all the popular Ubuntu and Linux Mint variants.
• Opportunity launch Linux from the created USB drive in Live mode in 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 - creating a bootable ISO

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

Program window Universal USB Installer

This program allows you to select 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 distribution version, specify the path to the location of the file with this distribution, specify the path to a flash drive pre-formatted in FAT or NTFS and click Create. That's it, all you have to do is wait.

These are not all programs designed for these purposes; there are many others for various platforms and purposes. For most common and not so common tasks, the utilities listed should be sufficient. Let me remind you that it’s 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.

Greetings, my dear readers, subscribers and simply computer enthusiasts!

Yesterday I decided to install the old, but very reliable and well-known Windows XPi as the second operating system. As always, I didn’t have a bobblehead. Therefore, I decided to describe how to write windows xp to a flash drive, why this OS is needed at all, how it differs from others, and what other programs will be needed. Go!

Why XP?

Many will no longer remember this operating system. However, not so long ago it was the most stable and worked almost without errors or crashes. It is cost-effective to install it because it requires fewer resources from the computer, compared even to the same seven and eight. For example, if you have a weak laptop and you only work on it, then it is more cost-effective to leave the XP operating system on it.

Imagine that you wanted to feel nostalgic and decided to play an old game. It will not run on new systems. Downloading some emulators is dangerous for the operating systems themselves, but having them on board hard drive an old “piggy” (Windows XP), which will come in handy. It is easy to install, weighs little, the only problem is with the drivers, but this issue can also be solved.

XP is much more stable than its newer counterparts. Of course, it is not currently supported by manufacturers. However, if your computer was purchased exclusively for work, and the machine is weak, then this is the most the best choice for her.

The OS itself is quite compact; even on a 120 GB hard drive it will take up minimal space. Even the 64-bit version will not require more than 30 gigabytes for full functionality. Of course, it doesn't support DirectX version 10, but you don't need it. And such software as office, photoshop, various readers and sound editors They work quite well on this shell.

Another advantage is that such an OS can be written to a flash drive that is only 4 gigabytes in size. After all, not everyone has larger storage media. You can take a completely old card, lying around somewhere in a closet, and make a boot device out of it.

Drivers

With the necessary software everything is a little more complicated than in modern versions of operating systems. The fact is that it is impossible to port software to new hardware without errors. Therefore, you need to look for it on the Internet. For this it is better to use thematic sites. Or programs that are specially created for this.

The ideal option would be if you still have driver disks from an old computer. They have everything you need. As a last resort, you can simply update them, because this is much easier than looking for new software from an unknown manufacturer.

What is required to burn a bootable USB flash drive?

Since we will be working with the old system, we will have to find an image. We will download the full professional version. Here are some links:

Any of the links, in any case, should work even after a year from the date of publication of the article. To download the distribution kit by torrent, you will need this is the program.

Install it and download the distribution.

Now we need programs to burn a bootable USB flash drive.

The first is ultraiso. Download from here.

Or we will try to record the operating system via Rufus.

You also need the flash drive itself. Let's look at which one to choose below.

Media selection

You may think that you should choose a medium based on the amount of information it can hold. But no, a 4 gig device is enough. The type of port is also not important here. Even if you use USB 3.0, it won't speed up booting much. I'll explain why.

Port speed only affects the transfer of files from a flash drive to a hard drive. However, data decompression depends only on the hardware inside your PC case. Ports have nothing to do with it. Taking a USB 3.0 flash drive is not cost-effective. You can use old analogues, or just buy the cheapest one.

Burning media via UltraISO

So, let's install the program itself. Then we open it. We see this interface.

We select the trial period, press the button and see this window in which we select the position - open.

.

Now we select the image of our system. When downloading by torrent, it should be in a folder under the name “ Downloads».

Then, in the menu at the top of the window, select , and in the drop-down list click on “ burn a hard disk image».

The flash drive will most likely be detected immediately, but the recording method must be selected manually. Set the position to USB HDD+ V2. Next press the button records.

Now a sign will pop up asking you to agree.

It is important that the operation is completed until it is completely completed, otherwise you will then have to run to your neighbors for a new image and to record a new device.

Since almost no one uses CDs and DVDs these days, it is logical that it is best to burn the Windows image for further installation onto a USB drive. This approach is indeed much more convenient, because the flash drive itself is much smaller and is very convenient to store in your pocket. Therefore, we will analyze all the most efficient methods for creating bootable media for further installation of Windows.

For reference: creating bootable media means that an operating system image is written to it. From this very drive, the OS is subsequently installed on the computer. Previously, when reinstalling the system, we inserted a disk into the computer and installed it from it. Now you can use a regular USB drive for this.

To do this, you can use proprietary Microsoft software, the already installed operating system itself, or other programs. In any case, the creation process is not difficult at all. Even a novice user can cope with it.

All the methods described below assume that you already have a downloaded ISO image of the operating system on your computer, which you will write to a flash drive. So, if you haven't downloaded the OS yet, do so. You must also have suitable removable media. Its volume should be sufficient to accommodate the image you downloaded. At the same time, some files may still be stored on the drive; it is not necessary to delete them. All the same, during the recording process, all information will be irretrievably erased.

Method 1: Use UltraISO

There is a detailed description of this program on our website, so we will not describe how to use it. There is also a link where you can download it. To create a bootable USB flash drive using Ultra ISO, do the following:

If any problems or errors appear during recording, most likely the problem is in a damaged image. But if you downloaded the program from the official website, no difficulties should arise.

Method 2: Rufus

Another very convenient program that allows you to very quickly create bootable media. To use it, follow these steps:

It is worth saying that Rufus has other settings and recording options, but they can be left as they are originally. If you wish, you can check the box "Check for bad blocks" and indicate the number of passes. Thanks to this, after recording, the installation flash drive will be checked for damaged parts. If any are detected, the system will automatically correct them.

If you understand what MBR and GPT are, you can also indicate this feature of the future image under the inscription “Partition scheme and system interface type”. But doing all this is completely optional.

Method 3: Windows USB/DVD Download Tool

After the release of Windows 7, Microsoft developers decided to create special remedy, which allows you to make a bootable USB flash drive with an image of this operating system. This is how a program called . Over time, management decided that this utility could well provide recording for other operating systems. Today, this utility allows you to record Windows 7, Vista and XP. Therefore, for those who want to make media with Linux or another system other than Windows, this tool is not suitable.

To use it, follow these steps:

Method 4: Windows Installation Media Creation Tool

Microsoft specialists have also created a special tool that allows you to install on a computer or create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7, 8 and 10. The Windows Installation Media Creation Tool is most convenient for those who decide to record an image of one of these systems. To use the program, do the following:

In the same tool, but for Windows 10, this process will look slightly different. First, check the box next to the inscription "Create installation media for another computer". Click "Further".


But then everything is exactly the same as in the Windows Installation Media Creation Tool for version 8.1. As for the seventh version, the process there is no different from that shown above for 8.1.

Method 5: UNetbootin

This tool is intended for those who need to create a bootable Linux USB flash drive from Windows. To use it, do this:

Method 6: Universal USB Installer

Universal USB Installer allows you to write to drives Windows images, Linux and other OS. But it is best to use this tool for Ubuntu and other similar operating systems. To use this program, do the following:

If you decide to install an operating system Windows system from a flash drive, then the first thing you need is special program in order to transfer files from a disk image to a flash drive. In this article we will look at a number of popular programs for creating a bootable flash drive.

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool is a devil paid program developed by Microsoft. It is designed to quickly record an image installation disk from Windows to an optical disc or flash drive. The program has the simplest possible interface.

All the user needs to do is select a disk image for, select the type of drive (flash drive or dvd disk), and also specify the flash drive that will be used as a boot drive.

If this is your first time installing Windows from a flash drive and you need the most simple and understandable program for creating a bootable flash drive, then Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool from Microsoft is the ideal choice. Download this program from .

Just like the previous program, WinSetupFromUSB is a free program for creating . This program has significantly more capabilities and allows you to quickly create a multiboot flash drive with the ability to install operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 7, BartPE (WinBulder/UBCD4Win/WinFLPC), DOS, Linux and *BSD.

The WinSetupFromUSB program is suitable for those users who already have some experience in installing operating systems and want to get more options. On the official website you can also read the instructions for using it.

UltraISO is a paid program for working with disk images. Among other things this program can create bootable flash drives. In order to create a bootable USB flash drive using the UltraISO program, you need to open the “Boot” menu in the program and select “Burn Hard Disk Image”.

After this, a window will open in which you need to select a disk image and flash drive. In general, creating a bootable USB flash drive using the UltraISO program is not difficult, but this program is overloaded with other functions, which can create difficulties for inexperienced users. UltraISO programs are available on the official website.

FlashBoot is a paid program for . Using this program, you can format a flash drive and transfer operating system installation files to it. FlashBoot is similar in many ways to the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool, but has more features. For example, using FlashBoot you can create a bootable USB flash drive directly from an optical disk, just like the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool requires a disk image in ISO format.

FlashBoot is a paid program, but you can use trial version. you can from the official website.

Rufus

Rufus is a small free program, which works without installation on your computer. You can use it to create a bootable USB flash drive. The program is different simple interface, but nevertheless has a number of interesting functions. For example, the user is given the choice of GPT or MBR partition table format.

On the official website of the program you can also read the instructions.