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Introduction |
| '''Distros this works with: Universal''' | | '''What this guide accomplishes: Making a USB drive bootable to install Linux.''' | | | '''Important notes:''' | * This guide favors NEW USB drives. This guide can be used with used drives, but a new drive is suggested. You can get a 8GB USB drive for ~$5, but this will depend on local prices. If you buy it online, expect to pay even less. Sometimes 16GB drives cost the same amount as 8GB drives. | * DVD burning related information has been removed. The reason for this is I believe USB is the better option. You will probably find your next laptop doesn't have a DVD drive and you will need a USB optical drive in order to use CD or DVD media. If you bought the laptop used and you find the drive does not work you will have to use this unless you replace the drive or again, use an external optical drive. USB is also more durable then optical media. The main advantage is the ability to reuse older USB media by formatting it. This also comes in handy if you switch distros, since you can wipe the drive and change distros. With DVD media, you need to burn a whole new set. | * If your system that has trouble booting from USB flashdrives directly, you can use a boot manager to mitigate the problem. There is a link to a guide that covers this. '''However, most users will not need this.''' | | '''READ THIS IF YOU ARE USING A USED FLASH DRIVE!''' | | * This guide favors NEW USB drives. Used drives will work, but I recommend buying a new drive just for this purpose. They generally cost so little it doesn't make sense to reuse one unless that's all you can do. | | * I have removed any information related to DVD burning. The reason for this is USB booting is widely supported and most new laptops no longer include a DVD drive, and a USB external drive will be required if you wish to continue using DVD media. If you bought the laptop used, there's a very good chance the optical drive may need to be replaced and the previous owner neglected it or ever found out. The main benefit comes from media reusability, since USB drives can be formatted over and over again, so you do not have to throw them out once the distro becomes EOL, or you switch distros. This is not possible with DVD's. | | * If your system that has trouble booting from USB flashdrives directly, you can use a boot manager to mitigate the problem. There is a link to a guide that covers this. '''Note: While this is an option for stubborn systems, these are very rare and you only need this for legacy systems in many cases.''' | | '''Important: READ THIS IF YOU ARE USING A USED FLASH DRIVE!''' | | * If your USB drive is used, use Rufus. This will format the drive, to ensure the file system is intact. Unless the file system is too damaged for Rufus to handle, it should be able to format the drive. | | * Follow the guide in this order, if you have to format the USB drive manually: '''Computer Management: 5/6/7/1/2/3/4''' '''Windows format prompt: 8/1/2/3/4''' |
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