How to Create Windows 11 Bootable USB from ISO. Windows iso to USB

How to Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive from ISO

Let’s learn how to create Windows 11 bootable USB drive from ISO. There are multiple ways to make a bootable USB drive. It’s different from Windows 10 bootable USB creation process.

The primary method to upgrade to Windows 11 is using Windows Updates. If your Windows 10 device is eligible for Windows 11, you will automatically get it via Settings. Windows Updates. click on Check for updates process.

Microsoft also provides an option to download ISO media and upgrade the Windows 10 to Windows 11 using the ISO media. But if you are already getting the Windows 11 upgrade via Windows Update, then why go through this trouble of downloading ISO from Microsoft? This is a convenient option for reinstalling Windows or for a repair upgrade.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 provide reset, recovery, and restore options from the Cloud if you want to fix the Windows 11 devices. Windows 11 bootable USB is the best option for the clean install of Windows 11. This will clean up many things that get messed up with regular in-place upgrades of Windows 11.

Before Windows 11 Upgrade

Before creating the Windows 11 bootable USB drive process, let’s check and confirm whether your device hardware is compatible with Windows 11 or not. You should have a valid Windows 11 CD Key (license) to complete the Windows 11 bootable install process.

• CPU: Minimum 1 gigahertz (GHz) with 2 cores on a compatible 64-bit processor listed in the Microsoft documentation.
• RAM/Memory should be minimum: 4GB.
• Disk Storage (HDD or SSD): 64GB or larger.
• System firmware should be enabled with: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
• TPM should enabled with version 2.0.
• Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.

Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive using Microsoft Media Creation Tool

Let’s create Windows 11 bootable USB drive using the Microsoft media creation tool. I recommend this method as the first option for all bootable media creation scenarios.

Create Windows 11 Install media option is when you want to perform a reinstall or clean install of Windows 11 on a new or used PC. Let’s understand the external prerequisites to use this bootable USB creation tool.

• Stable Internet Connection.
• Free disk space on local drive or USB to store Windows 11 ISO.
• A blank a USB drive with minimum 8 GB capacity.
• You should have administrative permissons on the PC from where you are running this tool

Open the Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com) portal and scroll down until use sees Create Windows 11 Installation Media section. Click on Download Now button to start the process.

Microsoft’s boot media creation tool gets downloaded when you click on Download now link mentioned above. You can Double click on MediaCreationToolW11.exe from the Downloads folder to continue the bootable USB drive creation process for Windows 11.

Click on Accept button to agree with Microsoft’s standard Terms of Use free license agreement from the Windows 11 Setup window.

You can select the language you want Windows 11 to be on this page of the Windows 11 Bootable USB Media Creation Tool. There are 39 languages available in the drop-down option. The list of languages is available in the following paragraph.

NOTE! – I see some of the languages, such as English (Australia), English (Canada), Euskara, Indonesian, etc., are missing from the language drop-down list.

Windows 11 List of available Languages – Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti English (United Kingdom) English (United States) Español (España) Español (México) Français (Canada) Français (France) Hrvatski Italiano Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands Norsk bokmål Polski Português (Brasil) Português (Portugal) Română Slovenčina Slovenščina Srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Ελληνικά Български Русский Українська עברית العربية ไทย 한국어 中文 (简体) 中文 (繁體) 中文 (香港) 日本語.

Select the Language and Windows 11 Edition from the drop-down list. I think these are dynamic lists pulled from somewhere on the internet so that Microsoft can update the drop-down options on the fly.

Click on the Next button to continue after selecting the language and edition for bootable USB media.

NOTE! – The check box called “Use the recommended options for this PC” is a great option if you create a Windows 11 bootable USB drive for the same system you are running this tool. It will autoselect the Language and Edition for you.

Now, from the following page, you need to select which media you want to use. If you’re going to install Windows 11 on another partition, you need to create and then run the media to install it. In this scenario, I will cover the USB flash drive bootable media option.

You need to have a minimum of 8 GB capacity blank USB drive. All the data in the USB drive will be erased as part of the bootable media creation process.

NOTE! – You can use the ISO file option to download a Windows 11 ISO and burn a DVD later. Wait, who uses DVD nowadays?

NOTE! – All the data in the USB drive gets deleted or erased once you click on the Next button from this page after selecting the UDB drive. Take the backup of files if you want to use those again.

Click on the Next button to continue with Windows 11 Setup Media Creation Tool.

It took more than 20 minutes to complete the download, verification, and creation of Windows 11 media. The verification process was completed within a few seconds. The following are the three main steps of the Windows 11 USB Drive Bootable Media creation process.

• Download Windows 11 ISO.
• Verify Windows 11 ISO.
• Create Windows 11 USB Drive Bootable Media.

Click on the Finish button to complete the Windows 11 Bootable USB media using Microsoft’s media creation tool.

Verify Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive

You can verify the Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive using the new Windows 11 file explorer. The label of the USB drive got changed to ESD-USB.

Windows 11 Bootable USB drive is formatted with the FAT32 file system. The used space of the bootable USB drive is 4.24 GB. You can now eject the USB drive using the safely remove hardware and media option from the taskbar.

Result – Boot Asus Laptop with Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive

Let’s check the test scenario I tried with a bootable USB drive on an Asus laptop. I have clicked on Boot Menu (F8) option from UEFI and clicked USB drive.

The laptop started to boot with Windows 11 bootable USB drive created using the Microsoft Media Creation tool. It worked like a charm! So No need to worry about the FAT32 file system, UEFI, Secure Boot, etc.

Author

Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main FOCUS is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.

How to make a Windows 11 bootable USB: Where to get installation media more

Having a bootable Windows 11 USB drive is a handy tool that can be used to repair or install Windows on a computer. It is also useful for troubleshooting startup problems. To create a bootable drive, you will need an empty USB drive that is at least 8GB in size.

You can then use the official Windows Media Creation Tool or a third-party tool to create the bootable drive. Once you have created the bootable USB drive, you can use it to repair or reinstall Windows on your PC.

Regardless, it’s always good to have a fresh Windows installation every 3-5 years as it can occasionally make your PC slightly snappier after getting rid of bloatware that might have accumulated on your system, making it slightly slower.

Before doing this, you might also want to back up whatever files you like onto an external drive first, as you can lose data while upgrading or doing a fresh install on a system that might already have data on it.

There are several different methods to create a bootable Windows 11 USB, but we’ll guide you through every method, so you have the widest range of options available to you. Though, all you will need is an empty USB drive that’s at least 8GB in size in order to make one.

How to make a Windows 11 bootable USB using Media Creation Tool

The easiest way to make a bootable Windows 11 USB is by using Microsoft’s official Media Creation Tool. This will pretty much do everything for you, including downloading Windows 11 onto the USB drive after formatting it. The first thing you need to do is to arm yourself with an appropriately-sized USB drive and download the following tool.

After you have downloaded it, follow these steps:

• Connect your USB Drive to your PC
• Open “mediacreationtool.exe” after your download is complete
• Select the language and version of Windows you want in the dropdown list
• Select “USB Flash Drive” when choosing which media to use
• Select your USB drive under the “Removable Drive” list

After clicking “Next” after selecting your USB drive, the Media Creation Tool will then begin downloading your selected version of Windows 11 to the USB drive. This can take some time if you have a slower connection, but do not unplug your USB drive yet, unless you want to repeat this process again.

Once the download is complete, the Windows 11 bootable USB will be ready, so all you need to do is plug it into a PC in order to install Windows 11.

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How to make a bootable Windows 11 USB with Rufus

Rufus is an open-source alternative to the proprietary Windows media creation tool, but you’ll first need to arm yourself with an image file (or.iso) file of Windows 11 first. This is actually very easy to acquire, and we’ll link you to Microsoft’s official download below. Be sure that you have enough space to download the file, as it is around 5.2GB in size.

Once you have that downloaded, you’ll then need to get your hands on Rufus, which you can find here. Then, make sure you follow the steps below.

• Open the latest version of Rufus
• Press the “SELECT” button
• Navigate to your downloads and select the Windows 11.iso file
• (Optional) Under “Volume Label”, name your bootable Windows 11 USB drive
• Press the “START” button

Then, Rufus will present you with a dropdown containing several options. We recommend removing the requirement to have an online Microsoft account, as it will help during the setup of your system, especially if your networking drivers have not been installed yet.

You should only tinker with the rest of the options if you know what they all mean. After making your selections, click “OK”. Rufus will then warn that you will be erasing all data currently stored on the drive. Click “Ok” to erase the drive and begin the installation process.

Then, once complete, you will have a brand-new Windows 11 bootable USB, customized to your own preferences.

How to make a Windows 11 bootable USB using Command Prompt

You can make a Windows 11 bootable USB through the command prompt, which should be for users who are used to using the command prompt only, as the previous methods are much simpler than going this route. Though, if you are still keen on using it, download the official Windows 11.iso file first.

Once downloaded, run the Windows Command Prompt as an administrator and plug in the USB drive you wish to use. Then, follow these instructions. Be warned, as this is not for the faint of heart.

• Type “diskpart” and press enter. This should open up the Diskpart application.
• In Diskpart, type “list disk” in order to bring up a list of drives attached to your PC.
• Identify and find the disk number of your preferred USB drive.
• Type “select disk X” and replace the X with the number of your USB drive.
• Type “clean” in order to delete everything off of the selected drive.
• Then, type “create partition primary” and press enter to make a brand-new partition on the drive.
• Type “select partition 1” in order to select the partition you just made and press enter.
• To make the drive bootable, format the partition by typing “format FS=FAT32 quick” and press enter.
• Assign a drive letter to the USB by typing “assign letter=X” and replacing X with your chosen drive letter.
• Type exit and press enter. If diskpart is open in another window, return to the command prompt.
• In command prompt, type “PowerShell Mount-DiskImage.ImagePath “(Drive path of Windows 11.iso file”
• Then relaunch diskpart by typing “diskpart” once more.
• Type “list volume” in order to attain the drive letter for the mounted Windows 11.iso file, remember this, as you will need it later.
• Type exit to return to the command prompt.
• Then, type the drive letter for the location of the mounted Windows 11.iso file and press enter. (e.g “D:”)
• Then, type “cd boot”, press enter and follow up with “bootsect /nt60 (USB drive letter):”
• Type “xcopy (Your mounted Windows.iso image letter):. (your USB drive letter):\ /E /F /H” and press enter.

Then, the command will copy all Windows 11 installation files over to the USB drive, and you will have a bootable Windows 11 USB drive. The other methods are a lot simpler to use, so try those first.

How to Run Windows From a USB Drive

Loading and running Windows 10 or Windows 11 from a USB drive is a handy option when you’re using a computer saddled with an older operating system.

(Image: Daniel Chetroni / Shutterstock)

If you’re using a PC outfitted with an older version of Windows but want a more up-to-date operating system, you can run Windows 10 or 11 directly from a USB drive.

You’ll need a USB flash drive with at least 16GB of free space, but preferably 32GB. You’ll also need a license to activate Windows 10 or Windows 11 on the USB drive, which means you have to either purchase one or use an existing one associated with your digital ID. You can then use a Windows USB utility to set up the USB drive with either OS. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to boot up off the drive to launch Windows.

The major downside of booting from a USB drive is that Windows will run slower than it does off your hard drive. But if you’re in a pinch, you can at least work with the OS and access different apps this way.

Microsoft once offered its own tool called Windows to Go (Opens in a new window). which could generate a bootable Windows USB drive with the Enterprise and Education versions of Windows 10. However, the company stopped development on that program and no longer updates it. Instead, you can turn to two utility programs, WinToUSB and Rufus, which will create a bootable drive from any version of the operating system and on any type of USB drive.

Download Windows 10 ISO File

If you want to run Windows 10 from the USB drive, the first step is to sign into your current Windows 10 computer and create a Windows 10 ISO file that will be used to install the operating system onto the drive.

To do this, navigate to the Download Windows 10 website (Opens in a new window). which offers the latest edition of Windows 10; as of this writing, that’s Windows 10 November 2021 Update or Windows 10 version 21H2. Click Download tool now to save a MediaCreationTool.exe file on your PC.

Double-click this file to install the program. At the first screen, click the Access button. Then click the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC button and click Next. Confirm that the language, architecture, and edition are all correct and click Next.

You are then asked to choose what media you want to use. Though you ultimately want to run Windows from a USB drive, click ISO file (not USB flash drive) and then click Next.

Choose a location on your hard drive to store the Windows ISO file and click Save. Windows 10 will then generate the necessary ISO file. When the process is done, click Finish.

Download Windows 11 ISO File

In order to run Windows 11 from a USB drive, you’ll need to obtain a Windows 11 ISO file to install the operating system onto the drive. Browse to the Download Windows 11 website (Opens in a new window) and scroll down to the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) section.

Click the Select Download drop-down menu and choose the Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO) option. Then click the Download button. Choose the product language and click Confirm. Then click the 64-bit Download button and save the ISO file to your hard drive.

Create Drive With WinToUSB

In order to put a bootable ISO file onto your USB drive, it’s time to enlist the aid of a third-party program like WinToUSB (Opens in a new window). This tool comes in three versions—Free, Professional, and Enterprise. Start with the free version, but be aware that it poses certain limitations. You can freely create an installation of the Home version for Windows 10 or Windows 11 but not the Professional or Enterprise flavors. If you need either of these editions, the Professional version of WinToUSB costs 29.95, while the Enterprise option will run you 199.95. Download and install the WinToUSB software from its dedicated website (Opens in a new window).

Next, connect a blank USB flash drive to your computer and launch WinToUSB from its Start menu shortcut. At the introductory screen, click the search button next to the Image File field and choose the ISO file you created for Windows 10 or 11.

Select the version of Windows that you wish to clone onto the USB stick, then click Next. If you’re using the free version, your only choice will be Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home.

You will then need to select your destination disk. Open the drop-down menu and choose your USB drive. A message will pop up asking you to select a partition scheme. For older computers with a legacy BIOS mode, click the MBR for BIOS option.

For newer computers with UEFI mode enabled, click GPT for UEFI. You can also choose MBR for BIOS and UEFI if you bought one of the paid versions of WinToUSB. Click Yes to continue.

How to Create Windows 11 bootable USB installation media

At the next screen, choose the Legacy option for Installation Mode. Click Next and your Windows USB drive will now be created. When the installation process reaches 100%, indicating that it’s finished, close the WinToUSB program and remove the USB drive.

Create Drive With Rufus

Another solid utility is Rufus (Opens in a new window). Download, install, and launch the program. At the Drive Properties window, select your USB drive in the Device field, if it’s not already selected. Click the Select button next to the Boot selection field and select your Windows ISO file.

Click the Image option field and change it to Windows to Go. For older computers with a legacy BIOS mode, change the partition scheme to MBR. For newer computers with UEFI mode enabled, change it to GPT. You can leave the other options at their default values. If you wish, change the Volume label to a name like Windows 10 or Windows 11. Then click the Start button.

At the next screen, choose the version of Windows that you want to run on the USB drive, then click OK. A warning message flashes that all data on your USB drive will be destroyed. Click OK to continue. Rufus will now copy the necessary files to the drive. Once the process is complete, close the Rufus window.

Launch Windows From a Flash Drive

When you want to launch Windows on a different computer, insert your USB drive into that PC. Press the appropriate key for your computer make and model to get to your Boot menu and choose the option to boot up off the USB drive.

The first time you run Windows off the USB drive, you’ll need to go through the familiar Windows setup process. You’ll also need to activate Windows (Opens in a new window). You can then install Windows applications onto the USB drive and access any files or documents stored online, so the experience comes close to working on one of your own Windows PCs.

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Universal USB Installer. Boot from USB

Universal USB Installer (Imager) aka UUI is a Live Linux Bootable USB Creator Software. This ISO to USB imaging tool allows users to easily Boot from USB. Make a flash drive boot from a Live Linux distribution, Windows Installer, or fully install Windows onto USB using Windows to Go methods. Popular antivirus scanners, disk cloning software, penetration testing, or other system tools can also easily be made to boot and run from the removable media.

The software is as easy as 1,2,3 to use. Simply choose your distribution from the list, browse to the ISO file, select your target flash drive, and then click Create. Once finished, you should have a ready to run Live USB containing the Live Operating System, Windows Installer, or System Diagnostics utility you previously selected.

Unlike tools which simply use DD (Copy and Convert) commands to directly burn ISO to USB, UUI includes several other methods that natively allow you to continue using your removable device for storage purposes, whilst including a “Try via DD” option. The DD method of copying, also known as D ata D estroyer works by overwriting the entire file system, making the device appear as a CD/DVD which is limited to the size of the ISO file. However, it may be possible to recover lost drive space and then create an exFAT partition for continued storage purposes.

Another key feature of UUI is the use of persistent storage, where available. This persistence feature allows you to save some changes and then restore them on subsequent boots. Ubuntu based Casper persistence works with FAT32 or NTFS formatted drives. An option to use a larger than 4GB casper-rw or live-rw persistent block file, (also known as an overlay image) is possible when the drive is formatted with an NTFS filesystem.

NOTE : If you are looking to add multiple Live Linux distributions, System Diagnostic Tools, Antivirus Utilities, and Windows Installers, you should use YUMI Multiboot Software to boot from USB, instead. As a multisystem tool can help you Boot Multiple ISO files from one flash drive.

Download Universal USB Installer (UUI)

30 Apr 2023 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.5.exe: Fix broken persistence option for Ubuntu and Linux Mint based distributions. Show format option for selectable drives that appear as USB drives or local disks. Note : The persistence feature currently only works on fat32 formatted drives.

Requirements to Create a Live Bootable USB flash drive

IMPORTANT : UUI will show drives detected by Windows as either removable media (USB Drive) or a fixed (Local Disk). See my personal list of the best recommended fast SSD flash drives to use with this UUI tool.

• Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.5.exe to make the bootable drive.
• Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 Operating System or WINE.
• Greater than 2GB Fat32 or NTFS formatted flash drive. MBR partition table.
• Computer with a system BIOS that can boot from USB.
• Your Favorite Windows or Linux ISO File.

Feel free to let me know about any unlisted Live Linux distributions that should be included or version revisions, and I will do my best to update the UUI tool to support them.

Universal USB Installer Changelog

• 4/30/2023 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.5: Fix broken persistence option for Ubuntu and Linux Mint based distributions. Fix wipe and format options to only show for Windows 11, 10, 8 on selectable devices that appear as USB drives or fixed local disks.
• 8/2/2022 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.4a: Update the option to Create Multiboot drive. based on Ventoy.
• 7/15/2022 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.4: Added an option to Create Multiboot flash drive. Experimental. not all ISO files work. For example Linux Mint and CentOS will not work with the Multiboot option.
• 7/6/2022 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.3: Update to use newer mke2fs for ext4 persistence file creation.
• 7/2/2022 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.2: Add back feature to refresh drives. Detect if running from WINE.
• 6/26/2022 Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.1: Update option to fully Install and Run Windows 10 or 11 from USB. Fixed broken Wipe and Format option.

UUI Supported Bootable ISO files

The Universal USB Installer (UUI) might be used to make a Bootable USB from ISO of the following Live Linux Portable Operating Systems, Windows Installers, Windows PE, System Diagnostic Tools, Cloning Tools, and Antivirus Utilities.

This ISO to USB Boot list is not all inclusive. Almost any Live ISO files can be converted.

Bootable USB Ubuntu (with persistence)

• Ubuntu Live
• Xubuntu Live
• Kubuntu Live
• Lubuntu Live
• Edubuntu Live
• Ubuntu Live Server Installer
• Blackbuntu

USB Fedora

USB Puppy Linux Based

• Fatdog64
• Lighthouse Puppy
• Lucid Puppy
• Precise Puppy
• Puppy Arcade
• Puppy 4.3.1
• Racy Puppy
• Slacko Puppy
• Wary Puppy

Other Bootable Distros Alphabetical

• amogOS
• AOMEI (Disk Cloning and Backup Tool)
• Acronis Rescue CD
• Android
• AntiX
• Antergos
• ArchBang
• ArchLinux
• ArtistX
• Aurora
• BackBox
• Baltix Linux
• BCCD
• BlehOS
• Bodhi
• Boot Repair Disk
• Carmedia
• CentOS
• Chakra
• Clonezilla
• Crunchbang
• DBAN 2.2.X
• Deft Linux
• Deepin Linux
• DRBL
• DSL 4.4.10
• Dreamlinux
• Dynebolic
• EASUS Disk Copy
• EasyPeasy
• Elementary OS
• Elementary Unleashed
• Feather Linux
• Finnix
• Fuduntu
• Fusion Linux
• Gamedrift
• Gentoo
• GEEXBOX
• gNewSense
• GRML
• gOS gadgets
• GParted
• Jolicloud
• Kiwi
• KNOPPIX
• Kororaa
• KXStudio
• Leeenux
• Liberte
• LinHES
• Linux XP Like
• LPS
• Macbuntu
• Mandriva One 2011
• Matriux
• MCNLive Toronto
• Meego
• MicroCore
• Netrunner
• Ophcrack
• OSGeo Live
• Pardus
• PartedMagic
• PCLinuxOS
• Pear OS
• Peppermint
• PING
• Pinguy OS
• Plasma active
• PLoP Linux
• Porteus
• Redo Backup
• Rescatux
• RIP Linux
• Runt Linux
• Sabayon Linux
• SalineOS
• Satux
• Simply MEPIS
• SLAX
• SliTaZ
• Sn0wL1nuX
• SolusOS
• System Rescue CD
• Tails
• Terralinux
• TinyCore
• Trisquel
• Uberstudent
• Ultimate Boot CD
• Ultimate Edition
• WifiWay
• WifiSlax
• xPUD
• XBMC
• XBMCbuntu
• StartOS
• wattOS R5
• Zenwalk Live
• Zorin OS

USB Boot Live Antivirus Rescue CDs or DVDs

• AOSS (Malware Scanner)
• AVG Rescue CD
• Avira Antivir Rescue Disk
• Bitdefender Rescue CD
• Comodo Rescue Disk
• DrWeb LiveCD
• F-Secure Rescue CD
• G DATA Antivirus
• Kaspersky Rescue Disk
• Panda Safe CD
• Trinity Rescue Kit

Try an Unsupported Bootable ISO

Live ISOs, USB Windows Installers, portable Linux distributions and System tools will be added as time permits. Feel free to contact me to submit your recommendations and suggestions.

Troubleshooting, Issues, Bugs

The Windows to Go option does require the drive be NTFS formatted and have 20GB free space to hold the virtual disk. Most of the flash drives found at local department stores won’t be fast enough. You will need a very fast solid state flash drive. When Windows boots from the pendrive for the first time, it will go through the setup process and then reboot. You will need to boot using your Windows to Go flash drive a second time to finalize the setup process. And then finally boot into your full Portable Windows.

The tool expects the Volume Label of your device to be UUI in order for OpenSUSE, CentOS and a few other distributions to boot. It does attempt to automatically create this Label, but may fail. So make sure it remains UUI in order to allow those distributions to boot.

Persistence feature is currently broken with Newer Debian based distributions. This is due to upstream changes. In that Debian now requires a rename of the persistent block file and label from live-rw to persistence. In addition, it must house a persistence.conf file containing the text / Union. I plan to make all of the necessary changes and then provide a fix as time allows.

If you’re using UUI Universal-USB-Installer-2.0.1.5.exe and you still receive Insane primary (MBR) partition notices,

Insane primary (MBR) partition. Can’t find myself on the drive I booted from

Your flash drive may be improperly formatted, contains more than one partition or MBR, or your BIOS is not properly detecting the device. In which case your firmware probably needs to be updated. You can also try to Restore and recover a flash drive.

An Error (1) occurred while executing syslinux

If you encounter a message stating;

An error (1) occurred while executing syslinux. Your USB drive won’t be bootable.

The most likely cause is that the device is formatted as exFAT or some other unsupported format. You’ll need to reformat as fat32 (currently preferred) or NTFS.

My PC wont Boot from my flash drive, but supports USB boot!

Older flash drives shipped USB-FDD formatted and some systems will not boot USB-FDD. However, I have found that most systems can boot USB-ZIP, and or USB-HDD. If you are having a hard time getting your BIOS to detect your drive, reformat it. Then try again to see if your BIOS can detect and boot from it.

• If you are running a Windows Vista or 7 Installer from your thumb drive, after the first reboot, remove the thumb drive and let the pc complete from the hard disk.
• When browsing for an ISO, UUI will only display ISO Files that match what the tool is asking for. For example, if you chose to install ubuntu-20.10- Desktop.i386, the tool might not display your ubuntu-20.10- Server.i386.iso because you have not selected the server variant. However, you can force all ISO files to be shown by clicking the Show All ISOs box.

Auto Detection : If you also run UUI from the same directory containing an installable ISO, the script will auto detect the ISO and bypass step 2.

Although you can use an NTFS format, Ubuntu based “persistence” features will only work with a Fat16 or Fat32 formatted drives. In addition, some Linux distributions will not boot if the drive is NTFS formatted.

Again, UUI does not support booting from multiple Live Linux distros. Only one distribution can be installed per drive. However the YUMI Multiboot Creator Tool can be used to create a Multi System USB boot device.

To try an ISO that isn’t listed, simply choose one of the the last three options in Step 1. I recommend “Try Unlisted Linux ISO (GRUB)” because it seems to be the most successful. Feel free to inform me of unlisted “Linux ISOs” you get to work via these options, so I can add them to the supported list.

OpenSUSE DVD and other ISOs with a single file that exceed 4GB will not work due to the Fat32 file size limitation.

The Universal USB Installer will NOT currently work from within Linux using WINE due to drive detection and privilege issues. The tool mentions this when running UUI from Linux and WINE is detected. I plan to revisit this issue and will hopefully implement a better solution when I can find some spare time.