Bootable USB drives are used to install the Windows operating system on a computer. In order to create such a medium, you need to write an image of the operating system to any USB device using additional software.
When creating a bootable USB flash drive, you need to create an ISO image, and then make a bootable USB flash drive from the same ISO image. For this we need the UltraISO program.
Where can I download the ultraiso program?
- You can download it on many sites, there is also an official site for this application. This is a paid program, but there is a trial period.
- The trial version (unregistered copy) works very well.
- The fact is that you do not need the program all the time, because the constant reinstallation of the operating system is not required every day. And for creating one or two bootable USB drives, it is quite suitable.
- After downloading the program, you will need to install it. By default, we will save the program in the Downloads folder.
How do I install the program?
- After double clicking on the installation file, click on "Yes" and agree with the installation.
- Then we click on the button "next", we accept the terms of the agreement.
- Then press the "Next" button again.
- In the next window, you can change the installation path, I have drive C by default.
- In my case, I install the program on Windows 10 64-bit.
- In the penultimate window, do not change the value of the checked boxes, click on the "Next" button.
- In the last window, click on the "Install" button.
- Then the trial version was installed, it is quite enough to make several bootable flash drives.
- After the installation is complete, click on the "Finish" button and the "run UltraISO" checkbox is better left as the default in the program.
- Then an intermediate window will appear, in which you are offered to purchase a commercial version of the program.
- In our case, to prepare a bootable USB flash drive, it is quite enough to use the trial period of the program. Therefore, in this window, click on the "Trial period" button.
- Now the program "UltraISO" will start, the title of the window "unregistered version" will be displayed in the title of the window.
How to create an ISO file?
- Now we need to create an ISO file. If there is an installation version of Windows in a format other than the iso image, then the UltraIso program allows you to create such an iso image from the installation version.
- To prepare a bootable flash drive, we definitely need an iso image.
- To do this, in the program window, select the "tools" menu item, click on "create a CD image".
- In the window that opens, we save all the settings by default, nothing needs to be changed, we form a standard ISO.
- you can change the path to save your file by clicking on the button with three dots.
- In my case, by default, the file will be saved in the "My Documents" folder.
- In the "CD / DVD drive" item, select the path to the CD / DVD disc with the operating system installation files.
- To create an ISO image in the settings window, click on the "make" button.
- After clicking, the installation process goes. The installation process is short-lived, the duration depends on the type of system and its size.
- When the creation of the CD image is successfully completed, click in the "open" window.
- Now let's check if it is in the My Documents folder. In the My Documents folder, in the My ISO Files folder, there is a disk image file in ISO format.
How to create a bootable USB flash drive?
- Now we need to make a bootable USB stick. First, let's prepare a bootable USB flash drive for work, it must be empty before installation.
- After that, we select successively the items "Boot", "Burn hard disk image".
- In the intermediate dialog box, click on "Yes".
- In the next window, we check the path for recording the ISO image, this should be the path to our flash drive. A boot disk will be written to this flash drive.
- After these settings, click on the "Write" button.
- The dialog box warns us that all information from the flash drive will be formatted (deleted).
- We accept the notification by clicking on the "Yes" button.
- After clicking, the process of formatting and installing the bootable USB flash drive will begin.
- After completing the process of writing a bootable flash drive, open our flash drive, where we will see the files required to install the operating system.
The process of preparing and burning a bootable flash drive is simple. Knowing it is necessary for the correct preparation of the flash drive and its further use during subsequent reinstallations of the operating system.
