Good morning Steve,I have used Rufus for over 10 years and it's my go-to tool. Here are some other suggestions if you are in the market for a utility;
- UNetbootin - This tool is widely used for creating bootable USB drives from various Linux distributions. It offers a simple interface and supports a variety of Linux distributions and system utilities. This was the first utility I used back in the 2000s to create bootable USB sticks and predates Rufus. It's free open-source software but seems the development has stalled on the project with the last release being pushed out in 2021. Looks like the devs are pushing a new product. (https://unetbootin.github.io/).
- Win32 Disk Imager - primarily used on Windows systems, this utility allows you to write ISO images to USB drives, creating bootable media for various purposes. I've found it useful for Debian, LibreElec and many others. Very basic UI, very simply to use. It's free open-source software. (https://win32diskimager.org/)
- Balena Etcher - a cross-platform tool that supports creating bootable USB drives from ISO files. It's user-friendly and suitable for both beginners and experienced users. The design here makes it standout. Free open-source software with regular updates. (https://etcher.balena.io/).
- dd (Command-line tool) - available on Unix-like operating systems, the dd command can be used to create bootable USB drives from ISO files. It's powerful and therefore intended for advanced users and requires careful usage, as it directly writes data and can be destructive if used incorrectly. (refer to your terminal).
- Ventoy - this utility allows you to create a bootable USB stick that can launch ISO files off of. Very handy if you have a collection of ISOs that you wish to boot from. Ventoy is free open-source software that is a relative newcomer to the scene but actively updated. (https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html).
- YUMI - is an early utility that allows you to create bootable USB sticks. YUMI is free open-source software with the last release being put out in January 2022. (https://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/).
- Easy2Boot - this is a Ventoy-like utility but actually predates Ventoy but has the same functionality except may trump Ventoy in terms of features. I would say using this is for advanced users only. It's Windows focused but can be used on Linux. It is not open-source but it is free to download and use. (https://easy2boot.xyz/).
- RMPrepUSB - an advanced utility with a built in emulator! Windows only, not open-source. (https://rmprepusb.com/).
- Universal USB Installer (UUI) - an old utility but still updated. Targetted at Windows. (https://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/).
One great resource that has been online since 2006, a time when booting OSes from USB was still somewhat a new concept, is the venerable https://www.pendrivelinux.com/
I hope this helps, Martin. On 10/08/2023 06:43, Luna Jernberg wrote:
Hey! Have used Rufus several times myself, during the past year (months) at dayjob to flash Debian isos from Windows 10 and 11 and has worked great :) Den ons 9 aug. 2023 kl 17:21 skrev Steve K. <stevuu@gmail.com>:Hi Debian, On your website[1] there is mentioned a list of tools to create bootable USB drives in Windows. Some of the listed tools are closed source software, or even adware, and the Microsoft URL leads to an HTTP 404. Because the list ends with asking for other programs, I'd like to bring to your attention a tool called Rufus[2], free and open source (GPLv3), that I've used for about a decade to create bootable USB drives on Windows... to install Debian, of course! Hope this helps, and keep up the good work, Steve [1]: https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#record-windows [2]: https://rufus.ie/en/ or on GitHub https://github.com/pbatard/rufus