Optical storage media in the form of digital multi-purpose discs (also known as “DVD discs”) or compact discs some ten to fifteen years ago were the most popular means of transferring data between computers. Many probably remember how they recorded several episodes of their favorite series on a similar disc, or created and recorded a music selection for later listening to it on CD players, bought special cases / pencil cases for discs, and purchased (for a fairly substantial amount) discs with various software software for the Windows operating system, including the installation image of this operating system itself.
With the advent of usb media, this approach has gradually failed. Since bulky and fragile disks have been replaced, more universal and less bulky information storage devices have come which are being improved every day.
To work with usb-carriers there is a huge amount of various software for diagnostics and treatment, conversion and formatting, as well as programs that allow you to make bootable or multiboot from a regular usb-stick.
In the framework of this article, we will consider one of the leaders of this software called Rufus, which has long been demonstrating excellent indicators of versatility, speed, and recording quality.
Where to Download and How To Install Rufus
The latest and most current version of the Rufus utility can be downloaded on an absolutely free basis from the official website of the developer - https://rufus.ie .
A standard version is available for selection, which involves installing the utility on a computer, and a portable version, which can be used on a USB-drive or an external hard drive.
The installation process is not difficult, and takes literally a few moments.
And after installing or launching the portable version, each user is provided with:
- Creating bootable media from an ISO image;
- Creating bootable media with BIOS firmware;
- Creating bootable media with a low-level utility;
- Formatting media.
Some users, for a long time, have been expecting from developers to implement “Rufus” functionality for creating multi-bootable media that would bring the utility's popularity to an even higher and higher quality level.
Otherwise, as mentioned earlier, "Rufus" is one of the leaders in this category of software in terms of speed, which has been repeatedly confirmed by practical tests, the results of which can be found on the developers website.
How to Make a Bootable USB Flash Drive Rufus
In order to create a bootable USB flash drive with the image of the Windows 10 operating system in the latest version of the program in question, you will need to do the following:
- Run the utility using the shortcut (if you are using the option to install on a computer) or using the file "rufus-3.4p.exe" if the portable / portable version is in priority.
Please note that the portable version was not on the media, which will be converted to bootable.
- If several media are connected to the computer in the “Device” line, select the option you need, focusing on the assigned letter and volume;
- Next, click on the "Select" button and mark the image of the operating system you need;
- Depending on the format of the image you are using, the utility will set the boot method on its own;
- In the "Partition scheme" section, select "MBR" or "GPT", depending on which partition scheme is used on the computer where the resulting bootable media will be used. The “Target system” is determined automatically based on your choice.
Here it is necessary to stop and explain several important points regarding the definition of the partition scheme. It is immediately worth noting that the advantage of “GPT and UEFI” over “MBR and BIOS” has long been proven and there is no point arguing with this. Certainly, the future lies with a more modern and reliable scheme.
One way or another, in order for the bootable media to carry out the provided functionality on the target computer, a correspondence between the standards used by them is necessary.
Therefore, if the mentioned target computer is operational and the operating system boots up, first check the partition schemes used by the physical medium, and for this do the following:
- Right-click on the icon “Computer” and select “Manage”;
- In the window that opens, select the section "Storage" - "Disk Management";
- Right-click on the disk on which you plan to install the operating system and open "Properties";
- Go to the “Volumes” tab and in the “Device Properties” section and pay attention to the “Partition Style” line, where the required information will be indicated.
Alternatively, you can use the diskpart utility:
- Press the key combination “WIN + R” and execute the command “diskpart”;
- In the command line console that opens, enter and run the "Listdisk" command;
- Pay attention to the line with the disk you are using and see if there is an “asterisk (*)” in the “GPT” column;
- If there is no asterisk, then the MBR scheme, if the asterisk is, respectively, GPT.
After defining the disk partition scheme, you can proceed to further steps to create bootable media:
- In the "Formatting Options" section, if necessary, specify the desired volume label;
- The “file system” will be detected automatically, and in most cases it is “NTFS”;
- Finally, click on the “START” button and in the window that appears, confirm that you agree with the full formatting of the medium.
The operating time of the utility will depend on many factors, among which the speed of the media itself is predominant.
Wait until the recording is completed and click on the “Close” button.
Conclusion
So, as can be seen from all of the above, working with the Rufus utility is as simple as possible. Rufus has not come up with anything better to create a standard bootable media with one image of the operating system or any other software.
You can end the topic with a little joke and puns from the famous comedy sitcom: “My name is Rufus and that's the Trufus”, since “trufus” is a pun, from “true”. Idea for developers for the motto of the reviewed software. Captivatingly, fun and definitely appealing to users.