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Making a flash drive with Live Ubuntu in Windows. Installing Ubuntu Linux from a USB flash drive using Rufus

Ubuntu is an operating system. Before installing Ubuntu OS, you need to understand where the boot will come from. If you have a disk drive, it is better to use a disk with boot files. If you do not have a floppy drive or disk on which you can burn Ubuntu, you will have to create a bootable USB flash drive.
A bootable flash drive is more practical and convenient than a disk

Bootable USB flash drive for Ubuntu

Before we figure out how to install the operating system, let's create a bootable USB drive. For this we need an ISO image with the latest version of Ubuntu. If you don't have it, download it from the official website. Next, find the Unetbootin program. Now let's format the flash drive as indicated below.

The Unetbootin program does not require installation, so after downloading we launch it. Now we follow the steps:

  • Specify the location of the image with the software
  • The program finds the flash drive on its own, or we indicate the letter by which it is designated.
  • Click “Ok” and wait for the work to complete.

When working with Unetbootin, there is a hang during the installation phase. Don't rush to cancel the action. You may have to wait 10 minutes until the program hangs and continues working.

Unetbootin does not require installation

Now all that remains is to install the operating system on the computer. Let's figure out how to do this further.

BIOS to help

The installation will not cause you any difficulties, except for the initial boot of the USB drive. If you have not encountered a similar question, then you will have difficulties. If you insert a bootable USB flash drive into your computer and reboot, the operating system will not automatically install in all cases. To do this, you will have to go into BIOS mode and configure the PC to boot from the desired media.

To enter the BIOS immediately after turning on the PC, press Del or F2

To enter this mode immediately after turning on the PC, press Del or F2. These are common keys for entering BIOS. If you don’t succeed, when you boot your PC, carefully look at the startup screen, there is a button that will start the mode. Depending on your PC model, a menu will open in which you can change the startup order.

In addition to the BIOS, the Boot Menu can help you. By calling it at the beginning of boot, you can specify the desired method for starting the PC. This method is used for a one-time change:

  1. Change Password
  2. OS installation
  3. Virus scan

Therefore, it is better to use this method in our case. To call the Boot Menu, immediately after turning it on, click on:

One of these buttons will bring up a blue Boot Menu window

Installing Ubuntu from a USB flash drive: step-by-step instructions

Installing OSes from a flash drive can also be done on an empty hard drive. The process is simple, you just have to click “Next” and select the values ​​you need. In the Installation Type section, you can select Other Option. A sign indicating your hard drive will appear in front of you. Now let's create a few more sections. Click “New partition table”. Let's create three sections:

  • Root with OS location
creating partitions in Ubuntu is easy
  • home partition where files will be stored
home partition where files will be stored
  • swap partition - the same one in case of lack of memory
swap partition when there is not enough memory

For each of them you need to select a certain amount of memory, depending on the capabilities of the PC. For the OS location we define 30GB, for the auxiliary one 2GB is enough, but we distribute the rest of the memory to the home memory to accommodate personal files. Then we determine the location of the bootloader (this is the hard drive) and click “Install now”.

How to install Ubuntu next to another OS

If you have Windows on your PC, but you want to install a second operating system, you need to find out how to do this without losing data. The installer will determine and indicate that there is another OS on the PC. You will be offered automatic installation, complete removal of the previous version and manual configuration. Select the last option “Other option”.

We are faced with the most difficult boot step - disk partitioning. Due to the fact that we need a different OS, we will have to allocate another partition on the hard drive for the new OS. We have a table with an existing disk or disks. All partitions are allocated for the current OS, so we need to allocate space for the one being installed. Next we select:

  • “Free space” – “Add”.
  • As in the first case, create a root partition “/”. Select the volume, from 20 to 30 GB.
  • Add a home partition and allocate the required possible volume (you can allocate all the remaining memory, just don’t forget to leave 2GB)
  • We need these 2 GB for the swap partition.
  • Select the hard drive as the storage location for the bootloader and click “Install Now”

WATCH THE VIDEO

Installing ubuntu next to windows 7 is a dangerous task for beginners, and if you do not understand this, it is better to turn to professionals. After all, in the event of some error, all your data from your PC may be lost. By the way, installing windows on ubuntu thanks to VirtualBox will also not take much time.

Installation by other methods

There is a method in this topic: installing ubuntu over the network. This option takes a lot of time and requires certain knowledge. Therefore, if you do not have a wealth of knowledge in this area, then it is better not to take it on. It is much easier to install the OS via a disk or flash drive.

Once the download is complete, the setup after installing ubuntu is simple. You complete all the required steps during installation. This is the choice of interface language, choice of location, time, naming the PC and setting a password. Otherwise, the required initial programs will be provided to you.

And finally

You may need a dedicated server. Installing ubuntu server will solve this problem. But the process itself is very difficult. In addition to the ubuntu server program, you will need to have patience and knowledge that will allow you to understand this topic. After installation, you will have to configure the ubuntu server network. As a result, you will get your own dedicated server on Ubuntu OS for work and your own projects.

Now you know everything about installing Ubuntu from a flash drive.

Apparently, you decided to install Ubuntu on your computer and for some reason, for example, due to the lack of empty discs or a drive for reading disks, you want to use a bootable USB flash drive. Ok, I'll help you. This instruction will cover the following steps in order: creating an Ubuntu Linux installation flash drive, installing boot from a USB flash drive in the BIOS of a computer or laptop, the process of installing the operating system on a computer as a second or main OS.

This step-by-step guide is suitable for all current versions of Ubuntu, namely 12.04 and 12.10, 13.04 and 13.10. I think we can finish with the introductory part and proceed directly to the process itself.

How to make a USB flash drive for installing Ubuntu

I assume that you already have an ISO image of the version of Ubuntu Linux you need. If this is not the case, then you can download it for free from Ubuntu.com or Ubuntu.ru. One way or another, we will need it.

Run the program (the example is given for the latest version 1.0, released on October 17, 2013 and available at the above link) and do the following simple steps:

  1. Select the required USB drive (note that all other data on it will be deleted).
  2. Check the box Auto format it with FBinst.
  3. Check the box Linux ISO/Other Grub4dos compatible ISO and specify the path to the Ubuntu disk image.
  4. A dialog box will appear asking you what to name this item in the boot menu. Write something, say Ubuntu 13.04.
  5. Click the “Go” button, confirm that you are aware that all data from the USB drive will be deleted and wait until the process of creating a bootable flash drive is completed.

We're done with this. The next step is to go into the computer's BIOS and set it to boot from the newly created distribution. After the settings have been saved and the computer has restarted, you can proceed directly to installing Ubuntu.

Step-by-step installation of Ubuntu on a computer as a second or main operating system

In fact, installing Ubuntu on a computer (I’m not talking about its subsequent configuration, installing drivers, etc.) is one of the simplest tasks. Immediately after booting from the flash drive, you will see a prompt to select a language and:

  • Launch Ubuntu without installing it on your computer;
  • Install Ubuntu.

Select “Install Ubuntu”

We choose the second option, not forgetting to first select Russian (or some other language, if it is more convenient for you).

The next window will be called "Preparing to install Ubuntu". It will ask you to make sure that your computer has enough free space on your hard drive and is connected to the Internet. In many cases, if you do not use a Wi-Fi router at home and use the services of a provider with an L2TP, PPTP or PPPoE connection, the Internet will be disabled at this stage. It's OK. It is needed in order to install all Ubuntu updates and additions from the Internet at the initial stage. But this can be done later. You will also see an option at the bottom that says “Install this third-party software.” It has to do with codecs for MP3 playback and is best noted. The reason why this point is made separately is that the license for this codec is not completely “Free”, and Ubuntu uses only free software.

The next step will require you to select the Ubuntu installation option:

  • Next to Windows (in this case, when you turn on the computer, a menu will be shown in which you can choose whether you are going to work in Windows or Linux).
  • Replace the existing OS with Ubuntu.
  • Another option (represents self-partitioning of the hard drive, for experienced users).

For the purposes of this tutorial, I'm choosing the most commonly used option - installing a second Ubuntu operating system, leaving Windows 7.

The next window will display the partitions of your hard drive. By moving the separator between them, you can specify how much space you allocate to the Ubuntu partition. It is also possible to partition the disk yourself using the advanced partition editor. However, if you are a novice user, I do not recommend contacting it (I told a couple of friends that it was nothing complicated, they ended up without Windows, although the goal was different).

When you click “Install Now”, you will be shown a warning that new disk partitions will now be created, and old ones will be resized, and this may take a long time (Depends on how busy the disk is, as well as its fragmentation). Click Continue.

After some time (different for different computers, but usually not for long) you will be asked to select regional standards for Ubuntu - time zone and keyboard layout.

Installing Ubuntu from a flash drive has several advantages over installing from a CD. Firstly, not all computers even have a CD drive (this is especially true if you need to install Ubuntu on a netbook). Secondly, installing Linux from a flash drive is much faster than from a CD (and this is especially important for “conveyor” installation on several computers). And thirdly, CDs in general have very unpleasant properties of being scratched and quickly failing.

So, how to create a bootable USB flash drive with Ubuntu Linux? To get started, you will need an Ubuntu disk image or the CD itself. If you don't have it yet, read where to get it.

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Creating a bootable Ubuntu USB flash drive

So, the first method of creating a bootable USB flash drive is intended for those who are running any version of Ubuntu or are able to boot from an Ubuntu LiveCD. For this purpose, Ubuntu has a special utility usb-creator-gtk. To launch it, press ALT+F2 and enter “usb-creator-gtk” or in the application menu look for “Creating a boot disk”.

This program is outrageously simple: select the drive device where the Ubuntu disk is located, or the Ubuntu ISO image file, and below select the flash drive device. If necessary, you can also allocate space on a flash drive to save personal files and settings (if you don’t do this, then when working from a flash drive they will be lost every time you reboot - but if you need a flash drive not for work, but only for installation, you won’t care shouldn't).

Creating a bootable Ubuntu USB flash drive on Windows

If you only have Windows OS at your disposal, and for some reason you cannot boot from the Ubuntu CD, then there is a special utility for creating a bootable Linux flash drive from Windows - UNetbootin. You can download this program.

Everything here is also quite simple: select the distribution in the top list (the program will download it itself), or an already downloaded disk image file (Diskimage). At the bottom of the window, select the flash drive. If necessary, we allocate additional space to store personal files (Spase used to preserve files across reboots).

A bootable USB flash drive with Linux Mint may be needed to install the system on your computer or to get acquainted with it in Live mode. To begin with, you need to visit our website and then follow a simple sequence of actions that is described in this article.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive from Windows

If you have Windows 7, 8 or 10 installed on your computer, then you need to download a special program. Here you need to start from your final goals and where you will install the system. If you have new computers with UEFI, then you need to download the Rufus program. If you have older hardware, then the UNetbootin program will suffice. Let's look at the nuances of working with each program.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive with Linux Mint using Rufus

Connect the flash drive to your computer, delete all information from it and run the Rufus program. The following window will appear in front of you:

First, specify the path to the iso image on your hard drive, and then select the “GPT for computers with UEFI” partition scheme. You can leave the rest of the program settings as default and click on the “start” button. Wait until the image is written to the USB flash drive and close the program window.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive with Linux Mint using UNetbootin

UNetbootin is available for both Windows and Linux Mint. Connect the flash drive to the computer, delete all information from it and run the program. The following window will appear in front of you:

Specify the path to the Linux Mint image on your computer and select the media on which this image will be written. Click on the "ok" button and wait until the recording finishes.

As you can see, it’s very easy to write Linux Mint onto a flash drive, and in order to boot from it, you need to set the boot priority from removable media in the BIOS. The resulting installation flash drive will be able to run not only on your computer, but also on the computers of your friends, and you will be able to introduce them to our wonderful operating system. If you have any questions, ask them on our website.

We assume a situation where Windows is installed on the user's computer. And immediate advice: keep this system, at least for the first time. Linux and, above all, Ubuntu presented in this article, are of course user-oriented, but in some cases they are strikingly different from Windows.

First you need to know that you and your equipment can handle the system. This is where the first major advantage of Ubuntu comes into play: you can absolutely safely try a new system without harming the already installed Windows. Linux on a USB drive Users can download the system for free from the manufacturer's website (ubuntu.com/download/desktop).

Attention! Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available. If you have 4 GB of RAM or more, take the 64-bit version. One way or another, this version is more modern because it can even handle modern UEFI firmware, which will be an advantage if you need to install Ubuntu in parallel with your existing Windows.

The Ubuntu file will be downloaded to your computer in ISO format, after which you can burn it to a USB drive using a free program such as Universal USB Installer(goo.gl/dXQ9yw). The size of the flash drive must be at least 2 GB. Configure the Universal USB Installer as follows: for “Step 1” select “Ubuntu”, for “Step 2” through the “Browse” button go to the ISO file with Ubuntu that you want to burn to the USB drive, select it and click on “Open” .


For “Step 3” you need to select a USB drive from the drop-down menu. Clicking “Create” starts the recording process. Please note that this action will permanently delete all data previously saved on the flash drive. Therefore, at this moment you will see a warning that you need to close by clicking on the “Yes” button. After about 3-5 minutes, the USB drive is ready for use.

Starting the system in Live CD mode

Ubuntu runs from a USB stick or our premium DVD without affecting Windows. To boot from a flash drive, you need to change the startup order of your computer. This is done in the BIOS/UEFI menu, usually called up by the “Del”, “F2” or “F12” keys; in special cases, the correct key will be prompted by startup messages; some laptops have a special button above the keyboard for this.


In the BIOS/UEFI, look for menu items such as “Boot” or “Startup” and place external media in front of the built-in SSD or hard drive. When exiting the BIOS/UEFI, the changes should be confirmed, and then reboot the computer with the connected flash drive or DVD installed.

If everything worked out for you, Ubuntu should start instead of Windows. When you select the “Try Ubuntu without installing” option from the boot menu, the system will start in Live CD mode. Please note that this will make the system much slower than a normal installation.

First of all, this concerns slow USB 2.0 connections. Using a USB 3.0 connector would solve this problem.

Hardware Compliance Check

The benefit of using a USB stick or DVD is that you'll know right away whether your hardware can handle Ubuntu. Is the screen resolution supported, the Bluetooth keyboard recognized, and connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

If such a check is not important to you for now, you can run Ubuntu in a virtual machine to evaluate the system first. For this purpose, we recommend VirtualBox (virtualbox.org) on ​​Windows because it is very easy to set up. In the program, click on “Create”, in the “Name” line enter “Ubuntu 16.04” and accept all the Wizard’s suggestions with a few clicks on “Next”.


After Ubuntu appears on the main VirtualBox screen, click on the “Media” section, and in it, on the empty line under “Controller: IDE”. Click on the small disk icon on the right side, and then through "Select optical disk image" find the Ubuntu ISO file.

Using the "Launch" button, you can boot the virtual machine and begin configuring and testing the system.

Alternatives to the Ubuntu system


>Linux Mint along with Ubuntu, it is one of the most popular distribution kits among beginners. Technically, Mint uses Ubuntu, or rather Debian, as its base, and offers different desktop interfaces in Cinnamon and MATE versions. For two years now, Mint has been focusing on stability.

> openSUSE- another popular distribution aimed at stability and comfort. Easy-to-use configuration tools in the YAST (Yet Another Setup Tool) software package are a distinctive feature of the system. hours in pavilion 8, where demonstration implantation will take place.


> Debian- the technical basis of many distributions, including Ubuntu and Mint, with over 20 years of experience. This system is intended primarily for experienced users. The main idea is to use free software, which often means reduced comfort.

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