Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop Make a Live USB to boot from a USB drive by assemblyrequired on July 2, 2014 Table of Contents Make a Live USB to boot from a USB drive . 1 Intro: Make a Live USB to boot from a USB drive . 2 Step 1: What we'll need . 2 Step 2: Getting the software . 3 Step 3: Let's pick an operating system! . 4 Step 4: Setting up the software for .ISO download . 5 Step 5: Download and select the .ISO . 5 Step 6: Check and go! . 6 Step 7: Using the USB drive as a Live USB 1: What's the Boot Menu? . 7 Step 8: Using the Live USB 2: Getting to the Boot Menu . 8 Step 9: Navigating the Boot Menu and selecting your operating system . 8 Step 10: Navigating the final menu and usage . 9 Step 11: So, the abridged version . 9 Step 12: TaDa! . 10 Related Instructables . 10 Advertisements . 10 Comments . 10 http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Live-USB-to-boot-from-a-USB-drive/ Author:assemblyrequired I am a teenager, building since I was 4 (and soldering since I was 7). I enjoy building things and inventing all kinds of little projects, some of which I share here! Intro: Make a Live USB to boot from a USB drive A Live USB will let you run an operating system off of a USB drive, so you can try a operating system without a partition, or carry a favorite one with you, or have an emergency backup in case your computer crashes. In this Instructable, I will be showing you how to create such a USB drive. It's a beginner friendly tutorial, and assumes you know the basics of computer navigation, but if you are familiar with computers, you should be able to follow the abridged version I have at the second to last step. There are a lot of different softwares out there to do this, so I've tried out a bunch and I'm bringing two good ones to you. I will also be showing you some notable Linux operating systems you can get for free. Finally, I will be showing you how to actually use the USB Drive to start the computer and run your new operating system. Let's get started! Step 1: What we'll need In order to begin, we will need a couple of things: - A USB Drive of at least 4 gigs (more if you want to carry more than one operating system) - A software to put the operating system onto the USB (see next step). - A computer to load the files onto the USB - A computer to control (this can be the computer you are loading the USB with) - An operating system (More later- I have some suggestions) If you need a free and reliable operating system, a version of Linux is the way to go. There are a lot of different versions of Linux (dubbed 'Flavors' or 'Distributions', often shortened to 'Distros'). http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Live-USB-to-boot-from-a-USB-drive/ Step 2: Getting the software Above you can see the logo for UNetBootIn. We will need some software to actually extract the operating system onto the flash drive. You've got a bunch of options out there- here are my favorites based on the ones I've tried. These are both Open Source tools that will allow for the extraction of the data onto the USB drive. UNetBootin Works on: Linux, Windows, Mac This one is my favorite. It is simple and easy to use, and allows you to download from a drop-down list rather than browsing and downloading the software online (although you can do this as well, if you want). I have only tested it on Linux. However, it is a much larger and better developed tool, and is actually a default program on some Linux flavors. The Sourceforge page for this project can be found here. YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) Works on: Windows, claims to work on Linux but I can't get it to work. This one has a lot of the same features UNetBootin has, but it allows you to have more than one OS on a flash drive, which I really like. However, the Linux version doesn't seem to work on my Ubuntu (a type of Linux) laptop, so it doesn't seem to work for Linux. I have tested it on Windows and found it to work well. The website for this can be found here. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Live-USB-to-boot-from-a-USB-drive/ Step 3: Let's pick an operating system! The photo above is the logos of the three most popular Linux distributions available: Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Debian. So, in order to run an operating system, we need to know which one to use. If you have one, skip this step (or don't, whatever). I grabbed the list of 3 of the some of the most popular Linux flavors, as determined by DistroWatch. Here'sa link to that list. 1) Linux Mint This is one I've wanted to try for a while, so it's one of the systems you'll see me add. It features a clean desktop, and is designed to be a more compatible version of Ubuntu. It works right out of the box with many features pre-installed, so there is little setup necessary. The official webpage for this project can be found here. 2) Ubuntu This is the Linux flavor that I mostly use and am familiar with. It has a large amount of compatible software and a sleek, modern looking interface. It has a large number of tools pre-installed, but you'll find the rest very easy to install through the Ubuntu Software Center, a sort of App Store featuring thousands of compatible softwares. The official webpage for this project can be found here. 3) Debian Debian was started directly by Linus Torvalds, and includes a massive amount of packages that come with it (20,000 pre-compiled pieces of software). A massive amount of operating systems have sprung forth from Debian, so it's another one that's worth looking into. I'm curious about it as well, so it's another I'll be downloading. It's not quite as beginner-friendly, and you'll need to understand how a computer works. The official webpage for this project can be found here. So that's the top three most popular, but here's a few that are worth a mention because even though they aren't as popular, they still have a large follower base and have something that sets them apart. If your favorite isn't here, convince me of its uniqueness and I'll add it. Puppy Linux- This one is a basic desktop, but what makes it special is that despite having a lot of great features, it is very small, and crams itself into the RAM of your computer (allowing for very fast responses from the programs). The official webpage for this project can be found here. Zorin OS- This is a great choice for Linux beginners and those interested in getting started with a new operating system- that's what its designed for. It also allows you to run Windows programs, which is found in many Linux flavors, but Zorin does it without having to download anything. Don't assume that jsut because it's designed with beginners in mind that it's a dumbed down version of anything, however. This is still a powerful and sleek operating system. The official webpage for this project can be found here. Kali Linux- Remember how I said a lot of OS's have sprung from Debian? This is one of them. It's used for penetration testing, and leads the field in this area. If you don't know what that is, this is useless to you. The official webpage for this project can be found here. UbuntuGnome- Ubuntu used to have a very windows-ish feel to it, but then it changed. This operating system is basically the same as Ubuntu, with all the same great features, but keeps the old look and feel. The official webpage for this project can be found here. Tails Linux- An acronym for The Amnesiac Incognito Live System, this is the program used by informants and reporters around the world to keep themselves from being snooped on. Tails uses a system in which it makes sure not to keep a record of what you are doing, and uses TOR for web browsing. As soon as you shut it down, it forgets everything you've done. The official webpage for this project can be found here. Gentoo Linux- This is one geared towards hardcore Linux users who know what they are doing. If you want a nice, fast desktop, and you are familiar with Linux, give this one a go. The official webpage for this project can be found here. There are hundreds of more versions of Linux, many worth checking out- these are just a tiny amount. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Live-USB-to-boot-from-a-USB-drive/ Step 4: Setting up the software for .ISO download Before we begin, lets plug in our USB Drive. We need to see that the computer recognizes that there is a USB drive plugged in. On windows, I know this is true because a dialog opens up asking what to do.