How to create a Bootable USB for Ubuntu 20.04

Bootable USBs have the ability to be installed on a computer automatically without the need for it to carry an operating system. This small and discreet object is capable of starting a computer immediately even if this computer does not have an operating system installed.

Index( )

How can I go about creating a BOOTABLE USB?
Why should I create a BOOTELABLE USB?
How should I create a bootable USB for platforms?
1. If I use LINUX
2. If i have windows
3. If I use MacOS
What is a bootable USB in UEFI?
Should I create an ISO or image on a USB to boot my PC?
1. Using gnome-disk-utility
2. If I have Unetbootin
3. If I get Linux USB Creator

Table of Contents

How can I go about creating a BOOTABLE USB?

To create a Bootable USB you need three essential things which are:

A USB stick with enough storage space (with the memory capacity that most USBs have today, it is not difficult to find one with this feature). The minimum capacity that the USB memory must have must be 4GB
An ISO image. This is the file that is used to create an exact copy of the data of an optical drive, which is used in this case to store the exact copy of the operating system file with which you are going to create the USB Bootable.
A special application designed to create USB Bootable or computer boot memories . There are a wide variety of applications that you can find on the internet, however, the most used are:

Rufus:this program not only has ISO images compatible with the Windows operating system, it is also compatible with the Linux operating system, among others. Apart from being very easy, it is one of the most powerful tools
Media Creation Tool: This tool is the best when creating a USB Bootable with the Windows 10 operating system, apart from being a legal tool. This tool was specially created to create boot memories with the Windows 10 operating system
LiveUSB Install:even though this tool was created for GNU / Linux, it also has ISO images that are compatible with the Windows operating system. However, one of its most outstanding characteristics is that you do not necessarily have to have the ISO file because you can download it from its options directly.

Why should I create a BOOTELABLE USB?

Easier to transport than a CD
It has no risk of scratching and damaging its content as it could happen to a CD
It can be used in computers that do not have a CD reader. This is a great advantage since fewer and fewer computers with a CD player are being manufactured.
It has a long service life
Your design can be customized

How should I create a bootable USB for platforms?

When creating a bootable USB or a Bootable USB for the different operating systems you can find many programs on the internet, and although it seems very easy to do so, it is best to investigate so that you do it in the best way, since of course, you must protect your computer from viruses . Here we will show you how to create a bootable USB for Linux, Windows and MacOS platforms.

If I use LINUX

The first thing to keep in mind is that if you want to create a bootable USB for Linux, you have to have the ISO images of the operating system , in this case Linux, although these are not necessary in some tools.

Finding the ISO images of the Linux operating system is simple, all you have to do is download the version you need from its official website. In this case we will teach you how to use the tool or the UNetbootin program .

To download UNetbootin we must open a terminal and enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa: gezakovacs / ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unetbootin

In this way you will be able to access the UNetbootin download directory and it will immediately update and download it. UNetbootin is the tool used to save ISO images on a USB, it has two options to do so, which are the following:

In this option you can use an ISO image or a floppy image that you already have
In this you will mark the version of the Linux operating system and its version that you need. Once this is done, the version you have selected will be downloaded from the internet

Then, below, two spaces will appear where you will choose the type of unit and the specific unit , which in this case is a USB unit, although there are other options. Once ready, check that everything is in the parameters you want.

Finally, press “OK” so that the same tool continues and saves the selected image on the USB device . This is one of the easiest tools to use in these cases.

If i have windows

In this case we will teach you to use the tool preferred by Windows users for these cases and how to create a Bootable USB with it. We talk about the Rufus tool or program. Although it is compatible with the firmware of the board that replaced the BIOS , it is very easy to use. Just follow the steps below.

Download the Rufus program from its official website . the download option can be found until the end of the screen
Choose the drive where you want to work, in this case the USB device
Choose the way to start. Here two options will appear which are ISO images or Disks
Click on the box next to it and change the option from “Select” to “Download”
Wait for the Rufus download script to run
Select the version of Windows you want to download
Select the most recent issue that is the Build
Select the edition of Windows you want to download
Select the language you want to work with
Select the architecture
You can check the option “Download using a browser”. In this way you will be sure that the download of the ISO image will be made from microsoft.com and will be original from Windows
Press the “Download” button
Wait for the download to complete

Once the download is complete you can create a Bootable USB just by modifying the parameters that you think necessary, or simply leaving everything as it is. Then press the “Start” option which is at the bottom of the screen and wait for the Rufus tool to create the Bootable USB.

If I use MacOS

For this operating system it is necessary that the USB memory has a free storage space of at least 14GB , then follow the steps that you will see below.

Download some of the macOS Catalina, macOS High Sierra, macOS Big Sur, or macOS Mojave apps. An interesting fact is that to download the correct version of any of these programs, you must download it from a Mac computer with macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6
Download OX EL CAPITAN. This is downloaded as a disk image called InstallMacOSX.dmg. you have to perform this download from a computer compatible with El Capitan
Open the downloaded image and inside you will find an installer called InstallMacOSX.pkg
Then the Install OS X El Capitan application will be installed in the applications folder
Then put the USB drive in the computer
Open the terminal in the utilities folder inside the applications folder
Write one of these terminals:

Mojave: sudo / Applications / Install \ macOS \ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume / Volumes / MyVolume
High Sierra: sudo / Applications / Install \ macOS \ High \ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume / Volumes / MyVolume
Catalina: sudo / Applications / Install \ macOS \ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume / Volumes / MyVolume
Big Sur: sudo / Applications / Install \ macOS \ Big \ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume / Volumes / MyVolume
El Capitan: sudo / Applications / Install \ OS \ X \ El \ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia – volume / Volumes / MyVolume – applicationpath / Applications / Install \ OS \ X \ El \ Capitan.app

Click the “Return” button to enter the command
Enter the administrator password
Press the “Return” button
If the commands have a different volume name, change “MyVolume” to the ones you own
Write “Y” in case you want to delete the volume, to confirm this action
If an alert appears on the screen, press “OK” to continue
When the terminal finishes, the volume will be registered with the same name as the installer you downloaded
You can now exit the terminal and eject the volume
Connect the USB and verify that the computer has internet
Press the power button of the MAC and do not stop pressing it until the window with the executable volumes options appears
Select the volume you want to run and follow the steps indicated
When completing the requirements of the tool press “Accept”

What is a bootable USB in UEFI?

A Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI is the firmware code that defines or specifies the interface between the firmware and the operating system. Simply put, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI is the latest impersonation or modification of the old Basic Input / Output System interface like BIOS.

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI offers its users a way to boot the computer, that is, control the hardware without the need for the operating system to act . From what we can deduce that a bootable USB in UEFI is a boot memory or Bootable USB for the newest computers that no longer have BIOS as the Basic Input and Output System.

A UEFI bootable USB provides some extra security that prevents version changes to the operating system . Similarly, the UEFI system prevents booting from media that do not have the necessary security requirements. For example, it prevents the startup of USB Bootable that were created incorrectly.

Should I create an ISO or image on a USB to boot my PC?

Certainly if it is necessary to have an ISO image to allow booting from a Bootable USB memory on a computer. Although some of the tools to create boot memories have the same ones from the download option, while others you will have to download them directly from the internet.

To create an ISO image you can use the Daemon Tools tool which is a disk image emulator, and follow the steps below.

Download and install the Daemon Tools tool
Press the option in the main window of “Image Disc” or “Disc Imaging”
Select the drive where the optical disc is loaded from the drop-down menu
Choose a name and path for the disk image in “Destination image file”
Press the start button

Using gnome-disk-utility

This tool has a great advantage since you do not need to install other additional programs such as Unetbooting or some other. This tool already comes with the gnome-disk-utility distributions on your system. To create an ISO image on a Bootable USB follow the steps below.

Install a USB that has enough storage to save the ISO image that you are going to create, this USB must be completely empty
Press the right mouse button on the ISO image that you want to save to USB
Select the option of “Open with disc image burner”
Open the drop-down menu
Choose the USB drive that you have previously connected
Select “Start Restore” in the new window that will appear.
In the warning window that will appear next, you will select the “Restore” button
Wait for the restore process to complete successfully
Once this procedure is completed, enter the motherboard configuration by pressing the delete key and entering the BIOS configuration to search for the USB boot

If I have Unetbootin

The USB you are going to use must be formatted in FAT32
Download the Unetbootin tool from the official website
Choose the version indicated for the operating system you want
Then select if you want to use an ISO image that you have already downloaded or if you want to use one that is in your distribution and include it on the USB
Once this is done, press the “Install” button.
Restart the computer
Enter the BIOS and select the Bootable USB that you created as a boot

If I get Linux USB Creator

Linux USB Creator is open source software that enables its users to build free Windows boot systems for many Linux distributions. Although it was originally created for Windows, it also allows you to create distribution boots for Linux.

Thanks to Linux USB Creator you can use another operating system on your computer without having to install it completely. As simple as turning on your computer, connecting the Linux USB Creator, loading the operating system you want to use and that’s it.

When you finish using it, just turn the computer off and on again and it will be left with the initial operating system .