Today it is very common to use USB drives to install Linux distributions. This allows for reuse and a better installation time over CDs or DVDs. In this post, I will show you how to burn an ISO to a USB drive in Linux using a graphical program called Etcher.
Introduction
Etcher is a cross-platform graphical application for burning ISO images to USB drives. It is made with JS, HTML, node.js, and Electron. So it is cross-platform and can also be used on Windows and Mac OS.
Install Etcher
First of all, you need to download Etcher. To do this, go to the Etcher website . Usually it automatically defines your system and offers to download the version for your system. However, if it doesn't detect your system, or it detects it incorrectly, you can click the arrow next to the download button and select the image you want to use. In my case, I will download the 64-bit Linux.
When the download is complete, open your file manager and extract the file.
When it is extracted you will see a single file with the extension .AppImage. If you double click on it, it will start automatically.
Burn ISO to USB in Linux using Etcher
Once Etcher has been opened.
- Select Image - Select the ISO to burn
- Select Target - Select a USB drive, Etcher usually finds the USB flash drive automatically, but make sure you have selected the correct USB drive because if you have multiple USB drives connected to your computer, you might select the wrong one.
- Flash - All that's left is to start the recording process. To do this, click the Flash button !
And that's it, an ISO has been successfully burned to the flash drive. Now, you can reboot your system and select the USB drive during the boot process and the ISO image you just wrote to the USB flash drive will start. The next will be the installation of your favorite Linux distribution.
Restore USB after installation
It can also happen that after using your USB as a bootable drive, it does not work like a normal USB for data storage. If this is the case, you simply need to format the USB drive.
conclusion
Etcher is a very easy to use and reliable program to make a bootable USB drive in Linux with the graphical interface. It is a cross-platform application, so it can also be used on Windows or Mac.