How to Make a USB Bootable

Have an old USB drive lying around that you don't use anymore? Turn it into an operating install disk for Windows, Linux or Mac, or a diagnostic tool for your PC. Follow this guide to learn how.

Method 1 of 5: Making a USB Drive to Install Any PC Operating System

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   Open the Command Prompt. You will need to run Command Prompt as an Administrator. Right-click on it and select Run as Administrator. You may need to enter the Administrator password.
   • This method will create a USB drive that is bootable. You can then copy the contents of an operating installation disc onto the drive to create a portable installation drive.
   • This method only works in Windows Vista, 7, and 8.
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   Open the disk management utility. This can be opened by entering the command diskpart.
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   Display the connected disks. Type the command list disk to show a list of all the drives connected to your computer. Your USB drive should be listed here as well. Make note of the number next to your USB drive.
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   Select the USB drive. Enter the command select disk #, replace “#” with the number from the previous step.
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   Clean the flash drive. Enter the command clean to have the disk management utility verify the integrity of the USB drive, and erase all data.
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   Create a bootable partition. Once the USB drive is clean, type in create partition primary. You will see a message saying that the operation was successful.
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   Select the new partition. Enter the command select partition 1 and press Enter. Once you receive a confirmation message, type active and press Enter. This will activate the partition.
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   Format the USB drive. Input the command format fs=fat32. When you press Enter, the program will work for a few minutes (if it is a small USB, e.g. 32Gb could actually take hours to SLOW format), and the progress will be displayed as a percentage.
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   Assign the USB a drive letter. Enter the command assign to give the thumb drive a letter designation. Type exit to end the disk management program.
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    Copy the operating system. Once the USB drive has been made bootable, you can copy over the installation files for the operating system you want to install. You can do this by dragging and dropping using your preferred file manager/explorer.
    • Copy over any drivers you might need during the operating system installation to make the process much smoother.

Method 2 of 5: Making a Windows Vista or 7 Install Drive

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   Create or Obtain A Windows Vista/7 ISO. Install a free burning program. There are a number of free burning utilities available online. You need one that can create ISO files. If you received your Windows 7 as a downloadable ISO file from Microsoft, you can skip to Step 2.
   • Insert your Windows 7 DVD. Open your new burning program. Look for an option such as “Copy to Image” or “Create Image.” If prompted, select your DVD drive as the source.
     
   • Save your ISO file. Choose an easy to remember name and location for the file. The ISO you make will be equal in size to the disc you are copying. This means it can take up several gigabytes of space on your hard drive. Be sure you have enough storage available.
     
   • Creating the ISO can take a long time, depending on the speed of your computer and DVD drive.
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   Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. This is available for free from Microsoft. Despite its name, this tool works with Windows Vista ISOs as well. You can run this tool on virtually any version of Windows.
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   Select the Source file. This is the ISO that you created or downloaded in the first section. Click Next.
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   Select USB device. You are given the option to either burn to a DVD or create a USB device. For this guide, click USB Device.
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   Choose your USB device. Make sure that your flash drive is connected correctly. You will need at least 4GB space on your flash drive to copy over the Windows installation.
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   Wait while program works. The program will format the USB drive to boot correctly, then copy the ISO file onto the drive. The copying process can take up to 15 minutes to complete, depending on the speed of your machine.

Method 3 of 5: Making a Windows XP Install Drive

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   Gather your software and hardware. You will need USB_Prep8 and bootsect.exe. These are developer tools both freely available online. You will also need a flash drive at least 1GB in size, and a Windows XP installation CD or DVD.
• Insert the USB drive and the Windows XP disc. Close any Autoplay windows that open.

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