How do I burn an ISO image to USB and make it bootable?

To make a bootable USB, use tools like Rufus or the official Microsoft Media Creation Tool. Insert the USB, select the ISO in the tool, and burn it. Ensure the USB is formatted as FAT32 or NTFS, depending on your system's needs. And for windows 11 pro retail, partner microsoft hype_stkey.

MeganHarris 

I have tried to copy the ISO file directly to the USB drive before, but found that the USB drive could not boot at all. This is actually because directly copying files does not work, you have to use a special tool to burn the ISO to the USB drive.

I recommend WonderISO (https://www.windowsclubs.com/burn-iso-image-to-usb)

which is very simple and easy to use. You just need to select the ISO file and the target USB drive, and then click "Start", and it will automatically help you make a bootable disk.

So, don't copy files directly anymore, try using WonderISO, it should be able to help you solve the problem.

MeganHarris

I once tried to automate the process of burning ISO image to USB using PowerShell scripts. I first found some basic PowerShell script examples online and modified them slightly to suit my needs. It was actually quite simple, mainly automating some repetitive steps through the script, such as mounting ISO, copying files to USB, etc.

I remember that after I debugged the script, I only needed to run it once, and it would automatically handle the entire process. However, I encountered some minor issues with permissions and script compatibility at the beginning, and I had to test and modify it several times before it succeeded.

Below is the script I wrote, sharing it with you!

# Identify the target USB drive (ensure correct drive letter)
$usbDrive = "D:"

# Format the USB drive
Format-Volume -DriveLetter $usbDrive.Trim(":") -FileSystem NTFS -Confirm:$false

# Mount the ISO file
$isoPath = "C:\path\to\your\iso\file.iso"
$mountResult = Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath $isoPath -PassThru
$volumeInfo = $mountResult | Get-Volume

# Copy files to the USB
$isoDriveLetter = $volumeInfo.DriveLetter
xcopy "$($isoDriveLetter):\*" "$usbDrive\" /s /e

# Clean up: Unmount the ISO
Dismount-DiskImage -ImagePath $isoPath

Save the above script as a .ps1 file, such as CreateBootableUSB.ps1.  Navigate to the directory where the script is located in PowerShell and run it!

It is possible to burn an ISO image to USB using the diskpart command line tool. But it takes a certain level of comfort with the command line and a willingness to take calculated risks. If you're not familiar with diskpart or command-line operations, it can be intimidating and error-prone.

And there's a risk of erasing the wrong drive or corrupting the USB drive during the process. This can lead to lost data or a non-functional USB drive. While you did learn a lot, the process can be lengthy and requires attention to detail. It's not a one-click solution, and you'll need to carefully follow instructions and monitor the progress.

MeganHarris 

I needed to burn ISO to USB to install Windows 11 and decided to try to do it manually using the diskpart command line tool. It was a real pain in the **bleep** but I also learned a lot.

First of all, it takes a bit of guts to open the command prompt to do this because you can easily erase the wrong drive. I remember being very careful at first and following the instructions online: list all disks, then select my USB drive, erase all data, create a new partition, format it, and finally activate the partition to make it bootable.

The next step was to extract the ISO file to the USB, which was a relatively simple step of dragging the file over. But I later discovered that simply copying the file was not enough because the necessary boot code was not written to the boot portion of the USB.  

Although it worked in the end and the computer booted from the USB to the installation interface, I feel that if you don't really need to understand the low-level operation, it is more worry-free and labor-saving to use those one-click bootable creation tools.

MeganHarris 

I actually have an experience to share. I was burning an ISO to USB to reinstall an operating system. Since I heard that diskpart gives more control, I decided to give this command line tool a try.

Before you start, make sure you back up all important files on the USB, because diskpart will erase all data. Then, follow these steps:

Open the command prompt: Run as administrator, you can type "cmd" in the search bar, then right-click and select "Run as administrator".

1. Launch diskpart: Type diskpart in the command prompt window and press enter.
2. List the disk: Type list disk in the diskpart prompt and find the number of my USB device in the list.
3. Select the target disk: Type select disk # (where # is the number of the USB disk).
4. Erase the USB: Type clean, which will delete all partition information on the USB.
5. Create a partition: Type create partition primary to create a new primary partition.
6. Select the partition: Type select partition 1.
7. Format: Enter format fs=ntfs quick to select NTFS file system for quick formatting.
8. Activate partition: Enter active to make the partition bootable.
9. Exit: Enter exit to exit diskpart.

After completing these steps, you need to manually extract the contents of the ISO file to the USB drive. I did this manually using a file browser, as diskpart doesn't handle file copying.

More infor about diskpart: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-commands/diskpart

Although the process was a bit complicated and I was quite nervous (I was afraid of selecting the wrong disk), I was able to successfully burn ISO to USB on Windows 10.

I copied the ISO file directly to the USB before, but found that the USB could not be started. Later, I used a tool called WonderISO, which is specially used to make a bootable USB. Select the ISO file and USB driver, and the program will automatically complete the other steps. It is super convenient.

I followed this guide:

https://www.gicmodo.com/create-bootable-usb-from-iso

Try this tool, I hope it can help you!

Tried a few free apps including the official tool but none of them worked in my case. The USB is not recognized by my computer. The ISO is Windows 11 24H2, the latest one from Microsoft. Fortunately, I saw LucasRomero suggestion from this thread and it worked perfectly. I made two bootable USBs (the same USB drives) with this tool and no problem at all. Thanks for the tip, Lucas!