Rufus is a free and open-source utility for Microsoft Windows that can be used to format and create bootable USB flash drives or Live USBs. It is particularly useful for creating USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.), working on a system that doesn't have an OS installed, or running a low-level utility. Rufus is a powerful tool that is simple to use, making it a popular choice for both beginners and experienced users.

Overview of Rufus

Rufus is designed to be a lightweight and efficient tool for creating bootable USB drives. It supports a wide range of ISO images and offers various options to customize the bootable drive creation process. Rufus is compatible with Windows 7 and later versions, and it supports both BIOS and UEFI boot modes.

How to Use Rufus to Create a Bootable USB Drive

Step 1: Download and Install Rufus

1. Visit the official Rufus website: https://rufus.ie/.
2. Download the latest version of Rufus. Rufus is a portable application, so it doesn't require installation. Simply download the executable file.

Step 2: Prepare Your USB Drive

1. Insert a USB flash drive into your Windows computer. Ensure that the drive is empty or that you have backed up any important data, as the process will erase all data on the drive.

Step 3: Launch Rufus

1. Double-click the Rufus executable file to launch the application.
2. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click "Yes" to allow Rufus to run.

Step 4: Configure Rufus Settings

1. Device: Select your USB drive from the "Device" dropdown menu.
2. Boot selection: Click the "SELECT" button to browse and choose the ISO file you want to use.
3. Partition scheme: Choose the appropriate partition scheme for your system:
   • MBR for BIOS or UEFI
   • GPT for UEFI
4. File system: Typically, you can leave this as the default (FAT32 or NTFS, depending on the ISO).
5. Cluster size: Leave this as the default unless you have specific requirements.

Step 5: Create the Bootable USB Drive

1. Click the "START" button to begin the process.
2. Rufus will warn you that all data on the USB drive will be destroyed. Confirm by clicking "OK."
3. Rufus will now create the bootable USB drive. This process may take several minutes, depending on the size of the ISO and the speed of your USB drive.

Step 6: Verify the Bootable USB Drive

1. Once Rufus has completed the process, you can verify the bootable USB drive by restarting your computer and booting from the USB drive.
2. Access your computer's boot menu (usually by pressing a key like F12, F10, or Esc during startup) and select the USB drive to boot from it.

Examples

Here's a practical example of using Rufus to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows 10:

1. Download the Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft website.
2. Open Rufus and select your USB drive.
3. Click "SELECT" and choose the Windows 10 ISO file.
4. Choose "MBR" as the partition scheme for BIOS compatibility.
5. Click "START" to create the bootable USB drive.

Conclusion

Rufus is a versatile and user-friendly tool for creating bootable USB drives on Windows. Whether you're installing a new operating system or running a live Linux distribution, Rufus makes the process straightforward and efficient.