Tuesday 09 January 2024 04:21 pm
The idea of burning Windows onto a flash drive appeared with Windows Vista, which required several CDs or a single DVD to install it, so people resorted to using flash drives to install Windows from them. Now that we are in the year 2023, the matter of installing Windows has become completely dependent on flash drives. No one Discs are not rarely used, but no one uses them at all. However, to install Windows from a flash drive, it does not only require that you copy the ISO onto the flash drive and then install from it. Rather, you must “burn” Windows onto the flash drive. What is the difference? What is the best Windows burning program? Follow this article with us to learn about it.
Burning Windows and copying Windows
The difference between copying and burning is very big, but to understand the importance of this difference you must know the basis of installing Windows from a flash drive. I will ask you a question: when you open the computer and it starts working, what happens? The device opens normally and reads the Windows files on the storage and then enters the system. This is done by reading certain files related to the Windows operating process called Boot files. Without these files, the device cannot work and therefore it will not open at all. What does this have to do with the flash drive or installation? Windows?
When you install Windows, you need a “system” that you access and from which the Windows files are installed. When you put Windows on the flash drive, you must install the Windows installation system on it. This is the burning process. I mean, you can decompress the ISO and then copy the files to the flash drive. But how will the device recognize that this flash drive is the installation system? How will it read its files to open from it? When you start installing Windows, you are not using the system’s storage space, and the screen that appears in front of you is not loaded from the SSD or HDD, but rather from the flash drive itself, so “burning” the flash drive is the basis here; Because it installs the necessary files in order for the device to operate from the flash drive.
The best program for burning Windows to flash – Rufus
Rufus is an open source program, easy and fast to use that supports burning Windows onto a flash drive easily. The program is so light that its size is only 1.4 MB. You can use it to burn almost any ISO, but it is distinguished in that it recognizes any settings that you may need for the process. By burning Windows 11, for example, the program can know if you want to install Windows on a device that does not support the minimum Windows specifications, so it sets an option that allows you to skip checking the device specifications so that you can install the system on a weaker device.
Rufus features
- Its size is small, not even 2 MB
- Completely free software you don’t need to pay anything
- Simple and does not require prior ink to use (even the explanation in the rest of the article is a plus for you)
- Open source software that is always updated
- Supports many languages, including Arabic
- Supports all Windows systems starting with Windows 7
How to use Windows burning software?
- First, download the program from the official website here
- Open the application and you will see its easy and simple interface
- Now you will need a flash drive in the USB port with a capacity of at least 8GB
- From the Select button, choose the Windows ISO
- Now you will find an option called Partition scheme with two different options: GPT and MBR
- Choosing GPT is the best and latest choice and you should choose it as long as you install it on an SSD
- The MBR option is somewhat old and was used with HDDs
- It is important that you choose the appropriate option for your storage disk. If you are using an SSD, no problem, use GPT. However, if you are using an HDD, you must know the type of your hard drive in order to choose the appropriate option.
- Do not play with any other settings, Rufus adjusts everything alone
- Press the Start button and let the application burn Windows alone
- After completing the burning, take the flash drive, which is now ready to install Windows on any other device.
The difference between MBR and GPT
The MBR (Master Boot Record) partition system and the GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition system are two systems used to organize and partition hard disk space in operating systems. Although they both perform the same basic function, there are several differences between them. One of the most important differences relates to the amount of storage that can be supported. MBR supports up to 2TB of storage, while GPT can support much larger storage.
GPT also enables additional features such as the ability to store boot information multiple times and provides Secure Boot, which helps protect the system from malicious exploit software. Conversely, MBR is more commonly used in legacy systems and computers with older systems, however, GPT is preferred in modern systems and devices that handle large amounts of storage or need the additional security features provided by GPT.
Program for burning Windows to a USB flash drive for Linux and Mac
The only problem with Rufus is that it is not available on Linux and Mac systems, so there is no way to burn the ISO if you are not using a Windows system. Therefore, we will recommend the Unetbootin application to you, which is an easy-to-use application that works on all systems without problems. It is also a free and easy-to-use open source program. You can Use it to burn any ISO or download different distributions from the Internet to burn directly onto the flash drive. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Therefore, we recommend it for the last two systems if you want to burn any flash drive or are looking for the best Windows burning program for them.
Unetbootin features
- Very easy to use.
- Supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Free and open source.
Disadvantages of Unetbootin
- It does not provide many customization options.
Download the application
Read also: Officially download and install Windows 11, direct link from Microsoft’s website
Original source: He knew me
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