Most Linux distributions come with ISO images — they are bootable discs. You can burn them to a CD or DVD and then boot to install or use Linux as a live CD. But after a while you will have many old CDs in your drawer as new versions keep coming. To save your CDs you can use a USB flash drive instead, using UNetbootin.
UNetbootin is an open-source program developed by Geza Kovacs that allows you to create bootable live USB drives for Ubuntu, Fedora, and other Linux distributions without burning a CD. It runs on both Windows and Linux.
Here are the steps to create a Linux bootable live USB (assuming you are using Windows):
- Download UNetbootin here.
- Install it and run it.
- You will see a window like the screenshot above.
- If you already have the ISO image, select disk image type ISO and select the path to your ISO file.
- Then choose type “USB Drive” and the drive letter (for example: “E:”).
- Then press OK.
- Wait until it finishes.
Now you can boot your PC with the flash drive and run Linux live from the flash drive.