How to Create a Bootlable USB or SD With Win32 Disk Imager
⦁ For a drive that is bootable to be created, you must download an IMG file, which will be transferred onto a USB stick or SD card. An image file can be obtained online. Based on the OS you’re using, simply perform a search query online and locate the file you want to download.
⦁ The USB file query of the Win32 Disk Imager, by default, will display only IMG files. As such, if a file that you’ve downloaded happens to be an ISO file, then you’ll have to modify the view’s filter. That is the only way for all files to be displayed. This will help you locate your downloaded ISO file.
⦁ The storage device must be plugged in right before the transfer starts. Make sure the lone drive that you’re using is plugged directly into the machine intended for this very purpose. Having more than one device plugged into your machine can result in confusion. Formatting of an incorrect drive might follow, deleting precious data on it in the process.
⦁ The USB drive or SD card you’re using might have to be formatted before you go any further. With that said, this prompt can be ignored if you choose. Cloning the image file directly to a storage device may ultimately override data stored on it, so formatting is unnecessary. Regardless, you are welcome to format the drive before beginning. Be mindful that it is not mandatory to do so.
⦁ The Win32 Disk Imager’s interface is quite intuitive. You won’t need to do very much work for this file transfer to be set up. Simply choose the directory containing your image file (the one you want to clone), as well as the drive’s directory you’re cloning it to. Ensure that the proper file paths have been selected, then click “Write.”
⦁ You will be shown one more pop-up that asks if you want to continue. Once you select “Yes,” a progress bar will be displayed on the window. Transfer speed will also be shown, allowing you to monitor progress all the way to completion. Upon completion of the transfer, yet another pop-up window will be displayed telling you if the process has been a success. From here, remove the USB drive. What you do with the drive at this point is up to you.
