Rufus for PC

Rufus for Windows

v 3.14|Pete Batard

Technical Details

Category
Office & News
License
Free
Requirements
Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7
Language
English
Author
Pete Batard
Version
3.14
Size
1.12 MB

Screenshots

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Free USB ISO creation for Windows

Rufus is a crowdsourced free resource that creates bootable USBs. Although it is only compatible with Windows, the program can also create ISOs for software installations that work on Mac, Linux, or other operating systems. It can also be used to import an OS onto a computer with a partial or no OS via a USB.

A useful tool to handle installation tools

Rufus was created by Pete Batard for a rapidly changing age in which DVDs are less important and USBs are taking the lead. Many computers don't have DVD drives so it is important to keep the installation software in a different format.

Rufus is a utility that creates bootable USB drives and transforms them into CDs with installation software. It can create ISOs that are compatible with almost all Windows operating systems, Ubuntu, Linux, IOS, and other OSes.

Patches are not always available because only one person maintains the program. There is a good FAQ on the main website, and the owner does respond to any questions or problems. Open-source coding means that anyone can modify it and make patches.

What is the Rufus USB Tool?

It creates an ISO on a USB. An ISO contains a copy of the same file that is found on a physical hard disk. Rufus can then compile all files on a DVD or on a PC to create one ISO file.

When it installs the ISO, it will reformat your device. Make sure to backup all information so you don't lose it. It supports the creation of MBR files for UEFI or BIOS on different computers.

GPT is also available for certain UEFI devices. Rufus can be used to save an ISO for Windows 7 to allow you to reinstall it on your computer later. You could also save an older game you have on DVD.

There are other options available for creating an ISO. This ISO can be burned onto a disc or sent over the Internet. Rufus can be used on other systems, even though it is only compatible with Windows.

Booting from USB

It's easy to create a bootable USB using Rufus. First, insert the thumb drive that you want to boot from. Rufus will recognize the USB when you start the program. You will see a button with an optical drive icon. Click this button to locate and select the ISO that you wish to use.

After you have completed this process, your USB will be formatted. The ISO will be copied onto the USB to allow you to use it for boot. To boot from a USB, you will need to go into your BIOS. Rufus cannot control BIOS operations across platforms. Even if it could it can't control BIOS operations across platforms. Rufus can only be installed on Windows so it wouldn't work if you wanted it to boot up a Mac.

It is very easy to use. The user interface shows all the options, including which OS you are on and what ISO you are making. You will also need to compress the file, locate the.exe inside and use that to build the bootable USB.

Is Rufus safe to use?

Yes, Rufus can be trusted. It is a good idea to keep all information used to create the ISO in separate locations in case of a mistake. The software cannot damage the hard drive.

It can delete some information from the USB, which is the worst thing it can do. This is unlikely to cause permanent damage to the device over the long-term. It is extremely unlikely that permanent damage could be caused by repeated bad block checks.

Another thing to remember is that if you create an install drive for DOS you must know exactly what you have to do to get the file to work. Verify whether your computer is UEFI- or BIOS.

Registry keys must be stored and modified by the software. This is fine as the registry keys are returned to their original state at the end. This also means that the program can verify that everything went smoothly during installation.

Support, Limitations and Bugs

Rufus is very safe to use and doesn't have any bugs. It has been used many times and is most likely to be used by anyone who does IOS work, even professionals.

However, it has some limitations. It can only be used on Windows 7-10. The developer also stopped support for previous versions. It can only install one sequence onto a USB. You can still store other files on the drive but you won't have the ability to place any more bootable ISOs.

Pete Batard, the developer, is very responsive to emails and questions. He also releases new updates. You can be assured that if you have a problem, Pete Batard will help you solve it.

Alternatives

Rufus Portable is different from the main software in a single way. It can be moved from one computer to another and keep the same settings. There is no difference in software.

Comparing Etcher with Rufus is difficult. Rufus is two times faster than all other programs. Etcher uses more memory, but is not as advanced as other programs.

Unetbootin is slower again. It is also dangerous and has a high risk of corrupting the USB. It does not have an uninstaller and Unetbootin may sometimes not work. Rufus wins this comparison.

Yumi could be considered to be a better competitor. It still falls short in terms of speed and ease-of-use. Another problem is that the UEFI options remain in development, which limits what you can do with it.

Fast bootable USB creation

Rufus is a positive program. It is a solid program when taken as a whole. It is ideal for those who want to keep a safe BIOS file in the event of a computer crash, or to preserve a game for the future. It is ideal for developers because they can modify the code that runs it to do what they need.

The program's latest updates were extensive and varied. They were aimed at addressing issues with partitions and streamlining it for Windows Updates.