Rufus is an open source USB boot creator tool. This Windows program can help you quickly make a DOS bootable USB disk (or boot a USB drive to DOS). Over the years, this little gem has evolved into a utility that, much like other tools such as the Universal USB Installer, can now also create a Linux or Windows bootable USB from an ISO file.
RUFUS | Create a DOS Bootable USB Disk
Rufus is a free and open-source utility used to create bootable USB flash drives. It's a popular tool primarily used for creating bootable USB drives from ISO files, allowing users to install or run operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, or various rescue disks, directly from the USB drive. Here are some key features of Rufus:
- Bootable USB Creation: It allows users to create bootable USB drives from ISO image files. This feature is handy for installing operating systems or running live environments directly from a USB flash drive.
- Compatibility: Supports a wide range of ISO files, including those for various versions of Windows, Linux distributions, and other bootable utilities.
- UEFI and Legacy BIOS Support: Is compatible with both UEFI and legacy BIOS systems, ensuring flexibility for users with different hardware configurations.
- Partition Schemes and File Systems: Users can choose from different partition schemes (such as MBR or GPT) and file systems (such as FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT) when creating bootable USB drives, depending on their requirements and compatibility with the target system.
- Fast and Lightweight: Well known for its speed and efficiency. It's a lightweight utility that doesn't require installation and can quickly create bootable USB drives in just a few clicks.
- Customization Options: Provides several customization options, including cluster size, volume label, and bootable disk creation methods, allowing users to tailor their bootable USB drives to their specific needs.
- Bad Sector Detection: Includes a feature to check for bad sectors on the USB drive before creating the bootable drive, ensuring data integrity and reliability.
- Multi-Language Support: Available in multiple languages, making it accessible to users worldwide.
Rufus originally worked much like the HP USB Format Tool "HPUSBFW", offering options to format a flash drive as FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, mark the drive bootable or active, and install a DOS environment to boot into. It's nice that it includes the ability to check the disk for errors, create a volume label, and set cluster size.
Overall, this portable software makes for a nice, easy to use versatile tool for creating bootable USB drives, widely used by both novice and experienced users for various purposes, including system installation, troubleshooting, and system recovery.
RUFUS Specifications | Official Site | Software Download
- Authors Website: Project Page
- Developer: Pete Batard
- File Size: 80 KB
- License: Open Source
- Supported OS: Windows
- Download: Grab this versatile bootable USB drive maker program here:
rufus program download
