Create a bootable USB stick in Linux

Note: These instructions erase the whole stick. The result will be just one bootable OS on the stick. In the next post I will tell how to get the stick back to normal, somewhat.

  1. Stick the USB stick in the computer
  2. In the terminal, determine the device:
    sudo ls -l /dev/disk/by-id/*usb*

    The device listed multiple times, with a number in the end and without, is the one to use. E.g. /dev/sdb

  3. If you have automount enabled, unmount the device.
  4. cd to the folder where the iso file is.
  5. Create bootable device:
    sudo dd if=filename.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M; sync

    The device path is an example. However, it must be without number in the end.

Learned from here http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=23267

4 Replies to “Create a bootable USB stick in Linux”

  1. better ommiting “bs=4M; sync”
    some usb pendrive doesn’t work with it …
    better just
    “sudo dd if=filename.iso of=/dev/sdb “

  2. What kind of pendrives or sticks don’t work with it? Can you give the specs?

    I only have one stick that I can make bootable. I don’t do these things very much.

  3. lots of cheaper version made-in-cina usb pendrives’re actually omitted cache chip inside.
    didn’t meet problem with them yet?

  4. My pendrives are problem-free. I’m not sure if they are cheap or made in China. All I know is that they work with “bs=4M; sync”

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