Can I create a bootable Linux live USB flash drive using a Windows computer?

I have a rescued 2013 MacBook Air with a broken screen backlight due to a beverage spill and missing its internal SSD. I don't yet have any OS installed on it. I have access only to (32 bit) Windows PCs otherwise.

I believe there are bootable live USBs these days like we used to use live CDs back in the day. For a Mac live USB stick I'm not sure what partitioning / formatting / filesystem is needed for it to be bootable by Mac firmware. Thus I'm not sure if or how I can create one using a Windows box.

Existing questions that I originally thought were identical are about creating a USB key from an Intel machine running Linux. I currently don't have Linux on any of my Intel machines, all are running only Windows. Thus it appears mine is a novel question here.

hippietrail

Posted 2016-04-28T07:19:20.650

Reputation: 3 699

Why couldn't I find the previous question in either Superuser search or Google until I posted it? (-: – hippietrail – 2016-04-28T07:21:36.337

Could be how you worded it? The system did not recognize how you typed it possibly. – NetworkKingPin – 2016-04-28T07:23:30.253

Actually the existing question is about using a Wintel Linux box while I don't currently have any box running Linux, I only have Windows boxes right now. I think this is clear without editing the question text. Regretting closevoting myself now (-: – hippietrail – 2016-04-28T07:24:03.510

Use this Unetbootin It will allow you to make a bootable linux usb on Windows,Linux or Mac.

– NetworkKingPin – 2016-04-28T07:26:38.553

@NetworkKingPin: Really? In that case is the last section of this answer to a similar question wrong/out-of-date? https://superuser.com/a/589600/58110

– hippietrail – 2016-04-28T07:29:09.370

Ive used it in the last 6 months. Haha I didnt even look at the question. I just read what you said. – NetworkKingPin – 2016-04-28T07:34:10.753

@NetworkKingPin: Sorry are you saying that you have used it to create a USB bootable on Mac from a Windows PC? Even the tool's own website still currently says it can't do that. I looked it up based on reading it in that old answer. – hippietrail – 2016-04-28T07:37:44.133

There is no way to do this natively in Windows, this question will only draw 3rd party software solutions which are off topic here, your might be better re-wording the question and post here....http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/

– Moab – 2016-04-28T15:51:45.017

5http://superuser.com/questions/775017/is-it-possible-to-create-bootable-linux-on-usb-drive-using-windows-command-line – random – 2016-04-29T05:23:58.430

Answers

Universal-USB-Installer

Freewere. works on windows very well to make many types of bootable drives. Windows, Linux, Mac. SImple to use. small file. try it.

Bsienn

Posted 2016-04-28T07:19:20.650

Reputation: 131

Software recommendations as answers are frowned upon here, a better site to recommend software is...http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/

– Moab – 2016-04-28T15:49:01.733

@Moab OP asked for a solution. I didn't knew people don't like software recommendation here. I won't delete the answer. maybe that would help the OP. Everything is software opensource or not. why not mention it. – Bsienn – 2016-04-28T17:34:13.927

Software recommendations on SU should be comments. Yes you can make them answers but usually don't get much rep for it. – Moab – 2016-04-28T18:35:41.833

I see you use software recommendations heavily in your answers. nvm. Have a good day – Bsienn – 2016-04-28T20:13:24.900

When the only answer to a quesion is using 3rd party software, the question or the answer does not belong here on SU. – Moab – 2016-04-28T23:37:30.287

says who? written anywhere? Would help me in using the site properly, because I didn't see it written anywhere. – Bsienn – 2016-04-29T09:58:19.947

Asking for third party software recommendations is Off Topic on SU it is considered a product..http://superuser.com/help/on-topic

– Moab – 2016-04-29T19:25:48.687

Asking for software recommendations is off-topic, but providing one as an answer is not. However, the answer needs to be high quality to not be viewed as spam. Key is to make it a solution to what was asked in the question rather than just pointing at a product and quoting a few generic features. To me, your answer meets the (bare) minimum requirements; it looks like @Moab may disagree. It would be a much better answer is you included some basic instructions on how to use the product to do what was asked in the question. – fixer1234 – 2016-05-01T04:29:03.357

Some good guidance on providing a software recommendation as an answer: http://meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/how-do-i-recommend-software-in-my-answers.

– fixer1234 – 2016-05-01T04:35:21.643

Rufus works very well to create these installers. You can get it from https://rufus.akeo.ie/

From the site It can be especially useful for cases where:

you need to create USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.) you need to work on a system that doesn't have an OS installed you need to flash a BIOS or other firmware from DOS you want to run a low-level utility

and you dont need to install it

Shiva Shankar

Posted 2016-04-28T07:19:20.650

Reputation: 21

Software recommendations as answers are frowned upon here, a better site to recommend software is...http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/

– Moab – 2016-04-28T15:48:46.950