How to Boot from USB

Posted on September 21st, 2009 by Marck

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Thanks to open-source software and high-capacity USB disks and drives, it’s now possible to literally have an entire operating system on the tip of your thumb. A bootable USB disk gives you all the functionality of an entire operating system configured to your liking, and can be used in most shared or public computers. Here are the steps and tips you need to make a computer boot from a bootable USB drive.

Reminders

Not all computers can boot from a USB drive. To boot from a USB disk, your motherboard and computer BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) should be able to recognize USB ports as part of the boot sequence. Most modern computers feature USB boot capabilities, although you should double-check the BIOS to see if the USB port is part of the boot sequence of the machine.

A bootable USB drive is any USB drive or Flash disk with a complete operating system installed on it. Space should not be a big problem for most computers, because most USB disks today have very high storage capacities that can accommodate the space needs of an entire working operating system. The preferred operating system is Linux, although you may also install Windows on a USB disk if you have enough storage space.

Steps

To boot from a USB drive, follow these steps:

Check the USB drive on another computer to see if it has a working operating system installed on it.
Insert the bootable USB drive to an empty USB port on your computer.
Restart the computer and enter BIOS mode by pressing “Delete” during BIOS startup.
Navigate the BIOS screen and enable the option to use the USB drive as the primary booting device, and shift your hard drive/s to secondary boot.
Save all changes.
Boot from the USB drive.

Booting from USB is especially useful for shared computers and public computer terminals. With these steps, you can boot on any supported computer from a high-capacity USB storage medium.