I don't have any CD burning software on my current laptop.

I normally would use IMGBurn as my CD/DVD burning.
(Assuming I can use this to burn onto USB)
But... IMGBurn is full of spam adware - maybe once upon a time it was clean.

How should I burn to USB?

IDEALLY: would prefer to use something from Microsoft and not download something.
Can't I burn the same way I can a CD/DVD? I tried and the USB drive isn't selectable.
Else... would like portable and lightweight.

Thanks.

Go to https://etcher.io/

This provides a download for a graphical burning program for .ISO files to bootable USB sticks for Windows, Mac and of course Linux.

1 members found this post helpful.

People use the term "burn" to write an image file to a USB flash drive but the process is really no different then when writing normal files. The main difference is your overwriting the entire drive including the Master Boot Record / partition table.

In many cases the right utility sometimes depends on which distribution image file you are trying to write to flash drive. Check with the distributions installation guide which might provide information on the tool known to work. There isn't at least as far as I know a built in Microsoft program to write an image file to a flash drive so your going to have to download something. Otherwise in addition to the above I suggest trying Win32 Disk Imager or rufus.

You have the necessary software in Windows to make a DVD. For Windows 10
https://superuser.com/questions/9551...-in-windows-10
For older versions
https://www.tutonics.com/2012/07/how...ive-cddvd.html

The OP wants to write an image file to a USB drive not to CD/DVD

Take a look at unetbootin.

I've used it and it worked fine for me. Be sure to read the directions, though. It's not a matter of just copying the *.iso to the USB drive.

Be aware that there are two issues here, and it very much depends on what the OP wants.
He can just copy the files to a bootable USB and use it instead of the CD, or,
He can copy the ISO file itself to the USB, along with other ISO files, and use a utility to select which ISO to simulate a boot from.

I do this latter and borrowed the idea from one of the later Hiren distributions (to give credit).

@dave - the word "copying" makes it sound like a data file copy.
This won't work.

You need to totally overwrite the USB with the ISO file.
You need to create an image of the ISO file, destroying all existing contents of the USB.

2 members found this post helpful.

It IS and it works. You do need to adjust the boot files to find the Puppy main file.


Yes it does work and has for years.

deleted

If you are booting an efi system, some iso's will work by formatting the usb as fat32 then extract the files out of the iso to the usb.

I suspect the OP just wants a straight-forward way of doing things.

etcher looks really classy.
also downloaded yumi - interface not as polished - but i can get multiple boot.
can i get multi boot on etcher?
thanks

(thanks for all replies - all read and much appreciated for replies)

It looks as if you can't yet produce a multiboot media with Etcher - https://github.com/resin-io/etcher/issues/414

A quick look at the YUMI How To (https://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-m...-creator#HowTo) shows that you can't currently achieve persistence or format a stick as FAT32 while running YUMI under WINE (for the latter, you have to prepare the USB stick before using YUMI). Two of the reasons I stick to using the Windows version.

oh... i saw a youtube video showing multiple boot installs...
it shows that u have to do one at a time and then select another... this isn't too good - since you are left waiting.

in the video it shows a slider for persistence?

ANOTHER question: how many different Linux can i have on a USB stick? I think someone mentioned 4 above? Can I have more?
are there some Linux that you can't have on USB? i downloaded CentOS - nearly 9GB. so assume not too good?
(this will save me wasting time if i know in advance that i cant have - so wont download and try!)

thanks.