Linux utility that can write ISO to USB just like Windows?
 

Here is my situation: I have a laptop with an old Win7 installation and a Linux Mint installation that is installed alongside Win7. I forgot the administrator password for the Win7 installation and now I can't access it. Actually, I can but through another user with restricted privileges (non-admin access), which kind of sucks. I can use the Mint installation, of course.

Since I don't have any other computer at hand at this moment except for this laptop, and I'd hate to reinstall Windows from scratch, I thought it would be best to use one of those password reset utilities for Win7 that exist. For instance, this one:

http://www.pcunlocker.com/reset-wind...hout-disk.html

so that I can create an USB drive from that iso file and boot the system from it (from pcunlocker.iso), and then reset the admin pass on my Win7 installation.

The trouble is, when I write the iso file for that application using Mint's "USB Image Writer" (from Accessories) my laptop doesn't want to boot from it but simply skips to the available hard disk installations (in my case, the grub menu with Win7 and Mint).

The sites that have these kind of password reset utilities usually recommend a free program called ISO2Disc.exe, but of course that's a Windows program and I can't run it on this machine.

Is there a Linux application/program that is able to write an ISO file in exactly the same way as ISO2Disc would write it from Windows?

I tried using WoeUSB but it doesn't appear to work with little utilities like this, I presume it works only with full Windows installations.

https://unetbootin.github.io/ is most probably part of your distro

I use the ISO hybrid method for all my Linux ISO's.

Regarding Windows 7 admin:
https://www.isunshare.com/windows-7-...ord-reset.html
Safe Mode is your best bet.

Thanks. Unetbootin seems to do the job as needed. However, that particular password reset program I mentioned in the original post seems to have a problem with my laptop. While booting it reports that it failed to load ldlinux.c32. I have no idea how to fix that.

However, I managed to reset the Win7 password using Ubuntu Live USB and this method.

The best and easiest method and also most reliable method is:Example, say the USB stick is /dev/sdb:

I wish people would stop recommending unetbootin.
There's lots of problems with it; just search "unetbootin is broken".
No updates for 2 years, and not much before that either.
The way I understand it, it works for Ubuntu & Co., but nothing else. I might be wrong.

I heartily recommend using the dd method described above.

Linux Mint also has its very own GUI called 'mintstick'.

USB Writer util
 

I like Balena Etcher. Written in Java, runs on practically anything with enough chops to have a JRE.

https://www.balena.io/etcher/

Iso (hybrids) burners for example etcher.
 

Etchers really easy to use out of dozens
*available* but doesn't write in DD with hybrid ISOs so for example if you wanted kali linux on a live USB with persistence (otherwise pointless or loads of messing on every boot)*etcher* will burn usb as read only and users are then forever wondering why they can't setup persistence. The problem is *some people using etcher in there forums or URLs with universal step by step instructions* especially newbies trying to create a live usb with persistence but *failing* and how great etcher is. check the download site it states they don't burn DD images. If you want a removable live USB that doesn't use your hard and persistently saves all adjustments and setting plus apt updates etc... use*rufus* {unetbootin} or *infact *I believe rufus to be better for a persistent live USB and unetbootin and will give the option *to* select DD*. *I also like win disk manager!!!. I have Got so many and away from laptop now on my phone. *just stick with rufus in my opinion*
Edit- everything with stars ** are from either when I rushed and didn't make sense or alot also predictive text on my phone I hadn't noticed. Hope that is a little better for you fatmac,sevendogsbsd and yancek-where I wasnt
trying to give instructions on how to install kali linux just used it as an example of a hybrid ISO. I was just giving the OP Seniark a few good option and lastly I posted after bsdaemon because his/her advice was to use etcher and the OP may find that theres still problems after using that utility. Hope that satisfies you now even though I've rushed weighting this edited post out for the second time. Have a nice day ��

If you are a Linux or BSD user, get to know how to use dd.

(man dd)

OP: Mint has a built in USB writing/creation tool if you are looking for something with a GUI. Otherwise I agree dd is best for the job.

I probably shouldn't contribute to this necro-thread (although it's only been dead about 18 months) but the post by Kush7963 as nearly as I can determine from the poorly punctuated post with run-on sentences is an apparent lack of instruction on creating a persistent Kali usb. Simple, detailed instructions are on the Kali site where one should go to get that type of information. Can't really make out what the rest of the post is or what the poster was trying to say.

The original post was about re-setting a password on windows 7 and the OP was asking how to use specific software linked to in his first post. In post #4, the OP indicates he resolved the problem and the thread got side-tracked to discussing best software to create a bootable usb.

if=input file

of=output file

bs=block size, bigger blocks help large files, transfer faster. Smaller blocks help transfer rates with lots of smaller files. DD defaults with small block size, so it can be slow if you dont set a block size. 64K is a good size to use, also for familiarity its pretty much the same option as when your creating a raid and your asked for the strip size.

status=progress will give you progress status

you can also use this to clone hard drives from drive to drive

or you can do of=/home/usr/bak.raw to save an entire drive in raw format

than if=bak.raw of=/dev/sdb to restore the drive

if in the same directory type the following
sdb would be the usb drive

duplicate post

Erm.
It's not written in java:
I feel I should also add that it's not truly cross-platform (as they themselves claim); there's separate packages for each OS & Architecture.

Where does it say that, please? Link?
Anyhow, since there's no such thing as a "dd image" this statement can't be fully correct.


...going back and forth with this topic every few months.
It’s another of those cases where a terminal command is by far the best solution, and all troubles and discussions are about the GUI frontends. So if they only could get over themselves, open that terminal, and formulate a proper dd command. It's not that hard (thanks finalturismo).
:rolleyes:

PS: a small personal experience rant:
I once installed an ARM distro that "recommended" etcher, and I believed them. Problem: I had to burn it to a MicroSD card and the only reader I had was in a 10 year old 32 bit notebook. Took minutes for etcher to even fire up, and horus to burn it. Only later I realised that the end result was exactly the same as dd'ing the image straight to the card. :facepalm: