The easiest way to create a bootable USB with Linux is UNetbootin.  You can build it on Windows or Linux and it couldn’t be easier.  With a bootable USB you do not need a CD, DVD or FTP to install linux. Here is the step by step guide. Now you can install linux from usb.

UNetbootin allows you to create bootable Live USB drives for a variety of Linux distributions from Windows or Linux, without requiring you to burn a CD. You can either let it download one of the many distributions supported out-of-the-box for you, or supply your own Linux .iso file if you’ve already downloaded one or your preferred distribution isn’t on the list.

Requirements

• Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista, or Linux. If you are having trouble with the Linux version, try the Windows version, it usually works better.
• A broadband internet connection to download the distribution’s .iso file (unless you’re using pre-downloaded files)

Features

UNetbootin can create a bootable Live USB drive, or it can make a “frugal install” on your local hard disk if you don’t have a USB drive. It can load distributions by automatically downloading their ISO (CD image) files, or by using existing ISO files, floppy/hard disk images, or kernel/initrd files, for installing other distributions.

unetbootin

The current version has built-in support for automatically downloading and loading the following distributions, though installing other distributions is also supported:

• Ubuntu (and official derivatives)
  • 6.06 LTS
  • 6.10
  • 7.04
  • 7.10
  • 8.04 LTS
  • 8.10
  • 9.04
  • Daily CD Images
• Debian
  • Stable/Etch
  • Testing/Lenny
  • Unstable/Sid
• Linux Mint
  • 3.1
  • 4.0
  • 5-r1
  • 6
• openSUSE
  • 10.2
  • 10.3
  • 11.0
  • 11.1
  • Factory
• Arch Linux
  • 2007.08
• Damn Small Linux
  • 4.4
• SliTaz
  • Stable
  • Cooking
• Puppy Linux
  • 4.00
• gNewSense
  • deltah-2.1
• FreeBSD
  • 6.3
  • 7.0
• NetBSD
  • 4.0

• Fedora
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • Rawhide
• PCLinuxOS
  • 2007
  • 2008
• Sabayon Linux
  • 4-LiteMCE
• Gentoo
  • 2007.0
  • 2008.0
• MEPIS
  • SimplyMEPIS 8
  • AntiX 8
• Zenwalk
  • 5.2
• Slax
  • 6
• Dreamlinux
  • 3.2
• Elive
  • Development
• CentOS
  • 4
  • 5
• Mandriva
  • 2007.1
  • 2008.0
  • 2008.1
• FaunOS
  • 0.5.4
• Frugalware Linux
  • Stable
  • Testing
  • Current
• xPUD
  • 0.8.9

UNetbootin can also be used to load various system utilities, including:

• Parted Magic, a partition manager that can resize, repair, backup, and restore partitions.
• SystemRescueCD, a system repair, backup and recovery tool.
• Super Grub Disk, a boot utility that can restore and repair overwritten and misconfigured GRUB installs or directly boot various operating systems
• Dr.Web Antivirus, F-Secure Rescue CD, and Kaspersky Rescue Disk, which remove malware from Windows installs.
• Backtrack, a utility used for network analysis and penetration testing.
• Ophcrack, a utility which can recover Windows passwords.
• NTPasswd, a utility which can reset Windows passwords and edit the registry.
• Gujin, a graphical bootloader that can also be used to boot various operating systems and media.
• Smart Boot Manager (SBM), which can boot off CD-ROM and floppy drives on computers with a faulty BIOS.
• FreeDOS, which can run BIOS flash and other legacy DOS utilities.

Installation & Screenshots

If you are using Windows, run the file, select a distribution (which will download for you automatically), floppy/hard disk image (an image that you have already downloaded from www.ubuntu.com let’s say), or kernel/initrd to load, select a target drive (USB Drive or Hard Disk), then reboot once and you are done.

If using Linux, make the file executable (using either the command

chmod +x ./unetbootin-linux

or going to Properties->Permissions and checking “Execute”), then start the application, you will be prompted for your password to grant the application administrative rights, then the main dialog will appear, where you select a distribution and install target (USB Drive or Hard Disk), then reboot when prompted.

After rebooting, if you created a Live USB drive by selecting “USB Drive” as your install target, press the appropriate button (usually F1, F2, F12, ESC, or backspace) while your computer is starting up to get to your BIOS boot menu and select USB drive as the startup target; otherwise if there’s no boot selection option, go to the BIOS setup menu and change the startup order to boot USB by default. Otherwise, if you did a “frugal install” by selecting “Hard Disk” as your install target, select the UNetbootin entry from the Windows Boot Menu as the system boots up.

Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin

Download and run UNetbootin, then supply it with the appropriate ISO (CD image) file, floppy/hard disk image, or kernel and initrd files when prompted (see screenshot). Check your distribution’s download page to find the appropriate file; if in doubt use the ISO file.

If you’re loading an ISO file or floppy/hard disk image, that’s all that’s required (just press “OK” to start installing); otherwise if you’re manually specifying kernel and initrd files and you’d like to specify special booting options, check the distribution’s boot configuration files (usually after the “kernel” line in either isolinux.cfg, syslinux.cfg, menu.lst, or grub.conf) and supply them on the “Option” line.

And this is how you can install linux from usb. After completing this tutorial you will be able to boot and run linux from a USB drive.

Tags | boot, install, Linux, Mobile, portalbe, Ubuntu, usb, windows