If you want to install Windows instead, check out our previous guide: How to Install Windows from a USB Flash Drive.

UNetbootin, which stands for Universal Netbook Installer, is a program for Windows and Linux that can create a bootable USB drive for many Linux distributions.  UNetbootin can not only use an existing disc image (.iso) to create a bootable USB drive, it can also download dozens of Linux distributions through a handy dropdown menu.

Step One – Installation

Download and install UNetbootin.  When you open the program, you will presented with the following window:

Step Two – Select a Linux Distribution

UNetbootin can automatically download dozens of Linux distributions.  With the Distribution button selected, use the dropdown menus to choose your favorite distribution and version of Linux.  Be sure to read the installation notes if they are available.

If you already have a Linux disc image (.iso) downloaded, click the Diskimage button and select the image file.

Step Three – Formatting the USB Drive

At the bottom of the main screen, verify that USB Drive is selected and then select the drive you would like to use (Note: All data will be lost on the selected drive).  When you are ready to create the bootable USB drive, click the OK button.  If you chose to download a Linux distribution in Step Two, the duration will vary based upon your internet connection speed.

Once the process has finished, you can now use your USB flash drive to install Linux.

Using the USB Boot Drive

Most modern computers support using USB drives as a boot device, but if yours does not you can check your manufacturer’s support site to see if a BIOS update is available.  To set your USB drive as a boot device, you can typically press the ESC key just as your computer turns on and select the drive from a list.

If pressing the ESC key doesn’t work, you may have to enter your computer’s BIOS to manually set the drive as a boot device. You can typically access your computer’s BIOS by pressing DEL, F2, F10, or F12 at system startup, but refer to your manufacturer’s support information for more details.

Installing an operating system from a USB flash drive is much faster than using an optical disc.  In our tests, we were able to install Ubuntu in less than six minutes which is much faster than performing an installation with a LiveCD.

Have a better method of installing Linux on your computer?  Let us know by commenting below.

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Luckily, Windows 7, XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 can be installed from a USB flash drive with a few simple steps.  In this guide, I’ll be using a program called WinToFlash to create a bootable USB drive for Windows 7.

Prerequisites

• A Windows installation disc or disc image (.iso)
  • If you have downloaded a Windows installation disc (such as the Windows 7 Beta or RC), you should already have the .iso file.
  • If you have a physical installation disc, skip to Step 2.
• A USB flash drive – minimum 3 GB.

Step 1:  Extract the Windows .iso

If you have an installation disc image (.iso), that file contains all of the files from the Windows installation disc.  To extract these files, download and install 7-Zip (free) and browse to the location of your Windows .iso in the file browser.  Click ‘Extract’ and wait while the files are expanded.

Step 2:  Processing Installation Files with WinToFlash

Download the latest version WinToFlash and extract the files.  Open WinToFlash.exe and click the ‘Windows setup transfer wizard’ button to get started.

After clicking Next, you need to select the path to your Windows installation files and your USB drive.  If you have a Windows installation disc, select your optical drive.  If you had an .iso image, choose the location where you extracted the files from Step 1.

WinToFlash will configure your USB drive and transfer all installation files.  This will take approximately 5-10 minutes.

Once the process has finished, you will receive an “All done” message.  Click Exit to close the application, and your USB drive will now contain a bootable version of your Windows installation files.

Step 3:  Install Windows

Now that you have your USB drive prepped and ready to go, you need to set your netbook to use your USB drive as the primary boot device.  This can be done by accessing your computer’s BIOS by tapping the key your manufacturer specifies (typically Delete or a function key like F2) just as your computer starts.

In my instance, I had to go to the Boot tab and select ‘Hard Disk Drives’ first to set my USB drive (listed as USB:SanDisk Cruzer) in the 1st Drive field.  I then had to go back to the Boot Settings menu and open ‘Boot Device Priority’ to set the USB:SanDisk Cruzer drive in the 1st Boot Device field.

Note: While most newer computers support USB drives as a boot device, some older models may not.  Refer to your manufacturer’s support information or check if an update to your BIOS is available.

After setting the USB drive as your primary boot device, save your changes (typically with F10) and restart your computer.  While booting up you may see a message to “Press any key to continue…”.  You can now proceed through the Windows installation like usual, and once the installation is finished be sure to go back into your BIOS and change your settings back to the way they were originally.

Have another method to install Windows on a netbook?  Share it with us in the comments!

The post How to Install Windows from a USB Flash Drive first appeared on Techerator.

Before you change the icon, you will need to find an .ico image you like.  Many free icons are available on the internet – I personally enjoy Iconfactory and deviantART.  If you want to create your own icons, check out ImageToIcon.

Here’s how to change the icon and/or drive name:

1. Once you have your .ico file, save it directly to the root of your flash drive (not in a folder).
2. Enable ‘Show hidden files and folders’ by clicking Start -> Control Panel -> Folder Options.  Click on the View tab.
   
3. Select ‘Show hidden files and folders’ and click OK.
   
4. Go to My Computer and open your flash drive. There should be a file titled “AUTORUN.INF”.  If this file exists, skip to Step 6.
5. If there isn’t an Autorun.inf file, you’ll have to create one.  Open Notepad and type:
   

   [autorun]
   Label=Removable Disk

   Save this file as AUTORUN.INF to the root of the drive (not in a folder).

6. Right click AUTORUN.INF and select Properties. Uncheck the Read-only box. Click OK.
   
7. Open the Autorun file and edit the text to look like this:
   

   [autorun]
   Label=What you want your drive to be named
   Icon=icon.ico

   Substitute your file name for the icon.ico (SNESalt.ico in my case)

   

8. Save the file and safely eject your flash drive.

Now when you plug your flash drive into your computer (or any computer), it will have the new icon and name.

Once you’re finished, you may want to go back into the folder options and change the hidden files back to be hidden; some people find them annoying.

Have a great icon you’d like to share?  Tell us about it in the comments.

The post How to Change the Icon and Name of a USB Flash Drive first appeared on Techerator.