Linux: Create a Bootable USB stick

[last updated: 2025-09-08]
Disclaimers
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Linux home page
Boot Linux on a Windows PC from USB stick
Restore Environment:
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Note this is for Linux Mint Cinnamon.

• Get the most current version:
  • Go to: linuxmint.com.
    The most current version will be shown (currently 22.2 Zara). Click download.
  • Review your options (ie. which desktop you want), make your selection, click download.
  • Next you will select the mirror site most convenient to you for the actual download.
    However first...
    save the sha files:
    mouse over them (one at a time), right-click,
    and select "save link as"
    On my system, these get put onto the desktop.
    If you click the big green "Verify" button, you'll go to a page of instructions for doing the verification,
    after you've actually done the download.

    
    Now select the mirror site you want.
    The download will start. This will put a ... .iso file into (usu.) your downloads folder

• Verify the integrity of your downloaded ISO file

• Create USB stick:
  • In a computer running Linux, where you have downloaded and saved the installation .iso file,
    • plug in the USB stick you want to use.
      The stick does not need to be empty, because this process will completely overwrite anything that was on the stick.
    • In your File Manager, browse to the ISO file you saved on your computer
      Right-click the file and select Make bootable USB stick
      USB Image Writer box will open.
      Click the drop-down in the "to" field, click the USB device you inserted (it will likely be the only one there)
    • Click Write
      It will ask for confirmation and password.
      Press Authenticate.
      When done and successful, click OK and Close

    • JWID - When done, save the iso and sha files to some directory.
  • In a Windows computer:
    • ... no clue ...

• If you check Properties of the finished USB bootable stick,
  you'll see that it has been partitioned to exactly fit
  the size of the boot files it contains.
  
  For Mint 21.2 Cinnamon that was 3.0 GB

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