The process of creating this OS installer varies somewhat from OS to OS, which we will cover later on in our series.Īnother very useful, though less often utilized bootable flash drive would be the utility drive. Sometimes, when an operating system like Windows or OSX becomes compromised, you could use the bootable install USB to rebuild just the missing or broken components without doing a full system reinstall. After the files have been copied to your computer you restart and use it as normal. If your computer becomes unusable from a corrupted or compromised operating system, or if your computer is a brand new build, you could use a bootable flash drive to install the operating system. Not many years ago, this function was limited to CD's and DVD's, but as flash memory technology improved, it became possible to place these operating system installers entirely on your USB drive. This is probably the most common use of a bootable USB drive. Some really great examples of bootable flash drives include running an operating system installer like Windows, OSX, or even some form of Linux. This might sound like a daunting task but has been made easy in most cases by programs that help us create this.Īn apple OS X install USB drive, image courtesy of ARS Technica In order for us to boot to a flash drive, it must have a master boot record, volume boot record, and contain an operating system or a program that can be executed. The volume boot record will contain instructions on how to execute an operating system or other programs. Your computer has a boot sector on the hard drive that contains information about its use. A bootable flash drive will allow you to boot the computer from the file system on the flash drive rather than your hard drive. These uses all have one common function between them: bootability. From ultra-secure banking to entirely self-contained operating systems, flash drives can do so much more than just hold your photos. This series will cover the ways to unlock that potential and find new uses you may not have realized were possible. While most people find themselves using them for simple tasks like storage, backup or data transfer between computers, few realize the full potential of flash drives.

USB Drives have been popularized for their ease of use and portability.

How to make a usb drive bootable on pc