Rufus Review - The Best Free Software to Install Windows on a USB Drive
Rufus is a bootable USB flash drive creation tool that's been around since 2011. It's a lightweight, open-source utility that can boot, install, and run operating systems and other low-level utilities.
While it's not as robust as some of its competitors, Rufus has a handful of features to help you create a reusable, portable OS. You can even make drives that are compatible with older systems.
For starters, it's easy to get started with Rufus. Just double-click on the executable to launch the app. The interface will show you all of the options available. Once you've selected the appropriate image type, you're ready to start formatting the drive.
While you're at it, you might as well take the time to check out some of the other features the application has to offer. This includes the ability to add and remove firmware to your BIOS and to flash a custom volume label to some drives.
It also lets you mount a variety of media, including DVDs, USB sticks, and hard disks. There are plenty of other options to choose from, so you should be able to find a version that suits your needs.
As the name suggests, the official Rufus site provides a comprehensive FAQ page and a guide to the application's most important functions. Another helpful feature is the download page, where you can download the most recent and updated versions of the application.
Of course, no review of the best bootable USB drive creator would be complete without a discussion of the free tool's most notable feature. Aside from the usual format and write capabilities, you can also use it to install Windows on a USB stick.