Etcher
There are plenty of methods of creating a live Linux USB, but the simplest way is by using the open-source and free utility 'Etcher.' We shall discuss how to use Etcher on Linux, Windows, and macOS systems to create and validate the Live USB drive.
In the Linux community, one thing is common between almost all of the users: trying out different Linux distributions. Most of the Linux based distributions have a great way of being tested as they provide ISO images for creating a Live USB.
n this method, the distribution is installed on a USB drive, which is later used as the boot device. You boot into the distribution without modifying your system configuration – pretty neat.
Now, there are different methods of creating a live USB, but we’re going to talk about a particular program today: Etcher.
Etcher Features
Etcher has recently become very popular in the Linux community, due to its simplistic nature.
We have recommended in multiple articles to use Ether to create a live USB drive. Etcher can also be used to flash SD cards, like for the Raspberry Pi operating systems. Let’s talk about the features of Etcher.
1. Beautiful Interface
The interface is the most fantastic thing about Etcher. Historically, bootable drive creators have been not so good looking, complicated, and overall an unpleasant experience. Although Etcher has a pretty minimal interface. There are only three buttons in the window:
- Select Image: To select the location of the image of the operating system that you want to create a bootable drive.
- Select Target: To select which of the external drives is to be used to create the bootable drive.
- Flash! : To begin the process.
2. Validation
This is a unique feature of Etcher. After the image has been flashed to the USB drive or the SD card, Etcher runs a validation process that confirms that the flashing has been done correctly. This is helpful because often, it is found that the flash drive is corrupt while attempting to boot from it. The validation process prevents that to a large extent.
3. Drive Selection
Etcher chooses one of the external storage devices by itself, and it is generally the obvious choice of a USB drive, according to the storage space. It happens many times that accidentally, the flashing gets done to hard drives or some device that you don’t want to use. To make things better, Etcher also lists the storage space of the device, along with the name for better distinction.
Install Etcher on Windows and macOS
1. Choose an image
The first prompt on Etcher is to choose the location of the image file of the operating system to be flashed. Choose the image file by clicking ‘Select Image.’
2. Choose the removable drive
Now the next step is to proceed and choose the desired removable drive option by clicking on ‘Select Target.’
3. Flash!
Now click on the ‘Flash!’ button. This will prompt you for the administrator password. Enter the password, and the flashing process will begin.
Conclusion
Etcher makes one of the most common tasks of a Linux enthusiast easy. It has a beautiful interface, works well, works on everything, and has a satisfying result. On top of that, it is also quite faster than the other methods. If you have any questions, feel free to use the comments section.