How to turn a Linux distribution LiveCD into a LiveUSB

LiveCDs these days provide the simplest way to test a Linux distribution. Pop in the CD, reboot and then watch the distro’s default desktop unfold before you. With flash drives being relatively cheap these days, booting your favorite Linux distribution for a clean install from a USB seems to be an interesting option. And that is possible with one tool even if you’re distribution doesn’t already offer LiveUSB images for download – UNetbootin.

The main reason I looked for a tool like UNetbootin was because my CD drive seems jammed at the moment (fortunately there’s no disc inside). November promises releases from the top Linux distributions and I was looking for a quick, cheap way to boot distros and test them one after the other. Being in the ‘distrohopping’ mood, wasting CDs seems like a bad idea and I don’t have any rewritables with me at the moment.

So step in UNetbootin. What does it do then? With a simple user interface, it allows you to choose the Distribution and version number from a drop-down menu, specify the ISO, add any extra tweaks (optional, mainly for experienced users), choose your USB drive and bang – just burn. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is.

Add to this, you can run it on Windows and Linux, so if you’re stuck on Windows and you need a quick LiveUSB fix then UNetbootin will do the job for you. Just download and install the executable setup, run the program and you’re good to go. Linux users will need to make the file executable, with a simple chmod +x ./unetbootin-linux from the terminal or changing the permissions via your desktop environment’s file Properties dialogue. UNetbootin is built using C++ and the Qt4 toolkit so in my opinion it should be possible to compile it on Mac OS X as well.

Visit the homepage here for detailed instructions on making a LiveUSB for the distribution of your choice. There are screenshots that should make things clear about the process. You can even convert bootable CDs like Parted Magic to the USB and deploy it.

I’ll conclude this one, with a reminder that a lot of distributions these days do provide LiveUSB images that are ready to download. One good indication would be to check the latest version of your distribution that UNetbootin supports. If its a little old, like Arch Linux for example, then it is an indication that there may already be an official LiveUSB version available. Unfortunately, it was only after I downloaded the Kubuntu 9.10 x86_64 ISO did I realize my CD drive is somewhat busted. That’s a side issue that I’ll sort out later anyway.

I’m planning to begin this month’s (possible) slew of reviews and they’ll probably be the first ones on this version of the blog.  I’ll be trying a different approach to reviewing while keeping the length minimum. First up will be Kubuntu, as I’ve missed KDE for too long now. Until then, see you soon.

Filed under: Linux , LiveCD, LiveUSB, UNetbootin