Rufus 3.20

Rufus is a powerful and versatile free open-source bootable USB utility. It was initially launched in 2011 by Pete Batard as a replacement for the Windows HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. Over the years, Rufus has undergone several updates, with the latest release in 2020 being more stable and feature-rich than ever before.

One of the main purposes of Rufus is to format USB flash drives and create bootable installation files from ISO images. It supports various operating systems such as Linux, UEFI, and Microsoft Windows. Additionally, Rufus can be used to flash a BIOS or other DOS firmware.

Prior to Rufus, burning ISO images onto CDs was a common practice. However, with the advancement of technology, Pete Batard decided to develop a USB installer as an alternative to proprietary software. Rufus has received numerous positive reviews, with its constant updates ensuring that it remains up to date with modern requirements.

Creating a bootable Rufus drive requires a few prerequisites. Firstly, you need to obtain an ISO for the operating system you want to use. Once you have a working ISO image, you'll need the latest version of Rufus and a USB flash drive. Simply insert the flash drive into your PC, open Rufus, select the ISO image, and start the process of creating the USB installer.

Rufus also supports running Windows 10 directly from a USB drive, although you'll need to acquire the appropriate license from Microsoft. While Rufus was primarily designed to create a single operating system USB installer, it is possible to create a multiboot USB with some tweaking.

When it comes to making a bootable USB, Rufus is highly regarded and preferred over its competitors. It offers automatic detection of flash drives, reducing the risk of accidental formatting of the machine's hard drive. With practice, Rufus becomes an easy-to-use tool for creating new USB operating system installers.