After concluding week's article, " Pro tip: How to create a bootable USB drive to install Windows on OS X," I received feedback asking why anyone would install Windows on a Mac? This week's entry deals with creating UFDs that let you to install many other operating systems with the assistance of a utility called Rufus. But before diving into that, I take a question of my own.

Why would you install any Bone–besides Os X–on an Apple calculator?

The answer to that is quite just "considering you can." Apple hardware is similar to its PC counterparts in many ways except one: PCs tin can't natively run Bone X without whatever software hacks involved. Macs, on the other hand, have the ability to run Windows and endless Linux distributions aslope Os X or in place of information technology. Apple hardware supports these operating systems natively, making Macs a versatile option for production equipment. Merely put, i machine can handle many different uses, as opposed to purchasing dedicated equipment for each supported Bone type.

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Rufus system requirements

With that out of the way, let'south look at the requirements for Rufus:

  • Apple (or PC) running Windows XP or later (preferably Windows 7+)
  • Rufus application
  • ISO (supported operating systems)
  • 8 GB USB flash bulldoze (minimum recommended)

Create a bootable USB drive with Rufus

Now, let'south create our first bootable UFD using Rufus, shall nosotros? Follow these steps:

  1. Rufus requires an account with admin access in order to make the necessary changes to hardware. Subsequently authenticating, insert the USB flash drive and launch Rufus. It volition detect the drive almost immediately. Since Rufus can handle various partition schemes and file structures, ensure that the right settings are set that match the UFD you're going to build (Effigy A).
    Figure A
  2. Click the optical bulldoze button side by side to the Create a bootable deejay using checkbox, and you'll be prompted to search for the ISO prototype to employ (Effigy B).
    Figure B
  3. When using ISO images, Rufus will automatically modify the settings to best match it. Once everything is set correctly, click the Start button to brainstorm the process. You'll be prompted with a alert that all information on the UFD will be destroyed. Click OK to proceed with the cosmos process (Figure C).
    Figure C
  4. Depending on the ISO epitome size, the procedure may take several minutes to complete. For the log readout of each step in the process, click the Log button to open a side window and relieve the output details (Effigy D).
    Effigy D
  5. The longest office of the unabridged process is the file copy portion. This is typically the last stride and varies depending on file size/number of files to re-create (Figure E).
    Effigy E
  6. When complete, double-check the external drive to verify the files were copied over (Figure F).
    Figure F

With the procedure completed, simply squirt the UFD, insert it into the device you wish to install the OS on, and boot as you normally would. The days of carrying multiple CD/DVDs with you and dealing with lagging installs are cartoon to a shut with the ubiquitous employ of USB drives–and the storage capacity can't be beat.

There are some links on the site for some helpful tutorials on creating sure types of UFDs, and there'south multiple localization support for a variety of languages worldwide.