Software:UNetbootin
UNetbootin version 702 on Void Linux | |
| Original author(s) | Geza Kovacs |
|---|---|
| Initial release | April 2007 |
| Written in | C++ (Qt 4/5) |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Type | Live USB |
| License | GNU GPL version 2 or later[1] |
| Website | unetbootin |
UNetbootin ("Universal Netboot Installer") is a cross-platform utility that can create live USB systems and can load a variety of system utilities or install various Linux distributions and other operating systems without a CD.
Modes
USB install
This installation mode creates bootable USB flash drives and bootable USB hard disk drives; it is a live USB creator.[2]
- Cross-platform (available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X)[2]
- Non-destructive install (does not format the device) using Syslinux.
- Supports mainstream Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Gentoo, Linux Mint, Arch Linux, Mandriva, MEPIS, Slackware as well as FreeDOS, FreeBSD and NetBSD.[2]
- Can load a variety of system utilities, such as Ophcrack, BackTrack.[2]
- Other operating systems can be loaded via pre-downloaded ISO image or floppy/hard drive disk image files.[2]
- Automatically detects all removable devices.[2]
- Supports LiveUSB persistence (preserving files across reboots; this feature is for Ubuntu only)
Multiple installs on the same device are not supported.
Hard drive install
This installation mode performs a network installation or "frugal install" without a CD, similar to that performed by the Win32-Loader.[3]
UNetbootin's distinguishing features are its support for a great variety of Linux distributions, its portability, its ability to load custom disk image (including ISO image) files, and its support for both Windows and Linux.[4] Unlike Wubi, and similar to the Win32-Loader, when installing to hard disk, UNetbootin installs to a partition, not a disk image, thus creating a dual-boot setup between Linux and Windows.[3][5]
Reception
A review in Full Circle in February 2021 stated, "despite the rather dated-looking interface, UNetbootin works perfectly, allowing the writing of almost any Linux or BSD distribution to a USB stick for testing or installation. It is a great example of the Unix philosophy: an application that does one thing and does it well."[6]
See also
- List of tools to create Live USB systems
- Live USB
- Windows To Go
References
- ↑ UNetbootin License and Credits
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Kovacs, Geza. "UNetbootin". GitHub. https://unetbootin.github.io/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "UNetbootin". Softpedia. 9 November 2020. https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/UNetbootin.shtml.
- ↑ Geza Kovacs (tuxcantfly). "Install Ubuntu Without a CD". Ubuntu. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=427540.
- ↑ "UNetbootin". Yep!. 10 November 2020. https://yepdownload.com/unetbootin.
- ↑ Hunt, Adam (26 February 2021). "Review - UNetbootin". Full Circle magazine. https://dl.fullcirclemagazine.org/issue166_en.pdf.
External links
