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I've downloaded Ubuntu desktop (the .iso file that is) on a windows 7 machine and want to create a bootable USB stick in order to install it onto a laptop which currently has no OS. Is there a way to do this?

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Tried using Universal-USB_installer and unetbootin on windows 7. Both seem to create the flash drive ok but when I connect to my notebook and switch on it just freezes. It's a black screen with the message "SYSLINUX 4.06 EDD 4.06-pre1 Copyright (c) 1994-2011 H. Peter Anvin et al" at the top. – Oli Jun 20 '12 at 10:00
    
This seems to be a problem with the latest version. I downloaded version 10.04 and this has installed absolutely fine. Is 12.04 significantly better than this older version and is it worth pursuing trying to get it working? – Oli Jun 21 '12 at 11:17
    
There is an overview of tools at this link: askubuntu.com/questions/319637/… – sudodus Mar 3 '17 at 8:02
up vote 4 down vote

There are a number of free programs you can install to do this for you.

The ubuntu website recommends 'Pendrivelinux', which you can download here.

After downloading Pendrivelinux you can follow the directions found here: create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

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up vote 2 down vote

Unetbootin has always worked for me. There is also a utility on the ubuntu disk as well. http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

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up vote 2 down vote

This is just to mention that Canonical now recommends the Rufus USB Installer. (I haven't used it myself.)

Instructions (copied from the Canonical instructions):

  1. Open Rufus and select your USB stick in the 'Device' dropdown
  2. Click the CD Rom icon next to the 'FreeDOS' dropdown, then find your downloaded Ubuntu ISO and click 'Open'
  3. Click 'Yes' when it asks to download Syslinux software
  4. Click 'OK' to write in ISO Image mode
  5. Confirm that your USB stick is selected and then 'OK' to continue
  6. When it is finished, just restart your computer and start using Ubuntu, or you can install Ubuntu
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up vote 1 down vote

You can install using a USB thumb drive use one with a capacity of 2GB or larger.

Download the ISO image you need either 32bit or 64bit. You also need to download a piece of software that will allow you to create a bootable USB drive from the ISO.

For Windows, try Universal USB Installer Universal USB Installer and follow the instructions of the program on how to create the bootable USB.

Once the ISO is written to the USB drive, use it to boot from it, make sure that your system is set to boot from USB, and follow the installation instructions as they come up on the screen.

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up vote 1 down vote

UnetBootin is probably the best option for you since its cross-platform.

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up vote 0 down vote

Unetbootin & Pendrive Linux are very good and easy to use. Have a look at the official guide on creating a bootable usb :

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/help/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

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