The developers removed several older, unmaintained distributions from the selection menu to reduce clutter and user confusion. Performance Review Ease of Use:
Select your USB drive letter. Important: Check "We will format... Drive" to erase the drive and make it bootable.
The Universal USB Installer is a free, open-source software tool that enables you to create a bootable USB drive from a single USB stick. Developed by Pendrivelinux, UUI allows you to install and run multiple operating systems, as well as various utilities and tools, from a single USB drive.
Windows may lock drives currently in use by other apps. Close File Explorer, Disk Management, or antivirus software, then click the refresh button in UUI. Boot Failures (Secure Boot) universal usb installer version 2.0.0.1
Universal USB Installer is particularly valued by IT professionals and tech enthusiasts for its feature. Unlike standard live CDs, UUI can create a reserved space on the USB drive where personal data and system changes are stored, effectively creating a portable operating system that maintains its state regardless of the hardware it is plugged into.
Disclaimer: Always back up your USB drive contents before using any disk writing tool. The author is not affiliated with Pendrivelinux.com.
Are you trying to boot a or an older Legacy BIOS computer ? Drive" to erase the drive and make it bootable
Optional: If your distro is not listed, scroll to the bottom and select . Step 3: Source the ISO File Click the Browse button.
Windows didn’t assign a drive letter correctly. Fix: Open Disk Management ( diskmgmt.msc ), right-click your USB, select Change Drive Letter and Paths , and assign a letter (e.g., E:). Re-run UUI as Admin.
is often cited as the most popular alternative to Universal USB Installer. It is exceptionally fast—many benchmarks show it outperforming UUI and similar tools—and supports a very broad range of ISO formats, including Windows, Linux, UEFI images, and even some DOS-based utilities. Rufus is also open-source and requires no installation . However, Rufus is a single-ISO tool : each USB drive can contain only one bootable system at a time, unless you are willing to perform manual partitioning. Windows may lock drives currently in use by other apps
UUI includes a curated list of supported Linux distributions, system tools, and Windows installation images. The list is organized by major groups—Ubuntu, Red Hat, SUSE—as well as specialized categories for security, rescue, and lightweight distros . This makes it easy for users to find and select the exact image they need without having to remember technical details like bootloader configurations.
: Simple 3-step process (Select Distro -> Select ISO -> Select Drive).
UUI is a Windows-native application. It does not natively run on macOS. On Linux, UUI can run through the WINE compatibility layer, though functionality may be limited . For macOS users, alternatives such as Balena Etcher or the dd command-line tool are recommended.
If your selected Linux distribution supports it, drag the slider to allocate space for persistent storage. 2GB to 4GB is usually sufficient for basic web browsing and document editing. Step 6: Create the Bootable Drive
Which or operating system are you trying to install? What error message or issue are you currently facing? Are you targeting a modern UEFI or an older BIOS computer?
