I have successfully downloaded Linux Mint on to a USB memory stick and now need to convert it to"bootable" unit.

 I have watched many tutorials on YouTube without under standing any of them.   

 Some of them are so full of adverts that they appear to be a vehicle for adverts rather than educational, some of the tutors have heavy accents or gabble so fast as to be incomprehensible and some are so full of computer jargon that it is like listening to Prof Stanley Unwin.

So far, I have not found one in which the tutor speaks slowly enough, uses jargon-free language and has a clear enough accent.

Would an expert please point me at such a tutorial, or, better still, a step by step checklist of the type we used to use in aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

 me at sucha tutorial

Try this program: https://rufus.ie/

it's pretty straightforward.

You're going to need to do it from another computer, do you have another computer handy and ready to use and if so what OS is it on?

In order for a USB memory stick to be 'bootable', the memory device has to be formatted and subsequently written in a particular order and location. Most operating systems will have USB Format ISO Burner 'helper applications' that can accept your downloaded ISO files (a bundled drive image file) and use that to create a bootable environment.

 

Some format helper applications will even allow you to build a multi-boot environment if the individual expanded ISO files are small so many environments will fit on the same USB Memory stick.

 

Many Linux Distros will have pages dedicated to providing instructions and helper applications to aid you in creating your own bootable USB stick. Personally I like to just downoad the ISO files (the linux distro) and use a USB format helper application I'm already familiar with like Balina ETCHER, RUFUS, or YUMI

 

How to Burn an ISO File to a USB Drive
Detailed instructions on 'burning' an ISO image to a USB flash drive

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

You're going to need to do it from another computer, do you have another computer handy and ready to use and if so what OS is it on?

I am using another computer with Windows7

4 hours ago, Maybole said:

I have successfully downloaded Linux Mint on to a USB memory stick and now need to convert it to"bootable" unit.

You won't be converting. Assuming you downloaded the Mint .iso file to the stick, move it off the stick and onto your computer. From there you can use it in one of the programs recommended above to create a bootable live stick.

 

Here's a Rufus tutorial. I sometimes use UNetbootin for the purpose: it will download Mint for you, BTW. Rufus and Unetbootin can support persistence to maintain any changes you make during live sessions. Look for that option if you want it and allocate at least a few GBs for the space needed.

 

Mint or any other OS won't run optimally from a stick, but a live Mint can be useful in a number of ways. In the end, you may use it to install Mint on your hard drive. 

 

5 hours ago, Maybole said:

I have watched many tutorials on YouTube without under standing any of them.   

Do you want to learn from computer experts or look at YouTubers who talk too much?

 

Try SuperUser, that's what computer experts use.

https://superuser.com/search?q=bootable+usb

 

Can only offer my sympathy for some of the replies that you have received.

 

First of all, the mistake that you have made, is in downloading the Linux Mint image on to your USB Flash Drive. That is the wrong place for it. It needs to be on your PC. You then install a suitable program to the PC that will transfer a bootable image to the USB Flash drive(which you have plugged into the PC). The program will clean the USB Flash drive of all of it's contents, replacing it with a bootable image of Linux Mint.

 

To this end, you can download and install: https://etcher.io/ to your PC.

 

Then double click on it's icon in order to run it.

 

Then; 

Click Select image and select your ISO file.

Click Select drive and select the USB stick you have plugged into the PC.

Click Flash!.

 

That's it.

 

14 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

To this end, you can download and install: https://etcher.io/ to your PC.

121 MB program written in Javascript... can only offer my sympathy for recommendation of this piece of s...software.

59 minutes ago, fdsa said:

121 MB program written in Javascript... 

 

Yes, the OP needed simplicity and a guide. I provided both. Etcher is simpler to use than Rufus.

A link to software alone isn't helpful, as the OP has clearly looked at many options, but couldn't understand them.

You also missed that he had downloaded the image directly on to the USB Drive. A link to Rufus doesn't help with that.

I actually use Rufus myself. But that doesn't mean that it is ideal for the OP.

 

Compare the instructions for Rufus, which you insisted was straightforward, to the instructions for Etcher;

 

Rufus Portable should be downloaded.

Now run Rufus Portable.

Click on No.

Rufus Portable should start.

Now insert your USB drive. Rufus should detect and select it as you can see from the marked section of the screenshot below.

Now click on Select.

A file picker should be opened. Select your Linux Mint 19 iso file you just downloaded and click on Open.

It should be selected. Now click on START as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on YES.

If you don’t know what it is, just leave the default and click on OK.

All the data of your USB drive should be erased. If you don’t have anything important on your USB drive, click on OK. Otherwise, make a backup of your data and try again.

It should take a while for the process to complete.

Once it’s completed, you can click on CLOSE.

 

 

 

My thanks to all who tried to help. The Linux Mint system is now running successfully on my old laptop and all trtrace of the old Windows system (which I believe was a pirate copy) has gone.

  Once again A BIG THANKYOU.

1 hour ago, Maybole said:

My thanks to all who tried to help. The Linux Mint system is now running successfully on my old laptop and all trtrace of the old Windows system (which I believe was a pirate copy) has gone.

  Once again A BIG THANKYOU.

 

Next step an SSD?

2 hours ago, Maybole said:

My thanks to all who tried to help. The Linux Mint system is now running successfully on my old laptop and all trtrace of the old Windows system (which I believe was a pirate copy) has gone.

  Once again A BIG THANKYOU.

Congrats! Life will never be the same.;) I love Mint and always look forward to using it on my laptop. Runs great and looks beautiful. I'd use in my main machine but I'm bound to particular Windows programs. And it can't support my printer. (Next printer will be Linux compatible.)

 

You may know about the Mint forums, very helpful: https://forums.linuxmint.com/. Here are some things to do after installation: https://itsfoss.com/things-to-do-after-installing-linux-mint-20/.

Rufus and RMPrepUSB for you to make a bootabke USB,they both support Windows and Mac.

On 9/2/2020 at 3:18 PM, Eindhoven said:

 

Yes, the OP needed simplicity and a guide. I provided both. Etcher is simpler to use than Rufus.

A link to software alone isn't helpful, as the OP has clearly looked at many options, but couldn't understand them.

You also missed that he had downloaded the image directly on to the USB Drive. A link to Rufus doesn't help with that.

I actually use Rufus myself. But that doesn't mean that it is ideal for the OP.

 

Compare the instructions for Rufus, which you insisted was straightforward, to the instructions for Etcher;

 

Rufus Portable should be downloaded.

Now run Rufus Portable.

Click on No.

Rufus Portable should start.

Now insert your USB drive. Rufus should detect and select it as you can see from the marked section of the screenshot below.

Now click on Select.

A file picker should be opened. Select your Linux Mint 19 iso file you just downloaded and click on Open.

It should be selected. Now click on START as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on YES.

If you don’t know what it is, just leave the default and click on OK.

All the data of your USB drive should be erased. If you don’t have anything important on your USB drive, click on OK. Otherwise, make a backup of your data and try again.

It should take a while for the process to complete.

Once it’s completed, you can click on CLOSE.

 

 

 

 Thumbs' up! 

If OP needed simplicity and a guide.

How about these guides?

https://www.filecroco.com/download-rmprepusb/

https://rufus-usb.en.uptodown.com/windows/download

https://www.winpwd.com/create-windows-10-boot-usb.html

And in my opinion,Rufus is more helpful than Etcher,as it is professional.

51 minutes ago, purpleorchid said:

If OP needed simplicity and a guide.

How about these guides?

https://www.filecroco.com/download-rmprepusb/

https://rufus-usb.en.uptodown.com/windows/download

https://www.filecroco.com/download-rmprepusb/

And in my opinion,Rufus is more helpful than Etcher,as it is professional.

 

Is this a Troll? First of all OP asked about Linux, not Windows. So what good is a guide to creating Windows 10 media with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool and software totally unrelated to the ones to which you have posted third party links.

Third party links to software. What's wrong with original links?

You arrived at the party too late and with totally erroneous information.  

In addition, OP has already completed the task.

Seriously one of the most ridiculous posts I've seen in a long time.

 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

Seriously one of the most ridiculous posts I've seen in a long time.

Nah, c'mon be fair, I've made sillier posts, u told me so urself????

14 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

Nah, c'mon be fair, I've made sillier posts, u told me so urself????

 

No way have I suggested such a thing. ????