USB image


A USB image — is bootable image of Operating system or other software where the boot loader is located on a USB flash drive, or another USB device instead of conventional CD or DVD discs. The operating system loads from the USB device either to load it much like a Live CD that runs OS or any other software from the storage or installs OS itself. USB image runs off of the USB device the whole time. A USB image is easier to carry, can be stored more safely than a conventional CD or DVD. Drawbacks are that some older devices may not support USB booting and that the USB storage devices lifespan might be shortened.
Ubuntu has included a utility for installing an operating system image file to a USB flash drive since version 9.10. Windows support also has added a step by step on how to set up a USB device as a bootable drive.

Software

Benefits and limitations

Benefits