In this guide I will walk you through creating a bootable USB flash drive running the CentOS 7 Linux distribution (this will also work for virtually any other Linux distro and operating system as well except macOS). I will layout the entire process step by step so even if you are a beginner to Linux or IT in general this guide is for you. Let’s get started.
What You Need In Order to Create A Bootable Linux USB Flash Drive
A PC running Windows
A flash drive with at least 8GB of RAM
Rufus program (or any image burning software)
An ISO file of the CentOS operating system
Download CentOS 7 ISO File
1) Navigate over to the CentOS website and click Get CentOS Now
2) On this page choose the DVD ISO. 
Install Linux On Your Flash Drive
1) Go to the Rufus website then scroll down and click on the download link for Rufus 3.1.
2) Run the installer and open Rufus.
/>
2) Select your flash drive from the Device drop down window, you may need to check
3) Now select the OS you wish to install
4)Browse to where you saved the CentOS ISO <img
5 Click start. Rufus will now install CentOS on your flash drive. This may take a while depending on your PC and the size of the iso.
Configure Your BIOS/UEFI Settings To Boot From USB
If you have an ASUS like I do you can follow these exact steps to configure your UEFI settings:
1) Hold F2 at the boot screen to enter the UEFI.
2) Make sure CSM is enabled and Secure Boot Control is disabled.
3) Hit F10 to save and exit
This may vary depending on the make and model of your PC but the concept is the same. Enter your PC’s BIOS and change the boot order to have the USB device boot first. You may also have to disable Secure Boot and enable CSM. Do a google search on how to do it with your PC.
ChrisBlanche.com 
Leave a Reply