How to Create a Windows 8 (8.1) Bootable USB Flash Drive using Rufus

Now, let's create our first bootable UFD using Rufus, shall we? Follow these steps:

1. Rufus requires an account with admin access in order to make the necessary changes to hardware. After authenticating, insert the USB flash drive and launch Rufus. It will detect the drive almost immediately. Since Rufus can handle various partition schemes and file structures, ensure that the correct settings are set that match the UFD you're going to build

2. Click the optical drive button next to the Create a bootable disk using checkbox, and you'll be prompted to search for the ISO image to use.

3. When using ISO images, Rufus will automatically modify the settings to best match it. Once everything is set correctly, click the Start button to begin the process. You'll be prompted with a warning that all data on the UFD will be destroyed. Click OK to proceed with the creation process

4. Depending on the ISO image size, the process may take several minutes to complete. For the log readout of each step in the process, click the Log button to open a side window and save the output details.

5. The longest part of the entire process is the file copy portion. This is typically the last step and varies depending on file size/number of files to copy

6. When complete, double-check the external drive to verify the files were copied over

With the process completed, simply eject the UFD, insert it into the device you wish to install the OS on, and boot as you normally would. The days of carrying multiple CD/DVDs with you and dealing with lagging installs are drawing to a close with the ubiquitous use of USB drives—and the storage capacity can't be beat.

There are some links on the site for some helpful tutorials on creating certain types of UFDs, and there's multiple localization support for a variety of languages worldwide..