When you choose to create a bootable USB on a flash drive, the question arises of how to make the most of the remaining space. For example, on CDs it was unthinkable, but technology has advanced to the point where USBs used as bootable disks can be recycled without losing the installer and the necessary files.
That’s right, you can put other files on a bootable USB device without compromising this function and without wasting the device. How’s this possible? The experts at Softonic explain how the system works and which application is most recommended for reliability and options.
This application allows you to put other files on a bootable USB stick
A bootable disk is no more than a storage device configured to run a program or operating system on the computer it’s introduced into. The most well-known are bootable Windows 7 or 10 disks, or even for Linux or Ubuntu. However, bootable disks are more versatile.
They can also be used as a security copy to recover files or as a way of solving both hardware and software problems. In the case of Microsoft, it has an in-built tool for creating these bootable disks. That said, the ISO file created and the configuration of the recipient device don’t allow the USB used to be reused. How to put other files on a bootable USB stick?
Although there are numerous applications and programs which allow resource optimization in paid versions, the most recommended and most used by technologists is called Rufus. This software specialized in creating bootable USBs is easy to use and can be acquired free of charge at Rufus download for Windows.
This is how Rufus works in order to create other files as well as bootable USBs.
Rufus as an application for creating bootable disks without installation is not new. It was created in 2011 and since then it has become established as one of the most downloaded tools, due to its reliability, simplicity and above all because it doesn’t need to be installed on the computer. Rufus is a very small application – it hardly occupies 1 MB of space – which is why developing a system which helps not to waste the rest of the space and allowing other files to be put on the bootable USB was obvious in order to be competitive.
Likewise, Rufus has the advantage that it uses a General Public License for GNU (GPL), that is to say it’s a free code application which allows developers to access, improve and share it. In this way it has been enormously enriched with features such as that discussed here, which otherwise would only be available in paid versions.
The most important, Softonic emphasizes, is to always create the FAT32 partition in the advanced options of Rufus. However, in case it’s not created, another means offered by Rufus is to create a specific folder, without the need for a ZIP file, which remains secure and 100% usable while it doesn’t intersect with the rest of the files.