How To Create A UEFI Bootable Linux Mint USB Drive

Introduction

The most popular Linux distribution according to Distrowatch for the past few years has been Linux Mint.

A good reason for Mint's popularity is it's ease of installation the very small learning curve, the complete ease of use and also because it is based on the long-term support release of Ubuntu which provides stability and support.

This guide will show you how to create a Linux Mint 18 USB drive using Windows 8 or Windows 10.

You can use the Linux Mint USB drive as a way of testing Linux Mint out to see if it is suitable for your needs and you can also use it to install Linux Mint to your hard drive.

After you have finished this article you will be able to follow this guide which shows the process for dual booting Linux Mint and Windows 8 and 10. 

What You Will Need

The tools required to create a UEFI bootable Linux Mint USB drive are as follows:

• Linux Mint ISO (this will be downloaded as part of the tutorial)
• Win32 Disk Imager (this will be downloaded as part of the tutorial)
• A blank USB drive
• A laptop with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 pre-installed

Download Linux Mint

Click here to visit the Linux Mint download page.

There are 4 versions of Linux Mint available:

• Cinnamon
• MATE
• XFCE
• KDE

The Cinnamon desktop is the main version and provides a great user experience with a modern looking environment.

MATE is better for older computers as is XFCE.

The KDE version provides an alternative to Cinnamon but personally, I would stick with Cinnamon.

For each version, there is a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit.

To find out whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit press the start button and search for system information.

Click on the icon that appears for system information and scrolls down until you see "System Type". If your computer is 64-bit it will show x64 or in a few cases ia64.

Click on the download link for the version of Linux Mint you wish to create a USB drive for.

A screen will appear with the release information, the size of the download, release notes and a list of Linux Mint download mirrors. Pick the link from the country closest to the one in which you reside.

The file will be downloaded into the downloads folder.

Download Win32 Disk Imager

Click here to download Win32 Disk Imager

Double click on the downloaded file to start the installer.

A welcome message will appear, click "Next" to continue.

Accept the license agreement and click "Next".

Choose where you want to install Win32 Disk Imager (it is fine to stick with the default option) and click "Next".

When greeted with the window asking where to create the start menu folder click "Next".

Choose whether to create a desktop icon by checking or unchecking the box and then click "Next".

Finally, click "Install".

Format A USB Drive

You will need a blank USB drive.

Insert the USB drive you wish to use in the drive.

To format the USB drive open Windows Explorer and right-click on the drive letter that symbolizes the drive.

Click the "Format" option on the menu.

When the "Format Volume" screen appears to make sure that the quick format option is checked and the file system is set to Fat32.

Click "Start".

Write Linux Mint Image To The USB Drive

Start Win32 Disk Imager by clicking on the desktop icon.

Make sure the drive letter is set to the USB drive you wish to write the image to.

Press the little folder icon and navigate to the Linux Mint ISO downloaded previously. You will need to change the file type to show all the files. Click on the ISO so that the path appears in the box on the main screen.

Click "Write".

In order to boot a UEFI bootable Ubuntu USB drive, you need to turn off a fast startup.

Move the mouse to the bottom left corner and right click so that the menu appears again.

Choose "power options".

When the power options screen appears to click the second menu item on the left-hand side called "Choose what the power button does".

At the bottom of the window is "Shutdown Settings". Make sure the "Turn on fast startup" checkbox is unchecked and click "Save Changes".

Note that if the box is grayed out you can enable it by clicking the link at the top which reads "Change settings that are currently unavailable"

To boot into Linux Mint restart your computer whilst holding down the shift key.

When the UEFI boot menu appears to choose the "Use a device" option and select the "USB EFI Drive".

If Linux Mint hasn't booted at this point then you should go to this page to check that the ISO you downloaded can be verified as a complete and valid download.

If you don't see the blue UEFI screen to choose to boot from EFI then there are other things you can do.

For instance, you can reboot your computer and press the function key that pulls up the boot menu.

Here is the list of function keys used by a manufacturer:

• Acer - F2 or delete
• Asus - F2, F9 or delete
• Compaq - F10
• Dell - F2
• Emachines - tab or delete
• HP - Escape, F1 or F10
• Lenovo - F1 or F2
• NEC - F2
• Packard Bell - F1 or F2
• Samsung - F2 or F10
• Sharp - F2
• Sony - F1, F2 or F3
• Toshiba - Escape, F1, F2 or F12

If Linux Mint doesn't load at this point click here for some troubleshooting options.

You should now have a live version of Linux Mint 18 running.