How to Create a UEFI Bootable Mageia Linux USB Drive

Run and install Mageia from a USB drive

by
Gary Newell
Writer
Gary Newell was a freelance contributor, application developer, and software tester with 20+ years in IT, working on Linux, UNIX, and Windows.
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Gary Newell
Updated on November 02, 2020

Mageia is a Linux distribution based on Mandriva Linux, which was formally known as Mandrake. If you know how to create a bootable Mageia USB drive using Windows, you can install Linux on your PC and dual boot both operating systems.

Instructions in this article apply to Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.

How to Create a Live Mageia USB

To create a bootable Mageia USB drive on Windows:

  1. Go to the Mageia download page and select Live Media.

    Live Media selected

  2. Select your preferred Linux desktop. You can choose between XFCE, KDE Plasma, or GNOME.

    Desktop options

  3. Choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version.

    32- or 64-bit options

  4. Select Direct Link to download the Mageia ISO file.

    Direct Link

    If you have a BitTorrent client installed on your computer, you can select BitTorrent to download a torrent file for the ISO.

  5. Download and install Win32 Disk Imager, which you will need to burn the ISO file to the USB drive.

    Win32 Disk Imager download page

  6. Insert a blank or formatted USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on your computer, then open Win32 Disk Imager and select your USB drive under Device.

    Choosing a drive

  7. Select the blue folder in the Image File section to open Windows Explorer, then choose the Mageia ISO file you downloaded.

    Selecting the downloaded file

    If you don't see the ISO file in the folder you saved it in, change the file type to Show all files.

  8. Select Write and Yes to confirm.

    Select Write and Yes to confirm

You now have a bootable version of Mageia; however, if your computer uses the UEFI boot loader, there are additional steps you must take before you can run Mageia.

It's also possible to create a multiboot USB drive using Windows if you want to run multiple Linux distributions from the same device.

How to Disable Windows Fast Boot

To boot from a USB drive on Windows 8 and 10 PCs, you must first disable Windows Fast Startup:

  1. Open the Windows Control Panel and search for power options.

    Searching for power options

  2. Select Choose what the power buttons do.

    Change what the power buttons do

  3. Select Change settings that are currently unavailable.

    Change settings that are currently available

    You may be prompted to provide your Windows administrator password.

  4. Uncheck the box beside Turn on Fast Startup and select Save Changes.

    Turning off fast startup

    It is recommended to turn Windows Fast Startup back on after installing Mageia to your hard drive.

Boot Mageia From a USB Drive

Hold down the Shift key and reboot the computer with the USB drive still inserted. When you see the UEFI boot screen, select Use a device, then choose your USB drive to boot Mageia.

Use a device

The language on the UEFI boot screen may be slightly different depending on your computer.

If you don't see the blue UEFI screen, you can manually change the boot order in the system BIOS to boot Mageia from the USB drive.

Using and Installing Mageia

When you boot into the live image, you'll be prompted to choose your language, keyboard layout, and timezone. You'll have full access to the Linux operating system, but any changes you make in the live version of Mageia will be lost when you reboot the system. Select Install Mageia on the desktop to install the OS alongside Windows.

If you choose to install Mageia on your hard drive, you'll be given the option to boot either Linux or Windows at startup.