{"id":759,"date":"2024-05-25T00:07:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T00:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/rufus-successfully-resolves-persistent-ubuntu-24-04-usb-creation-issue\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T07:13:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T07:13:57","slug":"rufus-successfully-resolves-persistent-ubuntu-24-04-usb-creation-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serverhost.com\/blog\/rufus-successfully-resolves-persistent-ubuntu-24-04-usb-creation-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Rufus Successfully Resolves Persistent Ubuntu 24.04 USB Creation Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rufus, a popular open-source tool for making bootable USB drives on Windows, just released an update that includes a \u2018fix\u2019 for working with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ISOs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A truly versatile tool, Rufus is able to create bootable Windows installers from ISO files and disk images as well as Linux installers and, more pertinent to this news, persistent<\/em> Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Debian USB installers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Rufus 4.5, released this week, includes support for persistence in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS<\/a>. Additionally, this update also fixes issues when creating persistent Linux Mint 21.x USBs too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ubuntu USBs can now remain persistent, thanks to Rufus. This feature, which was first introduced in 2019, has led the developers frequently updating as distros continue to rename, update or modify the various files needed to enable this feature.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What exactly is a persistent Linux USB?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It is a method of making a bootable, portable installation without the actual need for installation. The ISO boots into a live session, just like a USB installer would. However, persistence adds a file or a partition called “casper-rw” (in Ubuntu) where files, settings, applications, etc. are stored.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A live Linux USB installer launches a clean OS version each time. Even though you can use the live session like an actual install (adding applications, modifying settings, etc.), all changes you make during the live session are lost once you shut down.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Changes on a Linux USB that is persistent remain even after rebooting.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Some similarities can be observed when comparing this to creating a USB installation. This involves using an installer to properly install the distro to the USB drive, which can then be used to boot other systems. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Persistent installers come with advantages such as less overhead and reduced space occupancy in comparison to a full, uncompressed installation to disk. Moreover, USB installations can be custom-made for specific hardware, which might affect their portability.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

One of the distinct features of persistent installations is the ease of resetting the install. Without the need for rewriting, reformatting or reinstalling, one only needs to clear the persistent storage section. This feature makes persistent installations more suitable for impromptu testing under certain circumstances.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Persistent Ubuntu 24.04 USB has drawbacks: no Wayland; no user accounts; slower startup\/shutdown; can\u2019t switch session; and the Flutter installer will spawn on every boot.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What\u2019s New in Rufus 4.5?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Since I\u2019m here talking about the update I\u2019ll list the other changes in Rufus 4.5.x release \u2014 most aren\u2019t related to Ubuntu so don\u2019t chide me for it in the comments for it, okay \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<\/p>\n