Score:2

How to write a disk-image to SD/USB safely?

co flag

I am looking for a tool to write disk image to SDcard or USBstick safely. I have the following requirements:

  • graphical user interface (i.e. no clonezilla or dd)
  • tool is specialized for removable storage (i.e. no gparted)
  • tool is self contained and small (i.e. not integrated in a big file manager)
  • checks if disks are mounted before writing
  • deals with the auto-mounter and prevents from starting while read/write is in progress
  • checks and displays the current content of the disk before overwriting it

I am aware of cloneziller, dd, gparted and Co., none of them are satisfactory. I am not looking for a way to just write a disk, but specifically for a tool that is specialized for this task and that handles all the footguns safely. Does anything like this exist for Linux?

Edit: Closest matches I have found so far (none directly available in Ubuntu):

C.S.Cameron avatar
cn flag
Take a look at **mkusb**: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb. UNetbootin also has a GUI version for Linux.
cn flag
Ray
If you are willing to consider Windows, then [Rufus](https://rufus.ie/en/) has been fairly good to me.
lights0123 avatar
us flag
"Closest matches I have found so far (**none directly available in Ubuntu**)" what do you mean by that?—It's not in your list of requirements. Available in the standard Ubuntu repositories? Etcher has an AppImage which is a single step (download -> mark executable -> run) to use, or Etcher and mkusb offer alternative repositories to get automatic updates through apt.
co flag
"(download -> mark executable -> run)" <- that's at least two steps. Anyway, doesn't need to be in Ubuntu, just preferable to have something that has seen more widespread use and that I don't have to play beta tester with.
Score:7
jp flag

mkusb is a candidate

The main purpose when I developed mkusb was to help writing to the correct target device.

  • mkusb-dus can clone from plain CD/DVD disks, iso or img files, and also compressed img.gz and img.xz files (without any preprocessing). It fixes the backup partition table at the end of the drive for GUID partition tables, GPT.

  • mkusb-plug can clone from files (but it lacks the extra features to manage compressed files and to fix the GPT.)

    A special feature is that you start mkusb-plug before plugging in the target drive. Then it identifies the drive, when plugged in, which makes it quite footgun-proof.

muru avatar
us flag
Since you're the developer of `mkusb`, you should disclose that when promoting your software in your answers.
sudodus avatar
jp flag
Edit to comply with the comment by @muru to admit that I am advertizing my own software
co flag
Does this deal with the automounter? i.e. common pattern for me with other tools is: insert stick, start write image, disk gets automounted and corrupted in the process and I have to unmount and restart the write.
sudodus avatar
jp flag
@Grumbel, mkusb tries to deal with automounting, and manages in many cases, but you can probably find cases, where it does not work, if the running operating system, or should we say the desktop environment, is very eager to automount. Some years ago I posted instructions to make Xubuntu take it easy with automounting. See this link: [Is Thunar cluttering your Desktop?](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb#Is_Thunar_cluttering_your_Desktop.3F).
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