How to Create a Linux Mint 15 Bootable USB Flash Drive

Linux Mint 13 terminal

Here’s a short howto about the creation of a bootable USB flash drive for installing the latest version of Linux Mint. All operations described here after take place on Mint 13.

  • 1 – Download Mint 15 ISO file (linuxmint-15-mate-dvd-64bit.iso) from this page
  • 2 – Plug your USB drive
  • 3 – Open a terminal in the folder where you have downloaded Mint 15 ISO file.
  • 4 – Find the USB device name with the df command:
     
    $ df -h
    Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
    /dev/sda1       455G   33G  400G   8% /
    udev            1.9G  4.0K  1.9G   1% /dev
    tmpfs           791M  1.1M  790M   1% /run
    none            5.0M     0  5.0M   0% /run/lock
    none            2.0G   76K  2.0G   1% /run/shm
    /dev/sdb1        15G   13G  2.0G  87% /media/CORSAIR
    
  • 5 – Unmount the USD flash drive. This is important for the last step:
     
    $ umount /dev/sdb1
    
  • 6 – The last step: the creation of the bootable USB flash drive with the dd command. Pay attention to the name of the USB device: /dev/sdb and not /dev/sdb1 which is a partition in the device:
     
    $ dd bs=1M if=./linuxmint-15-mate-dvd-64bit.iso of=/dev/sdb
    

The copy lasts few minutes depending on the writing speed of the USB flash drive. Now your bootable USB flash drive is ready!

Source




9 thoughts on “How to Create a Linux Mint 15 Bootable USB Flash Drive”

  1. JT

    Hi. When I run the dd command, I get a message that says “dd: opening ‘/dev/sdg1’: Permission denied”

    What am I doing wrong? sdg1 is my flash drive.

  2. JeGX Post Author

    @JT : just add sudo before:

    $ sudo dd bs=1M if=./linuxmint-15-mate-dvd-64bit.iso of=/dev/sdg
    

    Hope that helps.

  3. JT

    JeGX – Yes that worked! The dd command did write the data to my USB stick, though it is still not bootable! I am using the ISO “linuxmint-15-cinnamon-dvd-64bit.iso”

    Do I need to download a different ISO perhaps?

  4. JeGX Post Author

    Be sure to use the correct name for your USB stick. If the df command shows /dev/sdg1 you have to use /dev/sdg with the dd command.

  5. JT

    Thank you JeGX! This post and your help is appreciated. I did manage to get Mint 15 installed now. Do you have a blog or forum? You have been so much help!

  6. David

    I have tried so many programs and only this really works!!

    Many thanks!!!

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