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Preparing Installation Media

Now that you have downloaded the ISO installer, you need to create a bootable USB drive or DVD. Follow the instructions below for your operating system to create the installation media.

warning

Creating a bootable USB drive will erase all data on the selected drive. Make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.

Linux

Linux users can use the dd command to create a bootable USB drive. dd is a built-in command and does not require any additional software.

  1. Insert a USB drive with at least 8GB of space. Make sure to back up any important data on the drive, as it will be formatted.
  2. Open a terminal and run the command lsblk to identify the device name of the USB drive (e.g., /dev/sdX, where X is the letter assigned to your USB drive).
  3. Unmount the USB drive using the command (you may need to use sudo): 
     umount /dev/sdX*
  4. Use the dd command to create a bootable USB drive. Replace /path/to/pextra-ce.iso with the path to the downloaded ISO file and /dev/sdX with the device name of your USB drive (e.g., /dev/sdb): 
    dd if=/path/to/pextra-ce.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
  5. After the process is complete, run the following command to ensure all data is written to the USB drive: 
    sync
  6. Safely eject the USB drive using the command (you may need to use sudo): 
    eject /dev/sdX

Your USB drive is now ready to be used for installation.

MacOS

MacOS users can also use the dd command to create a bootable USB drive. The process is similar to Linux, but with some differences in the commands used.

  1. Insert a USB drive with at least 8GB of space. Make sure to back up any important data on the drive, as it will be formatted.
  2. Open a terminal and run the command diskutil list to identify the device name of the USB drive (e.g., /dev/diskX, where X is the number assigned to your USB drive).
  3. Unmount the USB drive using the command (you may need to use sudo): 
    diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskX
  4. Use the dd command to create a bootable USB drive. Replace /path/to/pextra-ce.iso with the path to the downloaded ISO file and /dev/diskX with the device name of your USB drive (e.g., /dev/disk2): 
    sudo dd if=/path/to/pextra-ce.iso of=/dev/diskX bs=4m status=progress
  5. After the process is complete, run the following command to ensure all data is written to the USB drive: 
    sync
  6. Safely eject the USB drive using the command (you may need to use sudo): 
    diskutil eject /dev/diskX

Your USB drive is now ready to be used for installation.

Windows

Windows users can use Rufus in DD mode to create a bootable USB drive, as there is no built-in mechanism to create bootable USB drives from ISO files. Rufus is free and open source software.

  1. Download the latest version of Rufus and run it.

  2. Insert a USB drive with at least 8GB of space. Make sure to back up any important data on the drive, as it will be formatted. In Rufus, select the USB drive by clicking on the “Device” dropdown menu:

    Rufus

  3. Select the downloaded ISO file by clicking on the “SELECT” button. Navigate to the location where you saved the ISO file and select it:

    Rufus select ISO

  4. With the USB and ISO ready, the window should similar to this. Click on “START” button to begin the process:

    Rufus ready

  5. A pop-up window will appear. Select “Write in DD Image mode” and click “OK”:

    Rufus select DD

  6. Another pop-up window will appear, warning you that all data on the USB drive will be erased. Click “OK” to proceed:

    Rufus confirm

  7. Once the process is complete, the bar will be green and say “READY”. You can close Rufus:

    Rufus complete

  8. Safely eject the USB drive from your computer.

Your USB drive is now ready to be used for installation.