Rufus-Linux 🐧

Native, High-Performance Bootable USB Creator for Linux

A native, feature-complete bootable USB creator for Linux — inspired by Rufus on Windows.

Rufus is a Windows-only tool that frequently fails under Wine due to raw block-level disk access restrictions. Rufus-Linux solves this by providing a native, lightweight, standalone tool combining a modern GTK3 GUI wizard and an interactive CLI menu, packed with extra features like Multi-ISO (Ventoy style), Persistence partitions, ISO downloader with SHA256 checksum verification, and Drive Health testing.

✨ Features

	Feature	Description
🖥️	Rufus-Style GUI Wizard	Modern GTK3 window with file pickers, device dropdowns, and live progress bar. Fallback to Zenity/Yad if GTK is unavailable.
📟	Interactive CLI Menu	Beautiful colored interactive terminal interface for SSH or headless environments.
⚡	Three Write Modes	`dd` (ISO-Hybrid direct block write), `part` (Partition & Copy for UEFI/Windows), and `auto` detection.
🪟	Windows 11 & 10 Support	Full UEFI GPT/MBR partition formatting, handling >4GB `install.wim` files automatically.
💾	Persistence Partition	Keep your files and settings saved across reboots for Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, and Debian Live USBs.
📀	Multi-ISO USB (Ventoy-Style)	Put multiple Linux ISOs on a single USB drive with an automated GRUB bootloader menu.
🌐	ISO Downloader + Checksum	Download 10+ major Linux distros directly with automatic SHA256 verification and URL rot discovery.
🩺	Drive Health & Boot Testing	SMART diagnostics, read/write speed benchmarking, bad block scanning, and direct QEMU boot emulation.
🛡️	Fail-Safe Protection	Multi-layer safeguards refuse writes to root system disks, mounted partitions, loopback devices, and zram.
📦	Zero-Dependency Core	Single self-contained bash script deliverable (`rufus-linux.sh`).

⚡ Quick Start

Run the GUI (Recommended):

sudo -E ./rufus-linux.sh --gui

(Or run ./rufus-linux.sh --gui as a regular user — it will prompt for privilege escalation only when writing!)

Run the Interactive Terminal Menu:

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh

Fast One-Liner (Scripted):

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso -d /dev/sdb -y

📦 Installation & Dependencies

Core Base Packages

# Debian / Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Kali
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y util-linux dosfstools parted rsync syslinux-extlinux p7zip-full

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install -y util-linux dosfstools parted rsync syslinux-utils p7zip

# Arch Linux / Manjaro
sudo pacman -S --needed util-linux dosfstools parted rsync syslinux p7zip

Optional Packages (By Feature)

Feature	Debian / Ubuntu / Mint	Fedora / RHEL	Arch Linux
GTK GUI Wizard	`python3-gi` `gir1.2-gtk-3.0`	`python3-gobject` `gtk3`	`python-gobject` `gtk3`
Fallback Dialogs	`zenity` or `yad`	`zenity` or `yad`	`zenity` or `yad`
Multi-ISO Bootloader	`grub-pc-bin` `grub-efi-amd64-bin`	`grub2-pc` `grub2-efi-x64`	`grub`
Windows >4GB WIM Split	`wimtools`	`wimlib-utils`	`wimlib`
SMART Drive Diagnostics	`smartmontools`	`smartmontools`	`smartmontools`
QEMU Boot Emulator	`qemu-system-x86` `ovmf`	`qemu-system-x86` `edk2-ovmf`	`qemu-system-x86` `edk2-ovmf`

🚀 How to Run

1. GUI Wizard (Graphical)

Launch the graphical Rufus-style window:

sudo -E ./rufus-linux.sh --gui

Select your target USB device from the dropdown.
Click SELECT to pick any .iso or .img file.
The Partition Scheme (MBR/GPT) and File System (FAT32/NTFS) auto-configure based on your ISO.
Click START to write with live progress reporting!

2. Interactive Terminal Menu

For command-line lovers and remote SSH servers:

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh

  [1]  ISO image select        : ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso
  [2]  USB device select       : /dev/sdb  (32 GB  SanDisk Ultra)
  [3]  Partition scheme        : MBR  (BIOS + UEFI)
  [4]  File system             : FAT32  (BIOS + UEFI, recommended)
  [5]  Write mode              : Auto (hybrid? -> dd : partition+copy)
  [6]  Verify after write      : OFF
  [7]  Persistence (live save) : OFF
  [8]  START  <-- Begin write

  ------- Tools -------
  [D]  ISO download + SHA256 verify
  [V]  Verify existing ISO checksum
  [M]  Multi-ISO USB  (Ventoy-style GRUB menu)
  [H]  Drive health + speed + boot test
  [G]  GUI wizard (graphical, GTK/zenity)
  [Q]  Quit

3. Scripted CLI One-Liners

# Auto mode with verification
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i ubuntu.iso -d /dev/sdb --verify -y

# Custom volume label and partition scheme
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i debian.iso -d /dev/sdb -p gpt -f fat32 -L "MY_DEBIAN" -y

# Partition mode with 4GB Persistence partition
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i kali-linux.iso -d /dev/sdb -m part --persist 4096 -y

Command Line Options

  -i, --iso <file>         Path to ISO image
  -d, --device <dev>       Target block device (e.g. /dev/sdb)
  -m, --mode <m>           Write mode: auto | dd | part (default: auto)
  -p, --part <scheme>      Partition scheme: mbr | gpt
  -f, --fs <fs>            File system: auto | fat32 | ntfs | ext4
  -L, --label <name>       USB volume label (up to 11 characters for FAT32)
      --persist <MB>       Persistence partition size in MB (part mode)
      --verify             Verify written data against ISO checksum
      --no-eject           Do not eject/unmount USB after completion
  -y, --yes                Skip safety confirmation prompts
  -h, --help               Display help reference

💽 Write Modes Explained

🔵 `dd` / ISO-Hybrid Mode (Default for Linux)

Direct raw block write to the device using dd. It copies the ISO's built-in MBR, GPT, and hybrid bootloader.

Best for: 99% of modern Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian, Kali, Mint).
Boot: Supports both BIOS and UEFI out of the box.
Progress: Real-time progress bar calculated from /proc/[pid]/io.
Verify: Optional bit-by-bit comparison using cmp.

🟢 `part` / Partition & Copy Mode

Creates a clean partition table (MBR or GPT), formats the partition (FAT32, NTFS, or ext4), extracts the ISO files, and installs UEFI/BIOS bootloaders.

Best for: Windows 10/11 ISOs, non-hybrid ISOs, custom volume labels, and Persistence partitions.
Windows Support: Automatically detects install.wim > 4GB and splits it into .swm files when using FAT32 (via wimlib).

🟡 `auto` Mode

Automatically inspects the ISO header (at byte offset 510 for signature 0x55AA). If the image is ISO-hybrid, it selects dd; otherwise, it uses part.

🪟 Windows 10 & 11 Bootable USB

Rufus-Linux provides seamless support for official Windows 10 and Windows 11 installation media:

# Standard UEFI GPT Windows USB:
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i Win11_x64.iso -d /dev/sdb -m part -p gpt -f ntfs -y

Note on >4GB install.wim: Windows ISOs contain an install.wim file that often exceeds the FAT32 4GB limit.

NTFS Option (Default): Writes to NTFS partition. Compatible with all modern UEFI systems.

FAT32 + WIM Split: Install wimtools (sudo apt install wimtools). Rufus-Linux will automatically split install.wim into <4GB chunks for maximum legacy compatibility.

🧰 Multi-ISO USB (Ventoy-Style)

Store multiple Linux distributions on a single USB stick and choose which one to boot at startup!

# 1. Format and install GRUB bootloader on USB:
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-prepare -d /dev/sdb -p mbr -y

# 2. Add your favorite ISOs:
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-add ~/Downloads/ubuntu-24.04.iso
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-add ~/Downloads/archlinux.iso
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-add ~/Downloads/fedora.iso

# 3. Rescan and generate the GRUB boot menu:
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-rescan

# View all installed ISOs:
sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --ventoy-list

💾 Live USB with Persistence

Changes made during a Live session (installed software, files, settings) are usually lost on reboot. With Persistence, changes are saved to an isolated secondary partition.

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh -i ubuntu-24.04.iso -d /dev/sdb -m part --persist 4096 -y

Distribution	Persistence Label	Configured Boot Parameter
Ubuntu / Mint / Kali / Pop!_OS	`casper-rw`	`persistent`
Debian Live	`persistence`	`persistence` + `persistence.conf`

🌐 ISO Downloader & Checksum Verifier

Download official Linux distributions without opening a web browser:

# View list of available distributions
./rufus-linux.sh --list-downloads

# Download latest Ubuntu LTS and verify SHA256
./rufus-linux.sh --download ubuntu24

# Verify any existing ISO against official checksums
./rufus-linux.sh --verify-iso ~/Downloads/archlinux-x86_64.iso

Supported distributions: ubuntu24, ubuntu22, debian, fedora, mint, arch, kali, tumbleweed, and custom URLs.

🩺 Drive Health, Speed & Boot Test

Test and verify your USB drive before writing critical data:

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --health -d /dev/sdb

Drive Info: Serial number, model, transport protocol (USB/NVMe/SATA).
SMART Health: Temperature, reallocated sector count, overall PASS/FAIL.
Speed Benchmark: Measures real sustained read and write speed in MB/s.
Bad Blocks: Runs non-destructive sector diagnostics.
QEMU Boot Emulator: Tests booting the USB directly inside a virtual machine window without rebooting your computer!

🛡️ Safety & Data Protection

To prevent accidental data loss or overwriting system disks, Rufus-Linux enforces strict security rules:

System Disk Protection: Automatically detects and strictly REFUSES writing to the host OS root disk (/, /boot, /home, etc.).
Block-Device Enforcement: Rejects partitions (e.g. /dev/sda1) to prevent broken partition tables; accepts whole drives only (e.g. /dev/sda).
Loop & Virtual Device Guard: Blocks loopback, ramdisk, and zram devices unless explicitly running in test mode (RUFUS_ALLOW_LOOP=1).
Explicit Confirmation: Displays drive capacity, model name, and partitions, requiring an intentional confirmation before erasing.

🏗️ Building from Source

Rufus-Linux is architected in clean, modular shell scripts inside src/. The build script bundles them into the standalone rufus-linux.sh deliverable:

# Build the single-file executable:
./build.sh

# Run unit tests (107 automated checks):
./test.sh

❓ Troubleshooting & FAQ

Q: Why is my pendrive not showing up in the file manager after the write finishes?

A: When writing completes, Rufus-Linux safely unmounts and ejects the USB device (eject /dev/sdX) to prevent filesystem corruption and allow safe physical removal. Simply unplug the USB drive and plug it back into the computer, and it will appear immediately in your file manager!

Q: How do I test the USB in QEMU?

sudo ./rufus-linux.sh --health -d /dev/sdb
# Select option [7] (QEMU boot test)

Q: Can I run this in non-root mode?

Yes! You can run ./rufus-linux.sh --gui as a regular user to browse ISOs and configure options. The tool will escalate privileges via pkexec or sudo only when writing to the physical block device.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). Feel free to use, modify, and distribute.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
assets		assets
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
build.sh		build.sh
integration-test.sh		integration-test.sh
rufus-linux.sh		rufus-linux.sh
test.sh		test.sh

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