Create a Linux Mint 12 Bootable USB Drive

Create a Linux Mint 12 Bootable USB Drive:
All it takes is 12 steps to get you running with a bootable USB drive.  If you’d like to go straight to the instructions for the Bootable USB drive, click here.
This past weekend I spent some time playing around with Linux Mint 12. Last week, Linux Mint’s approach to the Gnome2-Gnome3-Unity fiasco was highlighted multiple times on slashdot.org. Linux Mint seeks to blend the aspects of these desktop environments into something that people actually want. They’ve given you the choice of which version of Gnome to run, and subsequently, the choice of which way you want to use your desktop environment: application-centered or task-centered. Anyway, it was a pleasant experience to fiddle with the ‘Lisa’ release candidate.

Sidebar: I find the use of the Lisa codename delightfully tantalizing. It makes me ask so many questions. Originally, the Lisa computer – for those of you who don’t know your Apple history – was meant to be a computer that revolutionized the way computers were used. What’s even more titillating is that the Lisa was so special because of its Graphical User Interface (GUI). The very thing that Linux Mint 12 is trying to “fix” is the GUI. So, whether the codename Lisa is an allusion to the old “new kind of human-computer interface”, a tribute to the late Steve Jobs, both, or something totally unrelated, I’m very excited about Linux Mint 12 and what it’s trying to accomplish.

Without further commentary:

How to Create a Linux Mint 12 Bootable USB Drive

I based my exploration of creating a bootable USB drive on this post about Linux Mint 11, the process is essentially the same. I didn’t have any luck with the Startup Disk Creator, though, so I went with UNetbootin. Additionally, you don’t need to edit any configuration files with the below process.

1. Download UNetbootin
You can get it from it’s homepage on sourceforge or if you run Ubuntu or Linux Mint as your OS, run this command:
$ sudo apt-get install unetbootin
2. Grab one of the CD releases from Linux Mint.
I used the 32-bit iso without codecs, so that’s the only release for which I can vouch.
3. Insert your USB drive
4. Erase everything on your USB drive or format the USB drive
5. Open UNetbootin
6. Select the Diskimage option, the ISO option and insert the path to the iso you downloaded.
UNetbootin screenshot
7. Select the Type of drive (USB) to which you’re writing and enter the path to that drive
See above image. Note: your path may be different.
8. Click OK
UNetbootin should create your bootable USB drive for you!
9. Insert the USB drive into the computer you’d like to boot into Linux Mint 12
10. Restart the computer with the USB drive inserted
If your computer’s boot order isn’t set to start with USB, you’ll have to enter the boot menu. This is usually done by hitting the F12 key as soon as the computer starts and before the ‘Starting Windows…’ screen or any other screen shows.
11. Hit Enter or Wait…
If you’ve successfully booted from the USB drive, you’ll likely get a prompt that looks like this:
SYSLINUX 3.63 Debian-2008-07-15 EBIOS Copyright (C) 1994-2008 H. Peter Anvin boot:
You can simply hit enter, and that will trigger the UNetbootin menu. If you don’t do anything, within 30 seconds UNetbootin will take over and give you a menu for selecting which item on the USB drive to boot.
12. Select ‘Start Linux Mint’
Ta da! That’s it