Types of Bootable Disk

Bootable disks come in various forms, each suitable for different needs and scenarios. Here are the main types:

1. USB Flash Drives

A USB flash drive is a small, portable storage device that uses flash memory to store data. It connects to computers and other devices via a USB interface. USB flash drives are commonly used to transfer files between computers, back up important data, and serve as bootable media for installing operating systems or running diagnostic tools

• Advantages: Compact, portable, fast data transfer speeds, and easy to create with modern tools.
• Common Uses: Installing operating systems, running live operating systems, system repairs, and recovery tasks.

2. CDs and DVDs

A CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) are types of optical discs used to store data. CDs are primarily used for audio recordings and can hold up to 700 MB of data. DVDs are used for both audio and video and have a larger capacity, typically holding 4.7 GB for single-layer discs and 8.5 GB for dual-layer discs.

• Advantages: Universally compatible with most computer systems that have optical drives.
• Common Uses: Distributing software (including operating systems), recovery tools, and archival purposes. Often used for bootable media because they are read-only, which prevents accidental modification of the boot loader and system files.

3. External Hard Drives

• Advantages: Large storage capacity allows for extensive software suites or multiple versions of operating systems.
• Common Uses: Multi-boot setups, full-system backups, and extensive recovery solutions.

4. SD Cards

SD cards, or Secure Digital cards, are portable memory cards used in various electronic devices like cameras, phones, and tablets for storing data such as photos, videos, and apps.

• Advantages: Small form factor and commonly used in devices like Raspberry Pis or other single-board computers.
• Common Uses: Operating system installations for embedded systems, portable operating environments, and development tasks.

5. Network Boot (PXE)

• Advantages: Boots from a server over a network, eliminating the need for local storage.
• Common Uses: Deploying operating systems in a large network environment like schools, offices, or data centers where multiple machines can be booted and managed centrally.

When you turn on a computer, it doesn’t know what to do right away. It needs to load an operating system (like Windows or macOS) to get things going. This is where a bootable disk comes in. In this article, we will see the working, types and uses of a bootable disk –