Trying to boot in with Rufus, Can't Find Boot in USB Stick

[oathmark1]

I'm dealing with older computers, and I'm trying to boot up into these things without their hard drives. That is how they come to me. So I'm trying to figure out a process here using a free OS solution.

So I looked all over the startup menu on this Lenovo PC, and I can't see anywhere to choose which drive to boot up in.

Any suggestions about this?

 

[Paul NZ]

So what exactly did you do with rurfus?? Did you get an ISO? If you want free get a Linux ISO

You wont find anything in the windows menu. You need an ISO for rufus

 

[oathmark1]

No ISO. I just downloaded the Rufus onto a USB drive, and that's all.

I was thinking that it was enough to do what I want to. I basically need to get a Linux OS onto a new hard drive on that computer.

 

[Paul NZ]

No you have to get/download a Linux distro / ISO and load it in Rufus. It wont do anything by itself

If the computer has a UEFI BIOS and it's 64 bit you select GPT as the partition, then add the ISO. Then wait for it to finish then boot from the flash drive

If you install 32 bit you select MBR then do the above

But you'll have to copy rufus to a hdd. Since once you add an ISO it'll format the flash drive

But you need a hdd as well. It cant / wont install on nothing

 

[Rocky Bennett]

No ISO. I just downloaded the Rufus onto a USB drive, and that's all.

I was thinking that it was enough to do what I want to. I basically need to get a Linux OS onto a new hard drive on that computer.

Which Linux distro are you interested in? What type of processor does the computer have, 32 or 64 bit? Do you intend on installing Linux onto a hard drive or do you just want to run the Linux OS live?

Rufus is just a tool and you do not put it on a USB stick, ever. You use Rufus as a tool in addition to the Linux dostro of your choice to create a USB stick that can be booted.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

No ISO. I just downloaded the Rufus onto a USB drive, and that's all.

I was thinking that it was enough to do what I want to. I basically need to get a Linux OS onto a new hard drive on that computer.

If the computer is a pre 2007 then you will need to make a bootable DVD because older computers CAN NOT boot from a USB stick.