OSWriter

A command-line tool for creating bootable USB drives from various operating system images.

Features

• Automatic USB detection: Detects and lists all connected USB drives
• Multiple OS support: Create bootable USB drives for:
  • Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)
  • Windows
  • Custom images
• Ventoy integration: Option to install Ventoy for multi-boot USB creation
• Safety measures: Multiple safeguards to prevent formatting system disks by mistake
• Interactive interface: Clear menus and confirmation prompts
• Auto-updates: Check for and install updates easily
• Path autocompletion: Tab completion support when entering file paths
• Wi-Fi management: Built-in tools for managing network connections (Linux only)

Requirements

• Linux operating system (tested on Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi OS)
• Root privileges (sudo)
• Basic tools: lsblk, dd, file
• Optional tools depending on usage:
  • woeusb or woeusb-ng for Windows ISO support
  • ventoy for multi-boot support

Installation

Quick Installation (Recommended)

For local installation from a cloned repository:

cd oswriter
sudo ./install.sh

After installation, you can run OSWriter by typing:

sudo oswriter

or

sudo create_bootable_usb

Uninstallation

To remove OSWriter from your system:

sudo oswriter uninstall

or

sudo ./install.sh uninstall

Usage

When using the installed version:

sudo oswriter

Or if you manually downloaded the script:

sudo ./create_bootable_usb.sh

Menu Options

1. Create a bootable USB drive - The main functionality
2. Check for updates - Update OSWriter to the latest version
3. Exit - Close the application

OS Options

1. Ubuntu/Debian/Other Linux distributions (ISO) - For Linux-based distributions
2. Windows (ISO) - For Windows installation media (requires woeusb or woeusb-ng)
3. Ventoy (for multiple operating systems) - Install Ventoy to create multi-boot USB
4. Custom image (using dd) - For any other disk image

Additional Features

• Tab autocompletion: Press Tab to autocomplete file paths when selecting an ISO
• Wi-Fi management: Tools for connecting to networks (on Linux systems)
• Automatic updates: OSWriter checks for updates and can update itself

Safety Features

OSWriter includes multiple safety checks to protect your system:

• Prevents formatting of NVMe and other system disks
• Detects and warns about large drives
• Confirms removable media status
• Requires explicit confirmation before formatting
• Checks for mounted system partitions

Warning

ALL DATA ON THE SELECTED USB DRIVE WILL BE ERASED!

Always double-check that you've selected the correct drive before confirming.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• "Not enough free space": Ensure your USB drive has enough capacity for the ISO
• WoeUSB errors: For Windows ISOs, ensure you have woeusb or woeusb-ng installed
• Permissions issues: Make sure to run with sudo

OS-Specific Notes

• Fedora: Install woeusb-ng via sudo dnf install woeusb-ng
• Ubuntu/Debian: Install woeusb-ng via sudo apt install woeusb-ng
• Raspberry Pi: For Wi-Fi management, ensure Network Manager is enabled in raspi-config

License

MIT License

Author

TheSoftwareWizard - GitHub

Version History

• 0.4.1 - Added version number and MIT license information
• 0.4.0 - Improved path handling and error detection
• 0.3.0 - Added auto-update capabilities
• 0.2.0 - Added tab autocompletion for file paths
• 0.1.0 - Initial release