Rufus is a tool for Windows that lets you create boot devices from external storage units, like USB flash drives and SD cards. Its versatility lets you format a new drive, as well as install Linux, Windows, and even FreeDOS disk images, which, in fact, comes built into the application itself.

You can create partition types such as Syslinux, ReactOS, Grub, UEFI: NTFS, or the aforementioned FreeDOS. Thanks to this, it's possible to install Linux distributions or images to use on devices such as a Raspberry Pi. You can even create Windows installations from the ISO image. The only things you need to carry out any of these operations, of course, are the images of the operating systems themselves, which you can download from their respective websites.

One of the strengths of Rufus is that it doesn't require any installation. To use the program, just double-click on its executable and, in a matter of seconds, you can choose the type of unit or image you want to mount. Even better, this application is lightning fast. According to some of the latest tests and comparisons, Rufus is faster than other similar applications. With the Windows 7 startup disk, for example, it's twice as fast as the official tool.

Rufus is a really useful application for creating bootable drives or operating system installers. Its compatibility list is extensive, including more than 40 ISOs that work perfectly with the application, including those for Windows XP, Windows 7, Debian, Fedora, and Raspbian, among many others.