Flash the toolkit onto your own USB stick
Bought the digital download (or want to re-flash a stick)? Writing the ISO to a USB takes a few minutes with a free tool. Here’s how, no command line required for the easy path.
The whole stick is wiped and replaced with the toolkit. Pick the right drive carefully, and use a stick that doesn’t have anything you want to keep on it.
The quick version
Download the ISO
Sign in and grab the latest FATALnet Tech Toolkit ISO from My Account → Your Toolkit. It’s about 2.5 GB, so give it a moment on a slower connection.
Get a USB stick (8 GB or larger)
Use a stick you don’t mind erasing, flashing wipes everything on it. A USB 3.0 stick boots faster.
Flash the ISO with one of the tools below
balenaEtcher is the easy choice for most people. Pick the ISO, pick your USB stick, and write it.
Boot from the stick
Restart the computer, open the boot menu, and choose the USB drive. See the Getting Started guide for boot keys and Secure Boot.
Pick your flashing tool
balenaEtcher
Free, friendly, and works the same on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Open Etcher, choose “Flash from file” and pick the ISO, select your USB stick, then click Flash. That’s it.
Best for: almost everyone.
Rufus
A tiny, fast Windows tool. Select your USB device, choose the ISO under “Boot selection,” keep the defaults, and click Start (write in DD Image mode if asked).
Best for: Windows power users.
dd (command line)
On Linux or macOS: confirm the exact device name first, then write the image. Double-check the device, dd does not ask twice.
sudo dd if=fatalnet.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync
Best for: people comfortable in a terminal.
- Whichever tool you pick, the steps are the same idea: choose the ISO, choose the USB stick, write it.
- When it finishes, eject the stick safely, then boot the target computer from it.
Stuck?
If the stick won’t boot after flashing, it’s usually Secure Boot, the Getting Started guide shows how to turn it off. Still stuck? Tell us your computer’s make and model and what you see on screen.