Clone a Bootable USB to an ISO
Sometimes I need to keep an exact copy of a bootable USB drive: a vendor recovery stick, a custom Windows installer, or a Linux live USB that took time to prepare. Copying the visible files is not enough because the bootloader and partition layout matter. This post shows three ways to make that image: PowerShell with WSL, Win32DiskImager on Windows, and dd on Linux. Quick answer To back up a bootable USB, create a sector-by-sector image of the whole device instead of copying files from the drive letter. On Windows, identify the USB disk with Get-Disk, then use WSL and dd or a tool such as Win32DiskImager to read the physical disk into an image file. Always confirm the disk number first because choosing the wrong disk can overwrite or expose the wrong device. ...