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How to Create a Bootable USB Device with Rufus to Update Dell Servers

Summary: Find out how to prepare a USB stick for updating Dell PowerEdge servers through a bootable Update-ISO file.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

This article provides information about making an USB device bootable and integrating an update-image (ISO-file). For servers without an optical drive (DVD) or a configured integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) this is an alternative way of updating all server firmwares in one single step.
To create a bootable USB device, you can use the freeware tool Rufus (Figure 1).
 
Note: Rufus is not a Dell certified software. Installation and use on own risk. We share our best practices with Rufus but do not support issues regarding this program.
  1. Download the tool to a Windows system
  2. Create a Smart Bootable ISO using the Dell Repository Manager (DRM).
  3. Start the tool
  4. Insert a USB device  (Rufus will auto-select if USB device)
  5. Choose the created or downloaded ISO-file  (Rufus will select the appropriate settings)
    • Partition Screen = MBR
    • File System = FAT32
    • Cluster Size = 1024
  6. Click on Start to create the media
  7. Restart the server and boot from the created device

     
 
SLN296810_en_US__1icon If the Bootable ISO fails to run after being applied to a Bootable usb please change the server boot mode to BIOS or UEFI mode and attempt the procedure again. If the Bootable ISO continues to fail, it is recommended to download the iso again or try applying the image to a different USB key.
 

Rufus Screenshot


SLN296810_en_US__2image(6971)           SLN296810_en_US__3image(6972)

The first picture shows when the freeware is launched. The second picture shows the Bootable ISO file selected. Click "Start" to launch the process.

 

Cause

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Resolution

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Affected Products

PowerEdge
Article Properties
Article Number: 000141551
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 27 Jul 2023
Version:  8
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