Ember 🫗

A modern, intelligent terminal application for creating bootable Windows USB drives with advanced features and beautiful TUI interface.

✨ Features

🧠 Intelligent ISO Analysis - Automatic detection of Windows version, install.wim size, and optimal filesystem 🔄 Dual-Partition UEFI:NTFS - Smart handling of large files (>4GB) with automatic dual-partition creation ⚡ GPT-First Approach - Modern GPT partition tables by default, MBR for legacy compatibility 🎯 Smart ISO Discovery - Automatically finds Windows ISOs on your system with detailed analysis 🖥️ Dual TUI Modes - Basic mode for quick tasks, Advanced mode for power users 🔧 Sophisticated Preferences - Performance mode, quick format, large file handling options 📊 Real-time Analysis - Live filesystem analysis with 2025 Windows 11 compatibility checks 🛡️ Enhanced Safety - Advanced device validation and safety warnings 🚀 Legacy Compatibility Warnings - Intelligent detection and warnings for older systems

🚀 Quick Start

Interactive Mode (Recommended)

# Launch the beautiful TUI interface
./ember

# Or with administrative privileges (recommended)
sudo ./ember

Smart ISO Discovery

# Find all Windows ISOs on your system
./ember --discover

# Analyze a specific ISO
./ember --analyze-only --iso ~/Windows11.iso

Headless Mode

# Windows 11 with intelligent defaults
./ember --iso ~/Windows11.iso --device disk2

# With performance optimization
./ember --iso ~/Windows11.iso --device disk2 --performance-mode

# Legacy BIOS compatibility
./ember --iso ~/Windows11.iso --device disk2 --mbr --disable-uefi

📋 System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Go 1.21+ (for building from source)
• Administrative privileges (sudo on macOS/Linux)
• USB drive (8GB+ recommended, 16GB+ for Windows 11)

Platform Support

macOS 🍎 (Primary Support)

• ✅ Full diskutil integration
• ✅ GPT + UEFI:NTFS dual-partition schemes
• ✅ Advanced device safety analysis
• ✅ Optimal partition size calculation
• ✅ Legacy MBR compatibility mode

Linux 🐧 (Experimental)

• ✅ Basic device detection (lsblk)
• ✅ Standard partitioning tools
• ⚠️ Some advanced features may require additional packages

Windows 🪟 (Planned)

• ⚠️ Framework implemented
• ❌ Not production ready

🎯 Key Features

Intelligent Analysis Engine

• Automatic ISO Detection - Finds Windows ISOs across common locations
• Install.wim Analysis - Detects large files requiring NTFS/dual-partition
• Windows Version Detection - Identifies Windows 7/8/10/11 requirements
• Filesystem Recommendations - Smart FAT32/NTFS/ExFAT selection

Windows 11 Optimizations

• Large Install.wim Handling - Automatic dual-partition for >4GB files
• Modern UEFI Support - GPT partition tables with optimal ESP sizing
• Windows 11 24H2 Ready - Latest compatibility and requirements
• Legacy Fallback - Maintains Windows 7-10 compatibility

Advanced User Options

• Performance Mode - Optimized for speed over maximum compatibility
• Quick Format - Faster formatting (enabled by default)
• Large File Support - Automatic NTFS when needed
• Custom Labels - Personalized USB volume names

Beautiful Interface

• Dual TUI Modes - Basic for simplicity, Advanced for power users
• Real-time Progress - File-by-file progress with speed estimates
• Color-coded Safety - Visual safety indicators for device selection
• Interactive Menus - Intuitive navigation and configuration

📖 Documentation

• Advanced Documentation - Comprehensive technical guide
• CLI Reference - Complete command-line options
• TUI Guide - Terminal interface walkthrough
• 2025 Features - Modern Windows USB standards

🛠️ Installation

Pre-built Binaries

Download the latest release from the releases page.

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/entro314-labs/Ember.git
cd Ember

# Build for current platform
go build -o ember ./cmd/ember

# Or use make for advanced builds
make build

🔧 Common Usage Examples

For Windows 11 Users

# Auto-detect optimal settings
./ember --discover
./ember --iso ~/Downloads/Win11_24H2.iso --device disk2

# Performance mode for fast USB creation
./ember --iso ~/Win11.iso --device disk2 --performance-mode

For Legacy Systems

# Windows 7/8 compatibility
./ember --iso ~/Win7.iso --device disk2 --mbr --filesystem FAT32

# Force legacy compatibility
./ember --iso ~/Win10.iso --device disk2 --mbr --disable-uefi

For Power Users

# Advanced mode with custom settings
./ember --iso ~/Win11.iso --device disk2 --advanced \
        --filesystem NTFS --label "Windows11Pro" \
        --performance-mode --quick-format

⚠️ Safety & Warnings

CRITICAL: This tool completely overwrites the target device. Always:

1. ✅ Verify device identifier - Double-check with diskutil list (macOS) or lsblk (Linux)
2. ✅ Backup important data - All data on target device will be lost
3. ✅ Use sudo/admin privileges - Required for device access
4. ✅ Check safety indicators - Green = safe, Yellow = caution, Red = danger
5. ✅ Test with spare devices first - Never risk important hardware

🐛 Troubleshooting

Permission Issues

# macOS/Linux: Run with sudo
sudo ./ember

# Check if device is mounted
diskutil list  # macOS
lsblk         # Linux

Large File Support

# For ISOs with install.wim >4GB
./ember --iso ~/Win11.iso --device disk2 --allow-large-files

# Force NTFS for large files
./ember --iso ~/Win11.iso --device disk2 --filesystem NTFS

Legacy Compatibility

# For older systems that don't support UEFI
./ember --iso ~/Win10.iso --device disk2 --mbr --disable-uefi

# Check system compatibility
./ember --system-info

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/entro314-labs/Ember.git
cd Ember
go mod tidy
go build ./cmd/ember

📄 License

Licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Bubble Tea - Amazing TUI framework
• Lipgloss - Beautiful terminal styling
• UEFI:NTFS - UEFI NTFS boot support
• Microsoft - Windows USB creation standards and best practices

---

Made with ❤️ for the community. Star ⭐ if this helps you create Windows USBs!