Rufus++ v0.2.1

Rufus++ 0.2.1 fixes VHDX captures rejected by independent readers and adds
independent VHD/VHDX decoding checks. Physical USB capture/restore tests now cover
DD, fixed VHD, dynamic VHD and VHDX on macOS.

Fixed

• Reserve an aligned, empty VHDX log region and record its offset and length in
  both checksummed headers. Previously, Rufus++ accepted its own capture while
  QEMU rejected the invalid log location. The fix is in the portable capture
  writer and ships in every platform package.
• Existing VHDX files are not rewritten by an upgrade. Recapture the source with
  0.2.1 to produce the corrected layout.

Added

• Assert VHDX log geometry in native regression tests and compare captured VHD
  and VHDX files byte-for-byte through QEMU's independent decoder when
  qemu-img is installed. Linux build/package CI now installs this dependency.
  VHD comparisons explicitly use the footer's declared disk size so older QEMU
  versions do not substitute rounded legacy CHS geometry.
• Add a manual, identity-pinned physical USB capture/restore runner with
  deterministic dummy files, independent raw FAT32 checks, resumable evidence
  and temporary host-mount suppression. Its automated safety checks use mocks
  and private files; normal tests never write a physical device.

Validation and known limits

• All 27 local macOS arm64 CTest entries pass, including the independent decoder
  regression and 38 physical-runner safety cases. The decoder regression failed
  with the old writer and passed with the fix.
• DD, fixed VHD, dynamic VHD and corrected VHDX captures passed production
  restore/verification, independent comparison of all 15,472,047,104 physical
  bytes, and all 82 fixture files plus nine directories on the tested Kingston.
• Some completed writes were followed by macOS losing the disk interface.
  Protected reconnects and read-only continuations completed the independent
  checks without repeating those writes. The cause remains unresolved; these
  results establish data integrity after recovery, not uninterrupted operation.
• This remains a field-testing preview. Other physical host backends, devices,
  actual PC firmware, Secure Boot and a complete Windows installation remain
  separate qualifications. macOS packages retain unsigned-root development mode.

See the write-test record
for the procedure, retained failures and coverage limits.

Packages built and tested from commit ba4b848.

The macOS DMGs are explicitly unsigned-root development builds for controlled field testing. They run in restricted mode normally and enable physical-device operations only when their bundle executable is launched with sudo. They are not signed or notarized distribution builds.

Rufus++ v0.2.0

Rufus++ 0.2.0 adds bundled NTFS creation for Windows USBs on macOS/Linux,
Windows legacy BIOS and dual-mode boot support, and faster quick writes that
skip unallocated space. It also fixes persistence consistency and improves
write safety, progress reporting and preflight estimates.

Added

• Bundle the direct NTFS library and private formatter for standard Windows ISO
  staging on macOS/Linux. No macFUSE, filesystem mount or host ntfs-3g installation
  is required for that route; original large installation files remain intact.
• Create supported Windows NTFS media as MBR + BIOS or MBR + BIOS/UEFI, including
  primary and backup BOOTMGR boot code. GPT remains UEFI-only.
• Show the current write stage, percentage, bytes processed and elapsed time
  in a separate progress readout that stays visible on macOS.
• Add writer fault-injection, native file-I/O, direct NTFS and guarded manual
  device-test tooling, with documented field-test procedures.

Fixed

• Quick FAT32 and macOS/Linux NTFS writes now copy formatter-authored initialized
  ranges, including required zero metadata and backup structures, while skipping
  free space. Full formats and ordinary DD writes retain dense semantics.
• Correct ext2 persistence allocation counters and add a UUID-pinned Casper
  shutdown hook so normal live-system shutdown finalizes the backing filesystem.
• Correct FAT32 root-parent directory entries and reserve/handle trailing
  partition metadata without overwriting persistence or GPT backup structures.
• Tighten device identity revalidation, short-I/O handling, partial-write failure
  reporting and completion reporting after flush/finalization.
• Share NTFS temporary-space estimates between preflight and the backend,
  account for both macOS/Linux staging files, and defer quick-write totals until
  preparation knows the allocated ranges. Receipts retain actual outcome counts.

Validation and scope

• The local macOS arm64 build passes all 25 CTest entries, including NTFS files
  larger than 4 GiB and preflight/receipt regression checks.
• Physical Kingston USB tests covered Ubuntu DD readback, MBR/GPT persistence,
  reconnect retention and BIOS → UEFI → BIOS persistence.
• GUI-created Windows NTFS media reached Windows Setup through QEMU UEFI and
  BIOS using the same physical MBR dual-mode USB. Windows guest writes used
  local overlays and the physical backing remained read-only.
• This remains a field-testing preview. Actual PC firmware, Secure Boot, a full
  Windows installation and broad hardware qualification remain outstanding.
  Standalone NTFS formatting and Windows To Go retain separate dependencies.

See the write-test record
for reproduction steps and coverage limits.

Packages built and tested from commit 248de9f.

The macOS DMGs are explicitly unsigned-root development builds for controlled field testing. They run in restricted mode normally and enable physical-device operations only when their bundle executable is launched with sudo. They are not signed or notarized distribution builds.

Rufus++ v0.1.0-alpha.1

Automated Rufus++ 0.1.0-alpha.1 packages built and tested from commit bf13832.\n\nThis is an alpha release for controlled field testing. Back up important data and verify the selected target before writing.\n\nThe macOS DMGs are unsigned-root field-test builds. They run in restricted mode normally and enable physical-device operations only when their bundle executable is launched directly with sudo. They are not signed or notarized.