Rufus includes "cheat modes" to bypass specific locking issues:

Ensure you right-click the Rufus executable and select "Run as administrator" . Rufus requires low-level disk access that standard user accounts cannot provide.

The error in Rufus on Windows 7 typically occurs because another program or system service is locking the USB drive, or the user lacks the necessary administrative permissions to modify the drive's partition table. While Windows 7 is an older operating system, Rufus continues to be a popular tool for creating bootable media, provided you use a compatible version (Rufus 3.22 is the last to officially support Windows 7). Immediate Solutions for Rufus "Access Denied"