Some older BIOS or USB controllers on legacy Windows 7 PCs can behave oddly with modern high-capacity USB sticks or UEFI/NTFS images. Try a different USB stick (preferably <=32 GB) or use another PC (preferably running Windows 10/11) to create the media.

The most critical finding in this review is the correlation between Windows 7 and USB 3.0+ drivers.

Rufus Access to Device Denied in Windows 7: A Systematic Analysis of USB Write-Prevention Mechanisms and Remediation Strategies