How to Utilize Ventoy and Install Multiple Operating Systems on a USB Drive

Ventoy is a remarkable open-source tool designed for creating bootable USB drives for various file types, including ISO, WIM, IMG, VHD(x), and EFI files. Its main advantage is its ease of use, allowing multiple operating systems to be installed on a single USB drive. Here's a guide on how to make the most of Ventoy.

Getting Started with Ventoy

Firstly, download Ventoy from its official website. It can be installed on USB drives, as well as Local Disks, SSDs, NVMe, and SD Cards.

After installing Ventoy on your chosen device, you can simply copy the ISO, WIM, IMG, VHD(x), or EFI files onto the USB drive. There's no need for repetitive formatting or extraction of these files.

With the files on the USB, Ventoy offers a boot menu to select and directly boot these files. This feature supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, and more

Advanced Features of Ventoy

Ventoy supports a plethora of file types and operating systems, with over 1100 image files tested and 90%+ distributions supported.

It supports various boot modes, including x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI, and MIPS64EL UEFI. Secure Boot is also supported for IA32 and x86_64 UEFI systems.

Ventoy offers a Plugin Framework and GUI plugin configurator, allowing for a high level of customization. It includes features like menu alias, password protection, and a highly customizable theme and menu style.

Importantly, using Ventoy doesn't affect the normal use of the USB drive, and it supports data nondestructive practices during version upgrades. You don't need to update Ventoy when a new distro is released.

You can carry various operating system installations on a single USB, making it ideal for system recovery, testing, or installation purposes.

Ventoy also facilitates network booting and installation of operating systems (PXE) through its iVentoy project

It supports Linux persistence and both Windows and Linux auto installations, which can be highly beneficial for deploying systems in a streamlined manner.

To ensure a smooth and reliable experience with Ventoy, always eject it properly from your computer. On Windows, you can do this by right-clicking on the USB drive icon in the system tray and selecting 'Eject'. For macOS users, drag the Ventoy drive to the Trash, which turns into an Eject icon. On Linux, use the unmount command or the eject option in your file manager.