Creating multiboot-capable USB sticks

Conclusions

The three tools described in this article create multiboot capable USB volumes reliably and easily. The user interfaces are largely self-explanatory, and the operating strategies for creating the removable media very similar. Differences are only noticeable in the details. Not all candidates let you test the multiboot media or downloaded images, and the way they handle persistent storage areas is awkward in some places. If you're looking for a USB multiboot utility, it is a good idea to consider the options and think about which features you really need. Table 1 shows a summary of important features.

Table 1

Multiboot Systems for USB Flash Storage

 

MultiBootUSB

MultiSystem

Ventoy

License

GPLv2

GPLv3

GPLv3

Functions

Detect USB devices

yes

yes

yes

Delete images from USB devices

yes

yes

yes

Format USB devices

no

yes

no

Persistent storage support

yes

yes

yes

Adjust size of persistent storage

yes

yes

yes

Create simple bootable USB medium

yes

no

no

Edit Grub boot manager

yes

yes

yes

Automatic image download

no

yes

no

Test routines

Test multiboot-capable USB sticks

yes

yes

no

Test indivdiual images

yes

yes

no

Variants

Browser-based variant

no

no

yes

Live CD

no

no

yes

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