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Creating a Versatile Bootable USB with Ventoy on Linux

Creating a Versatile Bootable USB with Ventoy on Linux

Creating a multipurpose USB flash drive using Ventoy on Linux is a valuable skill. It allows you to boot multiple operating systems, diagnostics tools, and utilities from a single USB drive. Ventoy simplifies this process by letting you directly copy ISO files to the USB, without the need for repeated formatting or complex setups. This guide will walk you through the steps to create a Ventoy-enabled USB drive on a Linux system.

What is Ventoy?

Ventoy is an open-source tool that makes USB booting easy and flexible. Unlike traditional bootable USB creation tools, Ventoy does not require you to repeatedly format the USB drive. Instead, you install Ventoy on the USB once, and then you can add, remove, or replace ISO files as needed. This tool supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, BSD, and other utilities, making it ideal for both system administrators and casual users.

Step 1: Preparing the USB Drive

Before starting, ensure you have a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage. All data on the USB drive will be erased during the installation of Ventoy, so back up any important files.

  1. Insert the USB drive: Connect the USB drive to your Linux system.
  2. Identify the USB drive: Open a terminal and use the lsblk command to identify the USB device name. It typically appears as /dev/sdX, where X is a letter.
lsblk

Look for the device corresponding to your USB drive, such as /dev/sdb.

Step 2: Downloading Ventoy

Ventoy is available as a precompiled binary package, which you can download from its official website or GitHub repository.

  1. Visit the Ventoy GitHub page: Open your web browser and go to Ventoy’s GitHub releases page.
  2. Download the Linux package: Look for the latest version and download the .tar.gz package suitable for Linux.
wget https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/download/v1.0.100/ventoy-1.0.100-linux.tar.gz

Installing Ventoy on the USB Drive

Once you have downloaded the Ventoy package, the next step is to extract it and install Ventoy onto your USB drive.

  1. Extract the package: Use the tar command to extract the downloaded archive.

What Happens Next:

  • Download the File: Once you run this command, wget will start downloading the ventoy-1.0.99-linux.tar.gz file from the specified URL to your current directory.

Next Steps After Download:

  1. Extract the Archive:
tar -xvf ventoy-1.0.99-linux.tar.gz

This will extract the contents of the .tar.gz file into a directory named ventoy-1.0.99.

2. Navigate to the Directory:

cd ventoy-1.0.99

3. Install Ventoy on Your USB Drive:

sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/sdX

  1. Replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of your USB drive.

This process will prepare your USB drive to be a multipurpose bootable media using Ventoy.

Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device name.

  1. Confirm the update: When prompted, confirm the update by typing y.

Ventoy will update to the latest version while preserving your existing ISO files.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Check Compatibility: Ventoy supports most modern ISO files, but some older or niche operating systems may require additional configuration.
  • Backup Important ISOs: While Ventoy is reliable, it’s always a good idea to keep backups of important ISO files.
  • Use Persistent Storage: For Linux distributions that support it, you can create a persistent storage file to save changes across reboots.
  • Explore Plugins: Ventoy supports various plugins to enhance functionality, such as auto-install scripts and secure boot support.

Conclusion

Creating a multipurpose USB flash drive using Ventoy in Linux is a practical way to manage and boot multiple operating systems and tools. With just a few commands, you can transform a regular USB drive into a powerful, flexible tool that supports a wide range of ISOs. Whether you’re a system administrator or a tech enthusiast, Ventoy simplifies the process, making it easier than ever to manage multiple bootable environments. Keep your Ventoy drive updated and organized, and you’ll have a versatile tool ready for any situation.

Fedya Serafiev

Fedya Serafiev

Fedya Serafiev owns the website linuxcodelab.eu. He finds satisfaction in helping people solve even the most complex technical problems. His current goal is to write easy-to-follow articles so that such problems do not arise at all.

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