It is quite normal that when you want to format the PC or need to install the operating system from scratch, you mount an ISO image on a USB flash drive to boot the PC from it and start the installation process. ‘facility. However, when you want to install a different operating system, you have to repeat the process or use another USB drive, but what if we tell you that you may have one usb key With many Operating systems and choose the one you want to install each time? In this article, we teach you how to do it.
Windows 10, Windows 11, a few Linux distros…all will fit on the same USB flash drive as long as you have free space on it to be able to copy the ISO inside. The process is really very simple, and the key is just to use the tool we’ll talk about below to create a kind of boot menu from which to select the ISO image to boot each time.
With this we want to tell you that, first, we will have to prepare the USB stick or USB hard disk with the operating systems that you want to have, which will take a little time, but it will save you from having to having to do the same process over and over again, each time you want to change the operating system you want to install, which in the end will save you a lot of time.
A USB stick with all operating systems is possible
The first step is to collect the ISO files of the operating systems that you want to have at your disposal. It’s quite simple: in the case of Linux distributions, many are available on their official web pages (for example, Ubuntu, which is one of the most popular), and in the case of Windows, Microsoft also provides the Windows 11 ISO for free on its website; for Windows 10 it’s a bit trickier if you don’t already have the ISO, but you can also get it with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool.
To create a USB key with this group of operating systems, we are going to need a tool called Ventoy, which you can download for free (as you can see by clicking the link, it’s available for multiple operating systems, so download the one you use to create the bootable USB). You will download a ZIP file which you will then need to decompress in a directory of your computer of your choice.
The next step is to insert the USB drive you want to use to load the operating systems into the PC and then run the file Ventoy2Disk.exe
By doing so, a warning will appear stating that the data previously on the USB drive will be erased (keep this in mind). Click Yes and the bootable drive creation process will begin. Once done, the USB key will be called “Ventoy”, and you will only have to copy the ISO files to the root inside.
Once you have done this step, everything is ready and when you start the PC with the USB stick inserted (make sure in the BIOS that you have selected boot from USB), the Ventoy menu appears where you can select the operating system you want to boot from the PC to start the installation.
Simple, right? Remember: you just need to download Ventoy and prepare a USB drive with it, then copy the operating systems ISOs to the USB drive and that’s it, you can use it.
