Looking for recommendations for a versatile USB stick with Ventoy. I’m trying to create the “perfect, all-in-all” USB stick using Ventoy to store various ISOs and rescue tools. So far, I have the following ISOs:

  • Arch
  • OpenSuse TW
  • NixOS
  • Bazzite + AuroraDX
  • Win10 ISO
  • Clonezilla

I’m looking for suggestions on additional ISOs or tools that are compatible with Ventoy. What do you recommend adding to make my USB stick to make it more useful?

  • monsterpiece42@reddthat.com
    2·
    4 months ago

    I work in a PC repair shop and I run my tool stick on this way. By the way, you can just put a folder in your Ventoy and store non-iso files so you can have portable apps and so on.

    • Acronis (can clone to reduced size drives unlike clonezilla which can only clone to equal or bigger)
    • MemTest86 & MemTest86+ (+ is the FOSS one. Recommend both because sometimes one won’t work)
    • Don’t forget that you can put other stuff in a Ventoy, not just .isos. I have shitlods of utilities in a folder beside all the .isos.
    • Tons more but I just woke up for work. I will make this list much longer when I get there of I can remember to

    Edit: ADHD did ADHD things. Here’s some more stuff. A lot of it is Windows-centric because that’s what we specialize in. ISOs:

    • PC Unlocker (Windows password remover, paid)
    • Gandalf’s Windows Preboot (similar to Hirans, but modern. Paid.)

    Utilities:

    • CrystalDiskInfo (SMART checks and more on SSDs)
    • CrystalDiskMark (SSD benchmark)
    • FastCopy (Windows copy utility. Free)
    • HDTunePro (v5.00 specifically. After this, license binds to a single machine. HDD SMART checks, benchmark, secure erase, sector scans, and more.)
    • OCCT (CPU, GPU, Memory, PSU, and other checks and stress tests. Top-tier tool.)
    • F6 Drivers (drivers for NVMe detection on some laptops)
    • Spacesniffer (visual representation of disk utilization. Similar to WinDirStat, but looks nicer/runs quicker imo. Free.)
  • TDCN@feddit.dkEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    What’s on my USB stick you ask… A bunch of random shit I haven’t touched for 8 years so I have no idea what it is and it’s probably outdated, but I’d be damned if that usb stick is not In my keychain because “I might need it one day”

  • RockyC@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    Do yourself a favor and skip the USB drive - they are ridiculously slow compared to a compact external SSD. I found a cheap m.2 enclosure on Amazon and put an old SSD in it and the speed difference is breathtaking.

    My SSD has a bunch of Linux distros grouped into folders along with Windows 10 & 11, every macOS from 10.13 to present, along with Rescuezilla, Hiren’s and a few others I can’t remember at the moment.

    Rescuezilla was my #1 go-to during my days of distro hopping. Makes it super easy to try out a distro on bare metal instead of a VM.