Creating a multitool USB drive

Hello, I want to start carrying around a USB drive with me, filled with all the tools I may need. Before, I carried a couple of USB drives for imaging and one for storage/tools. Buying one drive and using it for everything would be a lifesaver. I could see myself using a GParted ISO to resize partitions or opening my notes with portable apps. Anyway, I’m going to use Windows for this one, but you should be able to follow along if you know what you’re doing.

 If you’re not in the loop about Ventoy or PortableApps, here’s my brief explanation on them. Ventoy creates multiboot USBs by copying ISOs directly, auto-generating a boot menu for quick selection. PortableApps runs apps from USBs without installation, with a menu for easy organization and use on any PC.

Wiping the USB drive

Creating a USB drive for daily use: Tools like portable apps and booting ISOs through Ventoy. If you’re using a clean USB drive or a new one, you can skip this step. First, if you’re going to use a used USB drive with some partitions remaining, let’s remove them. I’m using the terminal on Windows 11, but on Linux, you can use GParted.

Using admin access, go into the terminal by pressing WIN + X then A key, to open Terminal in admin.

Now you should be in PowerShell as admin. Type the following:

• “diskpart” (this puts you in the DiskPart tool)

• “list disk” then select the disk you want to wipe using “select disk 3” (I’m using 3 here; view all your active disks). Warning: Make sure you double-check before continuing.

• “clean” (wipes everything from your drive) Troubleshooting: If you’re having issues, here are some common causes.
  • Lack of Administrator Privileges: Commands like DiskPart require elevated access.
  • Drive in Use: Open files, programs, or Windows Explorer might be locking the drive.
  • Write Protection: The USB could be set to read-only mode.
  • Permissions Issues: Ownership or security settings on the drive might restrict changes.
  • Corrupted Drive or System Errors: Faulty hardware or conflicting software (e.g., antivirus) can interfere.

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Downloads

One last thing before going ahead: Let’s download what we need.

• Ventoy: https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html
• PortableApps: https://portableapps.com/

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Building the USB drive

These should be EXEs. Let’s start with running Ventoy.

• Open Ventoy. You’ll get a drop-down with USB drives; select your drive.

• Click on Options.

• Partition Style then choose GPT

• Options again then go to Partition Configuration.

• Toggle “Preserve some space at the end of the disk.” Enter the storage amount you want for your tools, then click OK.

• Make sure you see the storage you selected earlier next to “Device.” Then click on Install.

We’re going to turn the free space we made into a second partition. I’m going to use Windows Disk Management.

• Open Disk Management by pressing WIN + X and then pressing the K key.

• Find the disk you installed Ventoy on, then right-click on the unallocated space. Click on New Simple Volume.

• Continue until you get to Specify Volume Size. I would use the rest of the storage unless you want to create another partition. Click Next.

• Assign the drive letter, then click Next.

• For Formatting Partition, you can select your own configuration, but I used the file system exFAT and named it “Tools.” Press Next until you’re finished.

• Your partitions should look like this.

Now let’s start with PortableApps.

• Open the PortableApps EXE, and click through.

• On the “Install Type” page, select New Install.

• Select “Portable – Install to a portable device,” then click Next.

• Select the partition you made earlier. I made “Tools” earlier, so I’m going to use that again.

• Click on Install, and it should be completed.

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Outro

Now you have a utility USB drive to tackle most things you might encounter. Drop your ISOs into the Ventoy drive and boot into it to start imaging or to access the GParted ISO. After installing PortableApps, it will launch, and there’s an app store to find most of the apps you might need. If you need more, I would search Reddit or the development forums on the PortableApps website.