USB Pen Drive Multiple OS Install?

[Winwondon]

Hi,

Is it possible using a large USB pen drive to create a bootable pen stick to allow the install of various Windows install ISO files?

e.g Windows xp, Windows 7, Windows 8?

I have some custom ISOs so I'm looking to be able to also be able to do this without the need for the ISO files to need to conform to the ones MS provide.

Thank you!

 

[Mellon Head]

I don't think so, no. The reason is that when you boot from the pen drive, the computer goes directly into the ISO files of whatever version of ISO you have loaded on the drive. Also, I believe that the ISO is unpacked on the drive by the installation tool used to prep it.

In short, making a second copy of Windows on the drive will overwrite the first one, and I know of no way to select between versions of Windows from a bootable pen drive, even if it would work.

Smarter members may have a solution, but I can't think of one.

 

[Winwondon]

Hi,

Reason I asked is because I've seen around the net that partitioning a USB stick is possible. Now if this is effective under a non windows environment I'm not sure.
XBOOT does something like this but it requires windows ISOs that are from MS. And ones I tried failed to work.
Also there was various issues with the software to do with Grub4Dos.

So I'm looking for a more universal way to do it that I'm hoping that others are already using.

 

[Anshad Edavana]

Hi

One single stick to install multiple Windows editions is harder to create - but not impossible. There is actually a project called "Easy2Boot" which is specially designed for this particular purpose.

Easy2Boot


One positive thing about is that it is still actively being developed and known to be working on most systems.

 

[Callender]

Okay so perhaps read this information on how to do it. You have to use the ei.cfg removal utility.

How To Make Windows 7 Universal AIO -

I'm pretty sure that there's a tutiorial or post here on seven forums on it. I'll try to find it.

Edit: How about this?

http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...g-2-os-thumb-drive-post506519.html#post506519

EDIT: Forget that. You said multiple versions of Windows (not multiple versions of Windows 7)