I want to start carrying around a USB drive filled with all the tools I may need. Before, I carried a couple of USB drives — one for imaging and one for storage/tools. Having everything on one drive would be a lifesaver. I could see myself using a GParted ISO to resize partitions or opening notes with portable apps. I’m going to use Windows for this one, but you can follow along on Linux if you know your way around.

Ventoy creates multiboot USBs by copying ISOs directly and auto-generating a boot menu. PortableApps runs apps from a USB without installation, with a menu for easy organization on any PC.

Wiping the USB Drive

If you’re using a clean or new USB drive you can skip this step. For a used drive with existing partitions, open Terminal as admin (WIN + X, then A) and run:

diskpart
list disk
select disk 3   # replace 3 with your drive number — double check before continuing
clean

Common issues if clean fails:

• No admin privileges — DiskPart requires elevated access
• Drive in use — close File Explorer and any open files on the drive
• Write protection — the USB may be set to read-only
• Corrupted drive — antivirus or faulty hardware can interfere

Downloads

• Ventoy
• PortableApps

Building the USB Drive

Run the Ventoy installer:

1. Open Ventoy — select your drive from the dropdown
2. Click Options → Partition Style → choose GPT
3. Options again → Partition Configuration → toggle Preserve some space at the end of the disk → enter the amount you want for tools → OK
4. Confirm the storage shown next to “Device” then click Install

Now convert the reserved space into a second partition using Disk Management (WIN + X, K):

1. Find your Ventoy disk, right-click the unallocated space → New Simple Volume
2. Use the remaining storage for size
3. Assign a drive letter
4. Format as exFAT, name it Tools → Finish

Now install PortableApps:

1. Run the PortableApps EXE
2. On “Install Type” select New Install
3. Select Portable – Install to a portable device
4. Choose the Tools partition you just created
5. Click Install

Wrap Up

Drop your ISOs into the Ventoy partition and boot into the menu to start imaging or access tools like GParted. PortableApps will launch on startup with its app store where you can find most tools you need. For anything else, Reddit or the PortableApps development forums are a good resource.

Last modified on 2025-07-28