EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface), used to boot most modern PCs before an operating system loader is called.Īny collection of image files may be accessed using Ventoy.VHD(x), or Hyper-V virtual machine image files, which can serve as bootable images on Windows PCs.IMG, another standard file format for capturing a disk image, typically associated with certain Linux distributions as well as macOS.WIM, short for Windows Imaging Format, a file-based disk image format that Microsoft developed to deploy Windows Vista and subsequent versions of Windows (7, 8, 8.1, 10, and so forth).

Microsoft distributes Windows 10 releases in the form of ISO files. ISO files are used to capture images of operating systems and other complex software environments that may include tens to hundreds of thousands of individual files.

ISO, a type of archive or portmanteau file that contains an image of data found in a disk structure, originally optical media like CD or DVD.

It describes itself as a means to create a bootable USB drive that can boot to any of a number of file types, including: Ventoy is an open-source project found on GitHub. The third introduces a carefully curated collection of ISO files, with brief explanations of what they can do, what they contain, and where to find and download them. The second part explains that improved performance may justify the cost of an NVMe SSD and a compatible USB drive enclosure. The first part of this story introduces and explains Ventoy. My technique relies on a special foundational tool called Ventoy, along with a collection of ISO files from which Ventoy will boot a Windows PC. This kind of setup works splendidly with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11 installations. Interested in building your own? You just need a modestly sized (256GB or 512GB) USB drive and the right software. I keep all these tools on a single USB drive that I like to call the ultimate bootable Windows repair drive. These could be related to hardware problems, Windows updates gone bad, device or driver issues, and a whole lot more. They help me restart, troubleshoot, and - if necessary - repair Windows installations that are having difficulties.

I’ve learned to keep a collection of useful Windows tools and repair environments around.

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