How to Use WinSetupFromUSB to Create a Multi-System Bootable USB Drive

In most cases, when reinstalling a system, users write a PE to a USB drive, find a Ghost system online, and perform a one-click installation. While convenient, this method carries significant risks. Modern PE tools like MaoTaoTao and DaBaiCai often bundle software and lock homepages, while third-party Ghost systems are pre-loaded with promotional software. A more recommended approach is to download the official original ISO image and install it using NT6 or similar methods. Recently, a powerful tool called WinSetupFromUSB has been discovered for creating multi-system boot installation tools.

This tool allows you to write multiple images to a USB drive, including Windows, Linux, PE, and more. As long as your USB drive has sufficient capacity, there are no issues. Using this tool to write official original system images to a USB drive ensures the system remains authentic and free from third-party software bundling. If you choose a Windows system, it is recommended to download the ISO from MSDN, I Tell You.

1. Software Download

You can download the latest version from the official website: www.winsetupfromusb.com/downloads, or download version 1.6 from Baidu Cloud: WinSetupFromUSB-1-6, then extract it to a directory and open the software.

2. Usage Instructions

Prepare a USB drive (Important: Backup any critical data first). The larger the capacity, the better, as the tool's advantage lies in writing and booting multiple systems. Open the software and follow the screenshot below to select the options as described.

• Red Circle 1: Check this box for the first-time use. It will automatically format the USB drive.
• Red Circle 2: Select the USB drive file system. If all image files are smaller than 4GB, FAT32 is recommended. If your images are larger than 4GB (e.g., Windows 10 X64 or CentOS DVD), NTFS is recommended.
• Red Circle 3: Select the path to the Windows system image (ISO format, recommended to download from MSDN, I Tell You).
• Red Circle 4: Select the Linux system image. Note: If using a PE system, select this option as well.
• Red Circle 5: Start formatting and writing the boot loader and image. Wait for the process to complete.

Many users ask: "Your screenshot only shows two systems. What if I want to write PE, Windows, Linux, and more?" Don't worry. After completing the first step, you can repeat the process. However, when writing the second image, uncheck Red Circle 1 (Auto format) to prevent the USB drive from being formatted again.

3. Removing Boot Entries

If you previously created a USB drive with four system boot entries and want to remove one or more, refer to the official FAQ: WinSetupFromUSB FAQ. Below is a simplified translation and summary:

For Windows Vista/7/8/10/Server 2008-2012

• Delete the corresponding system directory under /WINSETUP/.
• Use the tool BOOTICE to edit /boot/bcd and /efi/microsoft/boot/bcd to remove unwanted boot records.

For Linux/Other Grub4dos Compatible ISO

• Delete the corresponding files under /ISO/.
• Use a text editor to modify the menu.lst file in the root directory and remove the following code:

title My Linux Iso
map –unmap=0:0xff
…
…
root (0xff)
chainloader (0xff)

4. Demonstration

After completing the steps above, set the USB drive as the boot device in your computer's BIOS (search online for "BIOS set USB boot"). You will see the following boot menu options. Clicking the 0th option will display all your Windows system boot entries.