====== General info about usb boot system ======

Generally, there are 2 types OS bootable from USB.
  * Linux
  * Window PE (pre-install environment)

Although other OS,like Mac OS X can boot from USB directly, but a Mac compatible system required.

===== common free linux usb boot tool =====


====== Multi-OS USB booting solution ======

  * Download 
    * new: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/xboot-multiboot-iso-usb-creator/
    * old: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/boot-multiple-iso-from-usb-multiboot-usb/
  * Multi-Boot USB app supports common linux distributions.
  * run the "MultiBootISOs.exe" to load each ISO into the USB
    * in USB, "splash.xpm.gz" is the splash; "menu.lst" is the text configure of Boot menu and look-up directory.

===== virtualbox method - portable virtual box app =====

  * read how-to: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/using-a-portable-virtualbox-to-run-linux-from-usb/

===== virtualbox method - boot usb OS into virtual box =====

  * find USB device NO.: run "diskmgmt.msc", normally from 0 to 9.
  * create vmdk file (virtual machine disk) that links to the USB device. (Windows as example)<code dos>REM  sudo / admin rights
REM physical drive 0-9 depends on your device NO. found, for this case, it is "PhysicalDrive1"
VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename \VM\myUSB.vmdk -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDrive1
</code>
  * launch VirtualBox with Admin rights to create a virtual machine that can use the VMDK file as a bridge to read USB device as internal device.

===== useful live linux iso =====

  * GPartition: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
  * OphCrack: http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/
  * Ghost4Linux: http://g4l.sourceforge.net/
  * CloneZilla: http://clonezilla.org/
====== Bootable USB drive system setup ======
  * [[http://shining-lucy.com/wiki/doku.php?id=appwiki:usbsys|Dual OS bootable USB drive]] (in Chinese)