Installing multiple operating systems on a USB storage device

USB sticks with 64GB and even 128GB capacity have become very affordable. Their large storage capacity makes it possible to simultaneously use multiple operating systems that sit on a single stick. It doesn't matter whether you need several specialized live systems for administration on the Internet or whether you want to access the Internet anonymously. With the help of MultiSystem, the desired operating systems are automatically loaded on a USB stick together with a bootloader that also gets correctly configured without the need for any further effort on your part.

Preparations

MultiSystem software is distributed under the GPLv3 and has undergone continuous development for some years. It is available as an ISO image based on Ubuntu [1] for downloading from SourceForge. There are also a variety of versions to choose from. In addition to a number of older versions, there are two 1.3GB ISO images for 32-bit and 64-bit systems. These are based on Ubuntu LTS 16.04 (Xenial Xerus). The source code is available on the project page – which, be warned, is entirely in French [2]. You can also find the software in some of the repositories for Debian and Ubuntu plus their derivatives. You can integrate these software archives in your system and then install the program (see the Adding MultiSystem Repositories box).

Since some dependencies exist but relevant directions are partly only in French, it is a good idea to use the ISO image that comes with a completely preconfigured environment. You will have to burn this to an optical data storage device (i.e., a DVD). The ISO image is not constructed as a hybrid. Therefore, it is not possible to use the software on a USB memory stick.

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