Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ventoy VS Hirens BootCD

Compare Ventoy VS Hirens BootCD and see what are their differences

Ventoy logo Ventoy

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files.

Hirens BootCD logo Hirens BootCD

Hirens BootCD is a powerful, all-in-one boot disk utility that will help you resolve and make reformatting your computer easily.
  • Ventoy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • Hirens BootCD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16

Ventoy features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Ventoy allows users to create a bootable USB drive by simply copying ISO files to the drive, eliminating the need to reformat the drive or use complex tools.
  • Multi-boot Support
    Ventoy supports multiple ISO files on a single USB drive, allowing users to boot different operating systems or utilities without needing separate drives.
  • Wide OS Compatibility
    It supports a broad range of operating systems, including various Linux distributions, Windows variants, and even VMware and Citrix images.
  • Persistent Storage
    Ventoy supports persistent storage for some Linux distributions, allowing users to save settings and data across reboots.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Ventoy's code is publicly available for scrutiny, which can lead to better security and transparency.

Possible disadvantages of Ventoy

  • UEFI/Legacy BIOS Compatibility Issues
    Some users might encounter issues when trying to boot on systems using UEFI or legacy BIOS, though most modern systems support both.
  • Limited Support for Non-ISO Formats
    While Ventoy excels with ISO files, it has limited support for other file formats like DMG or IMG.
  • Update Frequency
    Regular updates may be required to maintain compatibility and security, which might be cumbersome for some users.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Although it supports a wide range of hardware, some USB drives or systems might experience compatibility issues, requiring users to troubleshoot or use alternative hardware.
  • Learning Curve
    While relatively easy to use, beginners might still face a learning curve, especially when dealing with multiple ISO files or persistent storage setups.

Hirens BootCD features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolset
    Hirens BootCD includes a wide range of diagnostic and repair utilities, providing solutions for system recovery, hardware diagnostics, data recovery, and more.
  • Free to Use
    Hirens BootCD is available for free, making it accessible to users who need a variety of tools without having to spend money on commercial alternatives.
  • Portable
    The bootable CD/USB format allows users to carry it around easily and use it on multiple machines without installation.
  • Regular Updates
    The toolset is updated regularly, ensuring that users have access to the latest utilities and security patches.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface of Hirens BootCD is designed to be intuitive, allowing even less experienced users to navigate and use the tools effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Hirens BootCD

  • Legal and Licensing Issues
    Some of the included tools might have licensing restrictions or may not be legally free for non-personal use, potentially leading to legal complications.
  • Not Compatible with All Systems
    While the tool is versatile, it may not work with every hardware setup, particularly newer systems or those with unique configurations.
  • Requires Technical Knowledge
    While the interface is user-friendly, some of the tools require a level of technical expertise to use effectively and safely.
  • Limited Support
    Being a free tool, user support options are limited compared to commercial software, which may present challenges if users encounter issues.
  • Potential for Data Loss
    Improper use of some tools can lead to data loss, making caution and proper knowledge essential when using the diagnostics and repair features.

Analysis of Ventoy

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Ventoy is considered a good tool for creating bootable USB drives.

Why this product is good

  • Ventoy allows you to create a bootable USB drive where you can simply copy and paste ISO files to the drive and boot from any of them as needed. It supports multiple ISO files at once, is open-source, and is easy to use. Ventoy does not require formatting the USB drive repeatedly when adding new ISO files, saving time and effort compared to traditional methods.

Recommended for

    Ventoy is recommended for users who frequently need to use or test multiple operating systems or utilities from a USB drive. It is useful for IT professionals, tech enthusiasts, and system administrators who need a flexible and efficient way to manage and boot from multiple ISO images without reformatting USB drives.

Analysis of Hirens BootCD

Overall verdict

  • Hiren's BootCD is generally regarded as a good and reliable toolkit for system recovery and maintenance. Its continual updates and wide range of utilities provide significant value, making it a trusted solution for technical support scenarios. However, users should ensure they download it from the official website to avoid malware-laden versions from unofficial sources.

Why this product is good

  • Hiren's BootCD is a popular tool among IT professionals and tech enthusiasts due to its extensive array of utilities designed for troubleshooting and repairing systems. It includes tools for partitioning, backup and recovery, password resetting, virus scanning, and various diagnostic tasks. The comprehensive nature of the software suite makes it a versatile asset for dealing with a wide range of computer issues. Additionally, the bootable environment allows users to work independently of the operating system, which is crucial for fixing systems that cannot boot normally.

Recommended for

  • IT professionals looking for a versatile toolkit for system maintenance and recovery.
  • Technical support specialists seeking reliable and comprehensive diagnostic tools.
  • Advanced users who want to manage and troubleshoot their computers independently.
  • Situations where an operating system cannot be booted and offline repairs are necessary.

Ventoy videos

Product Review - Ventoy 1.0.09 - Multi ISO USB Boot Tool

More videos:

  • Review - Multi-ISO Bootable USB drive - Ventoy quick look
  • Review - Ventoy Multi-iso Bootloader

Hirens BootCD videos

using hbcd to reset passwords

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ventoy and Hirens BootCD)
Bootable USB
66 66%
34% 34
Backup And Disaster Recovery
Utilities
56 56%
44% 44
Boot Disk Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Ventoy and Hirens BootCD

Ventoy Reviews

7 Best Rufus Alternatives To Create Bootable USB In 2022
So these were some of the best Rufus alternatives that you can try. Suppose you’re still confused about which one to use. In that case, we’d recommend ‘balenaEtcher’ and ‘Ventoy.’ For Linux users, ‘WoeUSB’ for Windows media creation, ‘Ventoy,’ ‘balenaEctcher,’ and ‘Popsicle’ will all do the job.
Source: fossbytes.com
Ventoy Alternatives
With over 700 supported OSes, Ventoy is a tool that will allow you to create a bootable USB flash drive for installing various operating systems. It’s compatible with most major platforms.
Source: updov.com
Windows 11 Recovery USB Software - Create Recovery USB in Easy Way
If you have ever used Ventoy, the super useful tool for creating multi-boot USB flash drives, you would have an idea of how powerful MediCat USB can be since it is powered by Ventoy. This is an active software package with regular maintenance, and a highly-customizable multiboot USB stick. It is an open-source tool which you can modify MediCat's ISO image files and menu as...
Source: www.uubyte.com
14 Rufus alternatives for Linux, Mac, and windows
Ventoy is available for both Windows and Linux. With Ventoy, it provides the option to copy the files over to the USB drive. This is much better than, say, formatting the disk each time you need a new operating system as bootable.
Rufus Alternatives – 8 Best USB Bootable Software For Linux
Ventoy is a newly launched open-source bootable USB tool with a unique installation method. All you have to do is install the Ventoy script on a USB drive. Next, whenever you place an ISO file on the USB drive, it becomes bootable. No extraction and no tedious steps. Do it once and forget it!
Source: techwiser.com

Hirens BootCD Reviews

Ventoy Alternatives
Hirens BootCD is a utility that will help you get rid of various problems that plague your computer, such as failed startup, unstable hardware, and various other issues. It will also help you get rid of programs that are causing problems.
Source: updov.com
Windows 11 Recovery USB Software - Create Recovery USB in Easy Way
The Gandalf's Windows 10 PE software has portable version of other useful utilities preloaded into it. However, since this runs from a USB flash drive, quite like Hiren's Boot CD PE this too can become very slow while using it. Overall, this tool is quite similar to Hiren's Boot CD, one prominent difference being this is a freemium product whereas Hiren's Boot CD PE is a...
Source: www.uubyte.com
Best Bootable USB Programs to Boot and to Repair the PC
With this program, we will have a backup tool, cleaners, antivirus, device driver tools, file system tools, MBR , registry, recovery, testing tools, among many others. Hiren’s BootCD PE is made up entirely of free tools and can be downloaded from here .
Source: itigic.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ventoy seems to be a lot more popular than Hirens BootCD. While we know about 170 links to Ventoy, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Hirens BootCD. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ventoy mentions (170)

  • Unetbootin not founding iso files
    I use ventoy http://ventoy.net to make my multi iso installer USB. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Distro that can run most windows games??
    Make a Ventoy USB, and use it to boot/test out whatever Distros are of interest to you, decide what you like. Http://ventoy.net. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Trying to boot in 23.04
    Redownload the ISo, verify its check sum, Try another USB, try another tool to make the USB. (i use ventoy http://ventoy.net). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Ubuntu installed on wrong drive. Now I can't start windows or even reset it
    Assuming you still have the Ubuntu live USB, and a spare USB, you can use the ubuntu live usb to make a windows installer USB using the tool ventoy 'http://ventoy.net'. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How do I install WoeUSB on Debian 12?
    And you can make windows installer media rather using the tool ventoy http://ventoy.net and ventoy is rather trivial to install/use. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Hirens BootCD mentions (2)

  • Ask HN: Do you still use DVD?
    I still put DVD and/or Blu-ray drives in all PCs I personally build for myself and my family. This is due to the fact that we transferred dozens of old captured 16 mm and 8 mm film reels, scanned photo prints, negatives and slides as well as Video8, Hi8, Digital8 and VHS videocassettes to M-DISC DVD and some to Blu-ray. While I uploaded most of this content to Flickr and Google Photos while they were offering... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • My computer reset my user profile name and password. Now I can’t login. What do I do?
    This is what I normally do when needing to change a user account password at work. Http://hirensbootcd.org/ and create a bootable USB drive with it, set it as the boot device in the bios and get and use the NTPasswordEdit tool that should be in a folder on the desktop. Should be able to select the user account on windows and change the password to what you would like. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ventoy and Hirens BootCD, you can also consider the following products

Rufus - Rufus is a piece of software that allows you to transform a portable drive, like a flash drive or other USB drives, into a bootable drive that can be used for a variety of purposes. Read more about Rufus.

MediCat USB - A multiboot Linux USB and Win10PE_x64 for PC Repair.

Balena Etcher - Flash OS images to SD cards & USB drives, safely and easily.

Ultimate Boot CD - The last Boot CD you'll ever need. You need the Ultimate Boot CD if you want to:

UNetbootin - UNetbootin is a utility for creating live bootable USB drives. The name of the software is short for Universal Netboot Installer, and its most prevalent use has been to create bootable versions of Linux distributions on a USB drive.

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE - A completely free bootable CD that contains a load of useful tools you can make use of in a variety...