How to Integrate an Existing Ventoy Disk into Grub

Integrating an Existing Ventoy Disk into Grub

If you are a tech enthusiast or someone who frequently deals with multiple operating systems, you may have come across Ventoy. Ventoy is an open-source tool that allows you to create a multiboot USB drive by simply copying ISO files to the disk. It is an excellent solution for easily booting into different operating systems without the hassle of creating multiple bootable USB drives.

However, if you already have a Ventoy disk and want to integrate it into the Grub bootloader, this guide will walk you through the process step by step.

Step 1: Install Grub

The first step is to ensure that Grub is installed on your system. Grub is a widely used bootloader on Linux systems, and it provides a convenient way to choose which operating system to boot into.

To install Grub, open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install grub2

Step 2: Mount the Ventoy Disk

Next, you need to mount the Ventoy disk to access its contents. Insert the Ventoy USB drive into your computer and run the following command:

sudo fdisk -l

This command will list all the partitions on your system. Identify the Ventoy disk from the list, which usually has the label ‘Ventoy’ or ‘Ventoy2Disk’.

Once you have identified the Ventoy disk, create a mount point by running the following command:

sudo mkdir /mnt/ventoy

Then, mount the Ventoy disk using the following command:

sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/ventoy

Replace ‘sdX1’ with the correct partition identifier of your Ventoy disk.

Step 3: Update Grub Configuration

Now that the Ventoy disk is mounted, you need to update the Grub configuration to include the Ventoy menu entries. Open the Grub configuration file in a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/grub.d/40_custom

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

menuentry 'Ventoy' {
set root='(hdX,X)'
chainloader +1
}

Replace ‘(hdX,X)’ with the correct disk and partition identifier of your Ventoy disk.

Step 4: Update Grub

After making the changes to the Grub configuration, save the file and exit the text editor. Then, update Grub by running the following command:

sudo update-grub

This command will scan your system for operating systems and generate a new Grub configuration file that includes the Ventoy menu entry.

Step 5: Reboot and Test

Once the update process is complete, you can reboot your system to test if the Ventoy integration was successful. During the boot process, you should see the Grub menu, which now includes a ‘Ventoy’ option.

Select the ‘Ventoy’ option using the arrow keys and press Enter. This will boot into the Ventoy disk, where you can choose and launch the desired operating system.

Conclusion

Integrating an existing Ventoy disk into Grub allows you to easily access and boot into different operating systems from a single bootloader. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can seamlessly integrate Ventoy into your Grub menu and enjoy the convenience of a multiboot USB drive.