How to create 3 USB partitions?

So, I've got this 16GB USB drive and I was thinking it might be cool to split it up into three separate partitions so I can have different installers sitting on each one.

Like, one part for Windows 7

another one for Windows 8.1

and then a third one for Linux Mint

The dream is that when I boot from the drive, it just asks me which OS I want to install so I don't have to waste my life constantly reflashing a single USB drive every time I want to try out a different operating system...

I mean, if that's even actually doable? Something tells me it’s probably a pipe dream because Windows usually only wants to see one primary partition, but hey, if anyone here actually knows how to pull this off, I'd really appreciate the help.

Just give Yumi a shot if you need multiboot: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-mu...t-usb-creator/

wiredcyclist82 said:You should honestly just give Yumi a shot if you're looking to set up a multiboot drive; it’s worth checking out. So, I was just scrolling through this page about using Yumi to make a bootable USB drive, and honestly, if you haven't messed around with this stuff yet, you're basically living in the dark ages. It’s one of those tools that just makes life easier when you're trying to get different operating systems running from a thumb drive without losing your mind. You know how it goes—you spend three hours fighting with BIOS settings only to realize you set it up wrong, and then you're just sitting there staring at a black screen wondering where it all went sideways. Anyway, the link is right here for anyone who actually wants to be productive instead of just staring at their monitor: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

Alright, I'll get on that once I finally clock out of work. Thanks. 😉

EDIT: Yumi just doesn't get how to handle dual Windows installs. So, I went ahead and built a multiboot drive using WinSetupFromUSB instead. Loaded up Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Mint, and Ubuntu—everything boots just fine. On both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, I hit the part where it asks you to pick an installation partition. I don't have a spare rig handy to test the full install process, but honestly, this looks like my only shot right now.
LP

wiredcyclist82 said:EDIT: So, Yumi doesn't really get how dual Windows installs work. I ended up just making a multiboot drive using WinSetupFromUSB instead. I threw Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Mint, and Ubuntu on there, and man, they all actually booted up fine. For the Windows 7 and 8.1 ones, I got as far as the part where it asks you to pick an installation partition. I don't have a spare rig lying around right now to test if the whole install process actually finishes smoothly, but honestly, this feels like my best bet for now.
LP

If Yumi isn't catching on, then this looks like a total no-brainer—you just toss more stuff on there, click build, and boom, you're done. Easy peasy! I'll definitely give it a shot myself soon.🙏

So, I finally wrestled with WinSetupFromUSB and man, it works like a charm... you basically just build your own little custom menu and pick whatever you feel like booting up 🙂
The site actually lays out the instructions pretty clearly, basically you start by throwing Windows 7 and Linux on there first with the format option checked
then down the road, you can just toss in whatever else you want as long as you make sure to uncheck that format box...
It really just comes down to how much breathing room you've got left on the stick if you want to cram in even more OS installers later on.

Big thanks to wiredcyclist82

No way 👍
I already loaded up the drive with Windows XP, seven, eight, ten, Mint, Ubuntu, and four different versions of Microsoft Office. 🙂

wiredcyclist82 said:EDIT: Yumi just doesn't get how to handle two separate Windows installations. So, I went ahead and built a multiboot drive using WinSetupFromUSB. I threw Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Mint, and Ubuntu on there, and everything booted up fine at the start. I managed to get through the initial stages on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 until it hits that part where it asks you to pick an installation partition. I don't have a spare machine lying around right now to run through the entire setup process from start to finish, but honestly, this feels like the only way to make it work for now.
LP

Lawrence Barnes64 said:I sorted it out with WinSetupFromUSB and it works flawlessly... you basically build your own little custom menu and just pick what you want to run. 🙂
The site actually provides instructions—first, you load up Windows 7 and Linux using the format option,
then later on, you can just toss in whatever else you want by simply unchecking that format box...
Of course, it all comes down to how much room you have left on the stick if you want to keep adding more OS installers.

Thanks, @Tarantula67

I used YUMI for my own USB too, and man, it is incredibly annoying that you can't just pack in two different versions of Windows 7 or anything newer. The only workaround I found was using the all-in-on version where they bundle the 32-bit and 64-bit versions into a single ISO, though I still need to put that through its paces to be sure. 🤣 Another thing that bugs me—and the reason I'm quoting this—is that when YUMI handles a Windows 7 install, it dumps a bunch of files right into the USB root directory, like "setup.exe" and stuff. I really hate that, especially if I ever end up lending the drive to someone else. 😁 How does WinSetupFromUSB handle the file structure? Does it do the same thing, or is it a bit more efficient about keeping those installation files tucked away from the regular storage area? And is the workflow the same—can you use it as a standard flash drive without having to mess around with manual partitions? 😁

Rufus organizes everything perfectly into folders and even builds you a start menu. From what I can tell, nothing gets dumped into the root directory. You can still use the stick like any other drive—toss some programs on there like Office or whatever else you need. Pro tip: just make your own dedicated folder and stash everything in there.
Doesn't look like there's a remove option, unfortunately...🤦