Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Easy2Boot VS MediCat USB

Compare Easy2Boot VS MediCat USB and see what are their differences

Easy2Boot logo Easy2Boot

Flexible and configurable USB drive multiboot solution which also supports UEFI booting including Secure Boot.

MediCat USB logo MediCat USB

A multiboot Linux USB and Win10PE_x64 for PC Repair.
  • Easy2Boot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28

Just add (or delete) .ISO, .VHD, .IMG, etc, and MBR or UEFI-boot. Secure UEFI boot also supported (does not use MOK Manager). Linux+persistence supported. Unattended install of Windows 7/8/10 + driver install + applications supported (SDI_CHOCO).

True Secure Boot using Partition image files which physically swap in a FAT32 partition image containing your Secure Boot payload - you then reboot to that new partition (so no blacklist/MOK Manager issues).

eBooks (PDF) available on E2B, grub4dos, Getting started with Ventoy, etc.

  • MediCat USB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-04

Easy2Boot

$ Details
free
Platforms
Windows Linux VirtualBox
Release Date
2018 March
Startup details
Country
United Kingdom
State
Oxfordshire
City
Oxford
Founder(s)
Steve Si
Employees
1 - 9

Easy2Boot features and specs

  • Secure Boot
    Supports UEFI Secure Boot (no MOK Manager needed)
  • Easy to Set-up and use
    Add or delete ISOs, IMG, VHD, IMA
  • Automate Windows installs, inc. drivers and apps
    Install XP from ISO

MediCat USB features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolkit
    MediCat USB offers a wide range of diagnostic and recovery tools, including virus scanners, partition managers, and hardware diagnostics that can help troubleshoot and resolve various computer issues.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly, making it accessible for people with varying levels of computer expertise. Users can simply boot from the USB to start using the tools without needing to install anything.
  • Portability
    Being a USB-based toolkit, MediCat is highly portable and can be carried easily to assist with troubleshooting on multiple machines without carrying bulky software disks or external drives.
  • Continual Updates
    The software frequently gets updates, ensuring that users have the latest tools and features to combat new types of malware and system issues.

Possible disadvantages of MediCat USB

  • Large File Size
    MediCat USB can be quite large in terms of file size, which might require a high-capacity USB drive and could be time-consuming to download for users with slower internet connections.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some tools in MediCat might not work perfectly on all hardware configurations, potentially leading to compatibility issues with certain systems.
  • Potential for Misuse
    Given its comprehensive nature, the toolkit could be misused for unethical purposes, such as unauthorized access to systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Although designed to be user-friendly, the wide array of tools and features might overwhelm beginners, causing a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with system diagnostics and repair.

Easy2Boot videos

Add Payload files

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Setting up an Easy2Boot v2 Legacy+Secure-boot UEFI multiboot drive
  • Tutorial - Install Windows XP from a USB Flash Drive with Easy2Boot
  • Tutorial - Make a UEFI\MBR Multiboot USB drive for Hirens, Windows Install & linux ISOs, etc. using Easy2Boot

MediCat USB videos

MediCat USB ToolKit - Showcase & installation guide

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Easy2Boot and MediCat USB)
Bootable USB
100 100%
0% 0
Utilities
38 38%
62% 62
Backup And Disaster Recovery
Boot Disk Utilities
45 45%
55% 55

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Easy2Boot and MediCat USB.

What makes your product unique?

Easy2Boot's answer

  1. Boots Linux ISOs by physically mapping ISO file to a partition. This is a more generic way of booting.
  2. Can Secure UEFI Boot 2024 computers by switching in a FAT32 image partition file of your Windows or Linux, etc. ISO. You then reboot from that partition. This means it supports Secure Boot without using shims, MOK Manager, certificates, etc.
  3. Contains three menu systems, grub4dos (legacy), agFM (based on grub2 grubfm - legacy and UEFI), Ventoy for Easy2Boot (branch of Ventoy).
  4. The USB drive can be converted to an official Ventoy drive (latest release of Ventoy can be used).
  5. Install XP with mass storage drivers automatically added from an XP ISO.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Easy2Boot's answer

It has a steep learning curve, so really for use by techies who need one USB drive which supports a range of payloads. Many types of payloads are supported - Win98, XP, floppy disk images, DOS images, partition images (useful for Secure Boot). Online chat help (free). Series of PDF eBooks available.

How would you describe your primary audience?

Easy2Boot's answer

Keen amateurs to professional techs. Over 2 million downloads.

What's the story behind your product?

Easy2Boot's answer

E2B started off as a grub4dos legacy-only boot menu system.

Support for XP ISO install with automatic mass storage driver was added (later also included in WinSetupFromUSB with permission)

Later a modified version of a1ive's grub2-based grubfm was added to support UEFI booting

Later Ventoy for Easy2Boot was added (branch of Ventoy for use on an E2B drive)

Later, support for converting the USB drive into an official Ventoy-only USB drive - this allows the latest version of Ventoy to be used, if required, instead of the slightly older 'Ventoy for Easy2Boot' compiled version.

Easy2Boot is regaining popularity as it supports true Secure Boot of multiple payloads from one USB drive.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Easy2Boot's answer

grub4dos, grub2, grubfm and Ventoy (all open source on github). Some VB6 apps to help in the preparation of the USB drive, etc, are written by the developer (not available on github). Once the USB drive is prepared, all software is open source or contains text readable source batch code.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Easy2Boot's answer

Repair shops, schools, Universities, amateur computer enthusiasts, companies.

User comments

Share your experience with using Easy2Boot and MediCat USB. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Easy2Boot and MediCat USB

Easy2Boot Reviews

14 Rufus alternatives for Linux, Mac, and windows
As per their website, Easy2Boot or E2B has had over a million downloads. It supports three menu systems for an easy bootable process

MediCat USB Reviews

Windows 11 Recovery USB Software - Create Recovery USB in Easy Way
MediCat USB supports both legacy and UEFI BIOS, so even if you have installed Windows 11 on an unsupported device, you can use MediCat USB on your computer. The PE includes Dot Net Framework upto version 6.0, Visual C++ Redistributables, it also includes Jyro's toolbox which contains all the tools you need to get started for solving Windows 11 related issues.
Source: www.uubyte.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Easy2Boot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. 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.

Easy2Boot mentions (4)

  • easy2boot freezes
    Recommended XP ISOs are listed on the 'Tested Payloads' page of easy2boot.xyz site. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Anyone of you dealt with corrupted NVME?
    Last time I built a multi tool using YUMI but it was for legacy BIOS, not UEFI (clearly been a few years). https://easy2boot.xyz/ seems to be what I'm seeing reccomended for creating UEFI multiboot USBs these days, but I don't have personal experience with it and I would save that project for another day. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Including AHCI Drivers on ISO?
    If you want to use your own iso and ntlite doesn't work for you, try easy2boot (https://easy2boot.xyz/). It basically patches the iso on-the-fly with its own AHCI drivers (for x86 only) and ramdisk driver (which stores the iso file in ram so installation process is very fast). The AHCI driver is not up to date (compared to those on win-raid) but at least it works on my z97 motherboard so it should work for you. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Another Windows 11 experience post. Tweaking for a more Deck-like experience!
    There's also Easy2Boot, which is pretty flexible and includes Ventoy. Source: over 2 years ago

MediCat USB mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MediCat USB yet. Tracking of MediCat USB recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Easy2Boot and MediCat USB, 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.

Hirens BootCD - Hirens BootCD is a powerful, all-in-one boot disk utility that will help you resolve and make reformatting your computer easily.

YUMI - YUMI (Your USB Multiboot Installer), is a tool that allows you to boot multiple ISO files from one USB drive.

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

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

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