Easy2Boot vs Plop Boot Manager

Easy2Boot creates a multiboot USB drive for starting operating system installers, live systems and utilities. It runs on Linux and Windows, and the download includes three menu systems based on grub4dos, grubfm and Ventoy. Users add payloads by copying ISO, IMG and VHD files to the USB drive; listed payloads include Windows and Linux images, DOS programs and floppy images. For supported UEFI payloads, .imgPTN partition images can be used for Secure Boot. Easy2Boot can automate Windows installations with drivers, software, configuration, scripts and updates. Linux setup calls for an MBR partition layout and requires partition 4 to remain unused. The download guidance recommends a USB drive between 8GB and 2TB; larger drives may use 4K sectors or lack legacy boot support. Direct Secure UEFI32 booting to the agFM menu is not supported. The menu system uses open-source components and plain-text scripts, but the download also includes closed-source Windows utilities. Easy2Boot is free to use, but not for resale. Support options include a forum, live developer help, eBooks and online chat.

Plop Boot Manager is a free program for starting different operating systems from hard disk, floppy, CD/DVD, USB, or network. Its built-in USB driver can boot USB devices without BIOS USB boot support, and its IDE CD/DVD driver can start optical media without BIOS support. Installation can place it in the hard disk's first sectors before the first partition, avoiding the need for an extra partition. It can launch from LILO, Syslinux, GRUB, GRUB4DOS, GRUB2, Windows boot.ini, or Windows BCD; it can also start over a network with PXELINUX or be stored as a BIOS option ROM. Configuration includes operating system profiles, up to 16 partitions, partition hiding, a boot countdown, and text or graphical interfaces. Password protection covers the computer and its setup. The maker says it can access USB hard disks up to 2 TB even where BIOS has a 128 GiB limit. It is free for personal and commercial use, but may not be sold. The listed release is 5.0.15, dated 2013-04-15. When started from plpbt.bin rather than installed to the MBR, settings cannot be saved.