That makes network installation an appealing option for a home lab. It does not, however, make bootable USB drives obsolete. The useful distinction is centralized convenience versus standalone reliability—and getting the convenience requires a little care with DHCP, Secure Boot and Windows installer drivers.
What iVentoy changes
iVentoy and Ventoy come from the same author, but the official FAQ describes them as separate applications. Ventoy’s familiar territory is removable installation media; iVentoy is a PXE/HTTPBoot server that presents ISO images to network-booting computers. Its server runs on Windows or Linux, and the developer lists support for legacy BIOS and several UEFI architectures, subject to edition restrictions.
Tashreef Shareef’s MakeUseOf walkthrough highlights the attraction: maintain one ISO library instead of walking a USB drive between machines. The practical payoff is repeatability, rather than a guaranteed speed improvement. You prepare the server once, then use each compatible PC’s network-boot option to reach the installer menu. iVentoy explicitly supports serving multiple installation clients.
Think of it as moving your installer collection from a key ring to a shared shelf.
Set up the Windows server
Start with a Windows or Linux computer that will remain available throughout installation. This walkthrough focuses on a Windows host and clients on the same LAN.
The official getting-started guide documents these preparation steps:
- Download and extract the Windows package. Use a simple location such as
C:\iVentoy; the full path must contain neither spaces nor Unicode characters. - Add your installation images. Copy them into the
isosubdirectory. ISO filenames and their directories must also avoid spaces and Unicode characters. Subdirectories are supported. - Start the Windows executable. Open the dashboard at
[url]http://127.0.0.1:26000[/url]if the browser does not open automatically. - Select the server’s LAN IP address. Configure the DHCP arrangement described below, then use the green start button to start the PXE service.
You do not have to duplicate a large ISO collection. The same guide supports symbolic links to individual images, directories or an externally stored ISO folder. If the executable does nothing when launched, the official FAQ says to install the Visual C++ runtime for Visual Studio 2019.
DHCP: leave address allocation to the router
This is the configuration detail most likely to turn a straightforward project into an evening of troubleshooting.
For a home router already supplying IP addresses, with iVentoy running on a separate PC in the same LAN/VLAN, select ProxyNet under the dashboard’s Configuration page. In that mode, iVentoy supplies boot-server information but does not allocate client addresses. The existing DHCP server continues doing that job, without requiring additional boot-option configuration.
The official documentation distinguishes:
- ProxyNet: iVentoy and the DHCP service run on separate operating-system instances; it listens on UDP 67 and 4011.
- Proxy: both services run within the same operating-system instance; it listens on UDP 4011.
- External/ExternalNet: more deliberate arrangements requiring boot options on the existing DHCP server, with ExternalNet supporting separate LANs/VLANs.
For an isolated network without another DHCP server, iVentoy includes its own address-allocation service. Do not casually introduce another ordinary DHCP allocator alongside your router; the proxy configuration is what separates boot assistance from address assignment.
Check the firewall against the actual configuration
The official port list is broader than the short checklist in MakeUseOf’s walkthrough:
| Default port | Protocol | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 67/68 | UDP | DHCP |
| 4011 | UDP | DHCP proxy |
| 69 | UDP | TFTP |
| 26000 | TCP | Management interface |
| 16000 | TCP | PXE HTTP service |
| 10809 | TCP | NBD |
| 3260 | TCP | iSCSI |
| 12049 | TCP | NFS |
| 10445 | TCP | SMB |
The developer identifies the image-serving ports as configurable. Match firewall permissions to the services, DHCP mode and port values you actually use; do not assume that opening only TFTP and the dashboard is sufficient.
Boot the client—and keep Secure Boot in perspective
Connect the target PC by Ethernet, open its firmware settings or one-time boot menu, and enable network boot if necessary. Select the appropriate network entry—typically UEFI IPv4 on a modern PC—then choose an ISO from iVentoy’s menu. The expected result is the selected operating system’s installer starting over the network. iVentoy supports both legacy and UEFI clients.
Do not disable Secure Boot automatically. Official support began with iVentoy 1.0.40 and currently applies to x86-64 clients. Its documented modes have different requirements:
- Standard: supports Secure Boot without manual key enrollment, but cannot boot unsigned ISO boot loaders and omits some features.
- ByPass: requires enrolling the iVentoy key on the client’s first boot.
- Not Supported: requires Secure Boot to be disabled.
Some machines also need a UEFI CA firmware option enabled. Choose a compatible mode before treating a firmware security change as the default solution.
The blanket claim that USB-C Ethernet adapters cannot work is also too broad. The relevant purchasing and troubleshooting question is whether the particular PC’s firmware supports network boot through that particular adapter—not merely whether Windows recognizes it after startup.
When Windows Setup says a driver is missing
Reaching the boot menu does not guarantee that Windows Setup can continue accessing the installation image.
For standard Windows ISOs using the current iVentoy release, the developer documents a misleading missing-driver error that can actually mean the installer cannot access its network-hosted ISO. iVentoy mounts that image as drive Y: before launching Setup; a missing network driver or failed network configuration can prevent the mount.
The documented diagnostic procedure is:
- At the error, press Shift+F10.
- Run
ipconfig /all. - Check whether the expected network adapter appears, matching its MAC address against the iVentoy client record.
- If the adapter is absent, the ISO may need its NIC driver injected.
- If it is present, inspect the iVentoy log with:
type X:\Windows\System32\ventoy\vtoype.log
This guidance is specifically scoped to standard Windows installation ISOs, not arbitrary WinPE images. It is a useful reason to investigate network access before assuming a storage driver is the culprit.
Free does not mean unrestricted
The official edition comparison lists a 20-client maximum for the free edition and no service time limit. Crucially, commercial use is excluded. ARM64 server/client support, LoongArch64 clients and Matrix Boot are also reserved for Pro.
Pro is listed at $79, as a one-time payment covering the iVentoy 1.x lifecycle—not all future major versions. The licensing terms allow one license file to bind up to three machine codes, with no unbinding once a machine code is attached. That matters if you plan to move the server between machines.
Keep the USB drive—just use it less
For a collection of network-boot-capable PCs, iVentoy offers a sensible way to centralize installation media. Its documented ability to serve multiple clients makes the strongest case when reinstalling systems or repeatedly testing operating systems.
The practical recommendation is less dramatic than declaring USB pointless: test one client first, confirm DHCP and Secure Boot behavior, and make sure Windows Setup retains network access before expanding the setup.
Keep standalone installation media as a fallback. A network installer is wonderfully convenient when the network works; it is a less entertaining repair tool when the network itself is what needs repairing.