Penguin 31-in-1 Multi-Boot USB Toolkit for PC | 128GB USB 3.0 set with Linux, Windows recovery, installers, password reset, cybersecurity and repair tools

This is a wonderful collection of recent Linux operating system distributions ("distros" as they are called) that can be previewed "live" before deciding which one you'd like to permanently install on your computer. In addition, antivirus, data recovery, data cloning and destruction, password resetting and utility programs for diagnosis of operating system health or dealing with problems are included. If you choose, you can even use the programs "live" all the time if you don't want to be bothered having a permanent operating system at all. Speaking of which, there is a program on here called Fossa Pup that runs entirely on the memory of your laptop or desktop and then disappears once you have shut down. The beauty of this is that you can use it even if you have no hard drive at all or need to run a program to find out what's wrong with your existing operating system. Another one, Tails, will allow you to surf or operate 100% anonymously, however it is slower to get going and may keep you from accessing certain websites or activities. Other programs included focus on education, engineering, gaming, privacy and security as well as a whole range of programs for everyone from beginners to very advanced users if you aren't Linux savvy or just want a simpler operating system. The only issue I have with this collection is that it comes without instructions on how to initially boot from the USB drive as merely inserting the USB drive will only show you a listing of what distros are on the drive but not how to access or run them. Once you get past this small issue, it is very easy to view or install the programs. I am thrilled to have this new collection of distros as I recently got a new computer, am not used to running Windows and would like to run more recent software. This drive a great value for the money. It will save you from having to manually download and check all these different distros and assure you don't get a corrupted or malfunctioning one. The little penguin it comes in is cute and large enough you won't lose it in the mess of papers on your desk. If you want to see what is out there I'd highly recommend getting this USB drive.

I have spent an absurd amount of time trying to figure out how to review this product... but at this point I just have to post what I know: At the end of the day, this is a terrible idea and I can't recommend it. So here's the thing: a 128 gb USB flash drive on Amazon runs for less than $35. The "special sauce" in this drive is either that it looks like a cute penguin, or that someone has pre-loaded a number of bootable ISOs. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a cute penguin wrapper is not the primary marketing point of this drive. However, the primary marketing point - a bootable linux thumb drive pre-loaded with a bunch of linux distros - is a **TERRIBLE** idea. I don't have any concrete evidence that this drive is malicious. I haven't had time to personally check all 31 of the ISO files, but the few that I checked did match the golden hash on their distro's website. However, I wasn't able to check all of them - some of them weren't even established Linux distros. So here's the thing - booting from an untrusted device is *incredibly* dangerous from a cybersecurity perspective. Making a USB Boot drive is trivial - it's easy to download the distro you're interested in and it's trivial to find step-by-step instructions on making boot USBs. Trusting some random third-party to make this for you leaves you open to a wide range of attacks, including advanced UEFI bootloader attacks. In short, this device works, it's plenty fast, and it's compatible with every AMD64 processor... but using it as more than just a cute penguin-shaped 128gb thumb drive is a REALLY bad idea. Fortunately, value-wise $40 isn't insane for a 128gb thumb drive... but on Amazon, you can get 5 for $70. Since it would be incredibly risky to do anything other than reformat this as soon as you receive it, there are probably better options for a 128gb thumb drive. Who knows - TECH STORE ON may be a totally reputable company... but are you really willing to risk it if they're not?

This little thing is pretty impressive. I’m new to Linux, and this gives me a lot to explore in one place without having to hunt all over the internet for tools, distros, and installers. Honestly, I don’t even know what half of what’s on here does yet, so I’ll be leaning on ChatGPT to help me figure things out. That said, I really like having an all-in-one drive where I can boot into different Linux distros or experiment with preloaded toolkits without extra setup. I’m not sure how useful this would be for someone who’s already very comfortable with Linux. There are also some Windows-specific tools included that I can’t really speak to. I grew up in a household that used Apple computers going all the way back to the PowerPC days, so Windows tools aren’t something I’m familiar with. I picked up an old Dell laptop on Marketplace specifically to experiment with Linux, and so far every distro I’ve tried has booted and worked properly—some just take longer than others to load. The USB drive having both USB-A and USB-C connections is also a nice touch. The carrying case itself is cheap plastic, but it’s clear some thought went into it. There’s a foam cutout shaped specifically for the penguin-themed USB drive, and a small magnet in the door to keep it closed. On its own, the case would be nothing special, but the effort to make it functional and tailored to the product turns what would normally be disposable packaging into something worth keeping. At the time of this review, the drive costs about $35. Is it worth paying for software that’s technically free online? In my opinion, yes—especially if you’re new to Linux. The convenience and time savings alone make it worth it.

I bought this mostly out of curiosity, and partly because I like having recovery tools around “just in case.” Booted it on a spare laptop first, and it did load up without much fuss. There’s a lot on here. Almost too much. Some tools I recognize immediately, others I had to Google to remind myself why I’d ever need them. A couple boot slower than I expected, but nothing outright failed. The drive itself feels fine, nothing cheap about it. I do like that it’s customizable, because I’ll probably trim it down to what I actually use. It’s useful if you already know your way around this stuff. If not, it might feel overwhelming more than helpful.

DO NOT BUY THIS OR ANYTHING SIMILAR. Inserting a USB with unknown executables into your computer is one of the easiest ways to introduce malware like Trojans, viruses, keyloggers, and ransomware; your financial data and passwords can be stolen; you can lose your machine to a virus which deliberately destroys the hardware itself (e.g. melting via overheating.) It's not safe to buy a preloaded USB except from a company which is already a household name, which has a reputation to lose and a U.S.-based distributor to sue if your entire retirement fund disappears. This thing has full OSes on it and you must deliberately given access to your computer at the lowest level, so there is zero defense from any modifications it chooses makes to your system. It specifies preloaded "drivers" and "antivirus software" without a list of packages / versions--it would take serious effort to think of a less-reassuring description, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Even if the software packages were listed and well-described, there's zero guarantee that nobody has changed a file name or line of code. It's just a generically terrible idea to use an item like this. You're basically giving the seller access to every piece of data on your computer. Hilariously, the people who might appreciate this purchase are the security fanbois--good chance an Amazon listing isn't monitored like the Tails downloads. But those people already know how to use this on a throwaway airgapped potato, or fire up Tor like a sane person. (They also might find it hilarious that someone threw Garuda on here. How long do you think it'll take to update?) Seriously, there are people on the FBI's Most Wanted list who are less sketchy than a USB preloaded with "drivers." DO NOT BUY A PRELOADED USB (except from a company you could retire from suing.)