DriveForge is a versatile Windows tool designed to simplify complex disk management tasks such as creating bootable USB drives, cloning running PCs, backing up systems, recovering deleted files, securely erasing drives, and diagnosing drive health.
Key Features:
Create bootable USB drives for Windows or Linux from ISO, WIM, or ESD files.
Clone a running PC to an external drive or internal disk, preserving apps and settings.
Backup and restore systems using image files (.wim) with incremental updates.
Recover deleted files on NTFS, exFAT, and FAT filesystems, including deep-scan recovery.
Securely erase drives or wipe free space with a certificate of completion.
Diagnose drive health, perform SMART checks, and run file-system repairs.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for IT professionals, system administrators, and users needing to manage disk operations safely and efficiently. DriveForge streamlines complex tasks into an intuitive, single-file tool that saves time while minimizing errors.
Available as a self-contained executable with no ads or telemetry, it can be installed via winget.
README
DriveForge
Create Windows USB drives, clone this PC, back it up, and check drive health — free, portable, offline.
Free • Portable (no install) • No ads • No telemetry • Works offline
What it does
DriveForge is a single-file Windows tool that turns common, normally-complicated
disk jobs into a few clicks. Think of it as a bootable-USB maker + a PC-clone tool + an undeleter +
a drive doctor, in one portable exe — free, offline, in 17 languages.
Create a Windows USB from an ISO / WIM / ESD (BIOS + UEFI bootable).
Clone this PC → portable USB / external drive (Windows To Go style) — boots like your own PC, with your apps and settings.
Clone this PC → internal disk (a normal Windows install on another drive).
Back up this PC to an image file (.wim) — full or incremental restore points.
Restore a saved image back onto a drive.
Recover deleted files — undelete on NTFS / exFAT / FAT, plus a deep-scan "carving" mode that finds files even after the filesystem entry is gone.
Bootable USB from any ISO — write Linux or any disk-image ISO straight to a stick.
Multi-boot USB — put many ISOs on one stick and pick at boot (Ventoy).
Securely erase a drive, wipe free space, or clean usage traces — with a wipe certificate.
Partition tools — create, delete, resize, move, convert (MBR ↔ GPT), set active, find lost partitions.
Drive Diagnostic Center — health, SMART, speed test, file-system scan, repair, and a portable tool kit.
Extra options: BitLocker encryption with a saved recovery key, bypass Windows 11
requirements / Microsoft-account requirement for fresh installs, verify data
after writing, compact images, and scheduled automatic clones (an
unattended backup that runs when the drive is connected).
Download
Grab the latest DriveForge.exe from the Releases page — a single self-contained file, no install.
> Code signing: DriveForge has applied to the SignPath Foundation free code-signing program for open-source projects. Until a signed build is published, Windows SmartScreen may warn on first run — click . Builds are produced from source by GitHub Actions; verify the SHA-256 in , and verify the build provenance cryptographically with:
>
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No ads, no telemetry, no accounts. Nothing about you is collected or sent anywhere.
Works offline. Core features (create from a local ISO, clone, back up, recover, wipe, diagnose) need no internet — the clone engine (wimlib) is built in. Only optional actions like downloading an ISO or the Ventoy engine use the network.
Requirements
Windows 10 / 11 (x64).
Run as Administrator (creating/cloning drives needs it).
The app is self-contained — no .NET install required.
How to use
Choose a task (top-left dropdown).
Pick the source (an ISO for installs; "this PC" for clones/backups).
Pick the target drive — the colored verdict tells you if it's suitable. Your system disk is hidden so you can't pick it by mistake.
(Optional) tick options in step 4 — hover any option for an explanation.
Press the green button. When it finishes, boot the target PC and pick the drive from the boot menu (usually F12 / F9 / Esc / F2).
Note: antivirus during PC cloning
When you clone a running Windows install to another drive, the clone needs a one-time
first-boot repair of the built-in Store apps. Third-party antivirus installed inside the
clone would start during that offline first boot and block the repair. To let it finish,
DriveForge can temporarily disable third-party antivirus services in the clone's offline
registry (never on your running PC) and writes a Re-Enable-Antivirus.cmd into the clone
so you can turn protection back on — or reinstall it — afterward.
This only happens on the clone path when a first-boot repair is needed (a faithful clone
skips it), it is reversible, and Windows Defender is left untouched.
License
DriveForge is free and open source software, licensed under the GNU General
Public License v3.0 (GPLv3) — see LICENSE.txt. You may use, study,
modify, and redistribute it under the terms of the GPLv3. Copyright (C) 2026 ForgeLabsSoft.
Bundled clone engine wimlib 1.14.4: LGPL-3.0 (library) / GPL-3.0 (imagex tool),
used unmodified and invoked as a separate process. See
THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt.
Trademark. The DriveForge name and logo are brand assets of ForgeLabsSoft and are
not covered by the GPLv3 — the license applies to the source code only. Forks and
redistributions must use a different name and logo and must not imply endorsement by
ForgeLabsSoft.
Support
DriveForge is free. If it helped you, you can support its development:
☕ Support on Ko-fi — pay by card, Apple/Google Pay or PayPal, no account needed. Thank you!
