Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PC
Way back in the 20th century, Windows prepared you for the day your PC wouldn't
boot. It came with a program that formatted a bootable floppy disk, complete
with diagnostic and repair utilities. If you had the forethought to create that
floppy while Windows was still working, you were ready when it eventually failed.
Alas, the Windows Boot Floppy went the way of DOS (the operating system it
actually booted). Modern versions can't make that floppy (they can format a
bootable DOS floppy--if you have the drive--but without utilities), and DOS
can't handle NTFS hard-drive partitions.
Since Microsoft
doesn't supply you with the ability to create an emergency boot disk, others
have stepped in to fill the vacuum. Here are six worthwhile emergency boot CDs,
all downloadable, and most of them free.
Yes, I know you can't download a CD. Most of these packages come as .iso files--easily
burnable disc images. If you double-click an .iso file, there's a good chance
that a program you already own--perhaps Nero Burning or Easy Media Creator--will
come up and burn it to CD. If that doesn't happen, download and install ISO
Recorder.
Know Your Rescue OSs
Since DOS doesn't handle XP or Vista repairs well, each of these discs boots
into one of the following three operating systems. It's good to know a little
about them.
Windows PE: The official, CD-bootable version of Windows (the PE stands for
Preinstallation Environment) makes the obvious choice for this sort of thing.
Unfortunately, Microsoft maintains strict control, and few utility authors have
received permission to use it.
BartPE: Since Microsoft won't share its preinstallation environment, Bart Lagerweij
created his own, and he gives it away for free. But to avoid copyright infringement,
he can't give you everything you need to create a BartPE disc. The missing elements
consist of Windows XP installation files you may or may not already have.
Linux Live CD: The name refers to any version of Linux you can download as
an .iso file and boot off a CD. But Linux can be an intimidating environment
for the uninitiated, it doesn't always handle NTFS well (many versions can read
NTFS but not write to it), and it is seldom geared to help with Windows problems.
The Six Great Rescue Discs
So let's get on with it. I'll start with discs that simply give you access
to the files on your hard drive, and work my way up to the powerhouses that
can diagnose and repair most boot problems.
Puppy Linux
If Windows won't boot, nothing gets you into your hard drive faster or more
easily than Puppy Linux. Puppy isn't the most powerful version of Linux by a
long shot, but
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
Enterprise 2.0 Implementation
By Aaron C. Newman, Jeremy Thomas
Published by McGraw-Hill
Learn more!
Deploying Cisco Wide Area Application Services
By Zach Seils, Joel Christner
Published by Cisco Press
Learn more!
