Wiki

This page covers useful stand-alone tools that can be booted from a CD or USB memory stick.

N.B. Initially, this may be no more than a list of headings and external links.

Summary

All pages should start with a summary, to enable the reader to see at a glance what the page is about and whether it is likely to give the information required.

Main section

Plop boot manager - useful if you can't get the BIOS to boot from USB and many other situations.

The following can be combined onto a single memory stick or CD:

• Spinrite (licence required)
• MHDD
• Gold Memory - memory tester
• memtst - another memory tester
• MHDD - hard disk diagnostics
• hdderase - secure hard disk erase

Rescue/Recovery Tools:

(More details on these in http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/emergency-repair-disks-for-windows-part-1/ - Windows Secrets subscription may be required.)

• Hiren's BootCD
• Trinity Rescue Kit - text-based, designed mainly for Windows but also including a Linux command line.
• Ultimate BootCD - text-based, with over 100 repair/restore/diagnostic tools.
• SystemRescueCD - Basic repair/recovery tools in a hybrid tex/graphical Linux environment.
• Ubuntu Rescue Remix - almost entirely Linux command line based, offering a range of open source data recovery, repair and forensic tools.

dban - Disk Boot And Nuke - hard disk secure erase

Antivirus:

• Sophos bootable Antivirus
• Kaspersky Rescue - linux GUI based - periodically boot it to update signatures. Also useful for examining unbootable windows system.

Clonezilla - useful for backup and cloning hard disks.

Puppy Linux or other small live linux. Useful to have gparted installed.

Safety

Consider whether your page should include a specific section on safety, if for example it deals with mains-powered equipment or high voltages, or if special care is required in handling hot or sharp tools, or hazardous substances.

External links

• External links as bullet points