10 Great Tech Tools That Boot from a CD
When working on a computer, certain tasks can be made much easier by using tools that boot from a CD. Some of these tasks include restoring files from a computer with a corrupt operating system, testing hardware, reseting a lost password, or partitioning a hard drive. I would like to share with you 10 great bootable tools that will do all of these things and much more.
Partimage Is Not Ghost
Partimage Is Not Ghost or PING is a bootable utility similar to Ghost that uses Partimage to backup and restore disk partitions. The disk images can be backed up and restored to and from directly attached drives, through your network, or removable media such as CDs, DVDs, and external drives. You can also use PING to backup and restore BIOS settings. If you are new to PING, check out the great how to documentation on their website.
Bart’s Preinstalled Environment
Bart’s Preinstalled Environment is a utility that allows you to build bootable Windows CDs. It’s a great way to restore files, run virus scans, and so on when you can’t boot into your Windows installation. There are also lots of additional tools that you can install when creating the CD to aid you in troubleshooting a computer. And since it doesn’t rely on files located on the hard drive, you can even boot into computers with no OS installed to perform burn in tests.
GParted LiveCD
GParted is the partition editor that is used by the Gnome linux desktop environment but has been made to work from a bootable CD. It is similar to Partition Magic in that it allows you to change disk partitions while preserving the partition’s contents. It supports ext2, ext3, fat16, fat32, ntfs, hfs, hfs+, linux-swap, reiserfs, reiser4, ufs, and xfs.
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows was originally created out of a desire for a Windows version of the original Ultimate Boot CD. Three and a half years later, the project is still going strong. The UBCD for Windows is like Bart’s Preinstalled Environment, which it actually uses during the creation process, in that it allows you to build a bootable Windows CD. But what sets it apart are its many great tools that can run directly from the CD. Not only are there many great repair tools, but there are also applications like Firefox and PDF Reader that allow you to use the it for more than just troubleshooting computers.
Darik’s Boot and Nuke
Darik’s Boot and Nuke allows you to effectively wipe all data from hard disks making it unrecoverable by forensics analysis. Just boot from the CD and perform a quick erase or choose between 6 different options including the Department of Defense 7 pass and even the Gutmann 35 pass wipe.
SystemRescueCD
SystemRescueCD is a bootable repair utility that is great for recovering data after a hard drive crash. It comes loaded with many system utilities such as Test-disk, Partimage, sfdisk, and many other file system tools. It can also be used to partition and image your hard drive.
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor allows you to boot from a CD to reset forgotten Windows passwords. You can also use it to unlock locked or disabled user accounts and edit the registry.
Knoppix Linux Live CD
Knoppix is one of the original and best bootable live CDs available. Not only can it be used as full-fledged bootable desktop with programs such as OpenOffice, GIMP, Firefox and more but it can also be used as a rescue utility. There are two editions available. With the help of compression, the CD edition can hold up to 2GB and has more than 1000 software packages. The DVD edition can hold up to 8GB and has more than 2600 software packages.
Ophcrack LiveCD
Ophcrack LiveCD is a bootable version of Ophcrack, a Windows password cracker. Ophcrack can be used to recover lost passwords. It is also safer to use than Offline NT Password & Registry Editor but isn’t always successful.
Helix Live CD
Helix is a Live CD that is built upon Knoppix. It comes packed with tools focused on incident response and computer forensics. It can be used to copy files, detect and recover deleted files, retrieve hidden data, detect viruses, find rootkits, and much more. Certain tools on the CD can also be used in a Windows environment. If you are new to Helix, check out the very thorough beginners guide.
I’m curious to see which bootable utilities you recommend.
Other Posts You Might Like:
- Top 10 Mac Repair Tools
- 15 Online Tools that You Will Come to Love as a Tech
- What I Keep In My Immediate Tech Toolkit
February 4th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Microsoft has designed a constrictive box that is full of DRM, licensing restrictions, and controls over you, your machines, your data.
Try thinking “outside the Microsoft Box”!
Get the LiveCDrom and boot it in the CD, then use it’s tools to browse your system, clean the drive(s), or, heaven forbid, install Linux as a dual boot system, with it’s 20+ thousand free games, applications, suites!
http://simplymepis.com is one fine choice for very fast 32 or 64bit processors.
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February 4th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
That is a very thorough list. At my work, the Knoppix Livecd saved many broken hard drives that Windows or BartPE couldn’t see. I think it had something to do with the custom NTFS-3G Linux drivers.
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February 5th, 2008 at 8:05 am
This is a nice and very complete list Casey. I have personally used and had great success with BART PE, Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, DBAN, Offline NT Password and Registry Editor, and Knoppix. I look forward to giving the other utilities listed here a try in the future.
Jamie
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February 10th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
What about SuperGRUB? I find that to be just about the best system rescue CD for my purposes. You can manipulate both windows and linux bootloader setups, and boot into a system that has a broken MBR. I’ve heard you can even mix it with a linux live CD and boot either the CD or the hard drive, but I haven’t gotten it to work yet. A MUST for administrators and linux users.
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April 27th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Parted Magic does a far better job at partitions than GParted and has full hfs, hfs+ and ntfs support. It uses GParted but GParted has no hfs+ support and doesn’t even look as nice. I can use it on macs and pcs for dual boot set ups.
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December 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 am
Great list of very useful tools….. surely these tools help computer technicians life easy. Knoppix I have used many time, it is simply great. I love since first time I saw it- booting complete OS from CD-that was simply great!
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January 28th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I’m new to bloggong & My blog is about basics of Software Testing,Manual Testing,SDLC,Testing Techniques,Levels of Testing,Types of Testing,Test Planning,Test Execution,Test Development,Bug Tracking,Result Analysis,Test Design Techniques and QTP. so I write about that which I know.Give it a visit if you get a chance..
feel to free to visit:http://softwaretesting-guide.blogspot.com/
Regards,
Murali
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May 20th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Great list so far. RIP (Rescue is possible) should not be missed in your list. It’s another recovery and troubleshooting Live CD. http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/
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July 10th, 2009 at 2:07 am
the 11th tool is http://www.resetwindowspassword.com/
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August 25th, 2009 at 8:17 am
To the Anon. who said that PartImage is better than GPArted.. Bull puckey… GParted has full HFS+ support with the newest version. I know for a fact, as I just used the latest image to work with my MacBook..
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December 7th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Knoppix has saved me many times over!
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December 7th, 2009 at 7:54 am
forgot to add my web link!
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December 21st, 2009 at 11:56 pm
I recommend a new tool windows password reset 7.0 . It also support windows 7 password reset. And it’s the best tool i ever seen. I’m sure it is helpful for those who locked out of computer.
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December 22nd, 2009 at 12:04 am
I recommend a new tool windows password reset 7.0 . It also support windows 7 password reset. And it’s the best tool i ever seen. I’m sure it is helpful for those who locked out of computer. Learn more about it, please visit http://www.resetwindowspassword.com/
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December 23rd, 2009 at 12:56 am
A few days ago, I had met the headache things that I had forgotten Windows login password. The login screen rejected my passwords. I was frustrated because there was very important data on my disk and I couldn’t reinstall the OS. …………. However, I fortunately got to know the Windows Password Unlocker, which is a professional windows password recovery tool for us to reset windows 7 password instantly yet no data loss.
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December 23rd, 2009 at 1:31 am
I used Windows Password Unlocker to reset the Vista password. Windows Password Unlocker is a professional Windows password recovery tool for those who have lost or forgot Windows passwords including Windows Vista password, Windows 7 password recovery…
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January 27th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I found a tool which can reset windows password boot from a CD too.
http://www.windowsloginrecovery.com
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February 26th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Also can use the tool to burn a reset cd disk for bypass windows password http://www.anypasswordrecovery.com/.
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February 26th, 2010 at 3:05 am
You can use the windows password recovery tool “Any Windows Password Recovery 3.0 ” to help bypass windows password http://www.anypasswordrecovery.com/ ,it need not to reformat or reinstall windows OS,then with no data losing.Its safe.
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March 11th, 2010 at 12:11 am
I think the best method to recover windows password is using windows password recovery software. Burn the .iso file to a blank CD or a USB flash drive or a floppy disk, insert the CD(USB/floppy disk) into the problem computer and your password will be reset to “Blank” without losing any data and you needn’t reinstall windows OS.
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July 13th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Also check out BackTrack4 – it’s a linux security testing tool. You can use it to figure out just how long it takes to crack your WEP/WPA/2 wifi password (cough cough – or somebody elses – cough cough). It now has support to use your video card processor in order to bruteforce WPA/2′s, it’s a little bit disturbing how quickly these passwords can be cracked.
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August 4th, 2010 at 1:22 am
I have locked out of my computer for a while,and have tried everything i could do but failed.Until I found this great tool – Reset Windows Password 1.3 boot CD as recommend.
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August 23rd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I always trust Windows Key Finder boot CD, which helps to remove the lost or forgotten password with no data loss. Moreover, it can recover lost product keys from crashed or unbootable computer.
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October 29th, 2010 at 2:23 am
http://www.windowspasswordrecovery.net
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October 29th, 2010 at 2:23 am
I have downloaded windows password Recovery Basic. It is a very quick and useful utility for recovering passwords. Just an easy to use bootable CD/DVD . It can also be used on a USB Flash Drive. http://www.windowspasswordrecovery.net/
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November 16th, 2010 at 12:46 am
Download a bootable CD–Windows Password Key 8.0 to remove the admin password.
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November 18th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
The best solution I found was to use the Winlogon Password Reset(link below), it got me in seamlessly and there were absolutely no problems.
http://www.windows-logon-password.com/
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November 21st, 2010 at 10:37 pm
I usually use the Windows Password Reset Kit 1.5 to reset Windows password, It worked great for me, with no reinstall and no data loss.
http://www.reset-windows-password.net/
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November 29th, 2010 at 8:27 am
All those stuff you mention is included on “Hirens v12″ it is loaded with technician tools like harddrive data recovery,partition,clonning,windows login password reset for admin and users account and many more…
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January 19th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Windows Password Key
Saved me today. After many hours of installing and tweaking a brand new PC, something went wrong. I was not able to log into the only Administrator account I had, once the machine had been rebooted.
I burned Windows Password Key to usb, followed the onscreen prompts and in a few minutes was back in the machine.
What a lifesaver!
It will become a permanent part of my toolset for fixing Winndows password problems.
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January 30th, 2011 at 8:59 am
A few days ago, I had met the headache things that I had forgotten Windows login password. The login screen rejected my passwords. I was frustrated because there was very important data on my disk and I couldn’t reinstall the OS. ………….
However, I fortunately got to know the Windows Password Resetter 1.7, which is a professional windows password recovery tool for us to reset windows 7 password instantly yet no data loss.
http://www.resetlostpassword.com
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February 9th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
It’s very easy and safe to reset the forgotten windows password.
You need to prepare:
1:A blank CD/DVD or USB flash drive
2.A computer which can link to internet
3.A program called Windows Password Recovery 6.0
Get started with this 3 simple steps:
Website: http://lost-password.net/products/windowspasswordrecoery.html
Step 1 – Download windows password recovery utility and install it.
Step 2 -Burn your Windows Password Reset CD:
To burn your CD, you’ll need a blank CD-R and the .ISO file of Windows Password Reset.
Step 3 – Put in your newly created CD and remove your Windows password.
Hope it helps.
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February 16th, 2011 at 12:55 am
SMARTKEY Password Recovery Bundle is a must-have toolkit to recover/remove/reset passwords for Windows, Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Outlook Express, PDF, RAR/WinRAR, ZIP/WinZIP, MSN, AOL, Google Talk, Paltalk, Trillian, Miranda, Opera, Firefox and IE Browser, etc. Over 21 types of passwords can be Recovered instantly. Until now, these password recovery tools are the fastest on the market, the easiest to use and the least expensive.
http://www.google.com.hk/search?q=www.lost-password.net%2Fproducts%2Fpasswordrecovery.html&btnG=%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2&hl=zh-CN&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
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March 17th, 2011 at 6:02 am
I am a design director in a design company.Many of the designs are stored in my computer.In order to ensure the security of the computer, I have always change my windows password.For this reason, I sometimes forget my computer password.
At this time, colleagues and friends would give me a lot of views.ALICE tell me to use the administrator account in safe mode without password, but the computer still prompt for password.BILY suggested me look into the SAM file,and delete it.but it not a good ways.
At last,A friend recommended me to use Windows Password Buster Professional(the url is:http://www.password-buster.com),which a very simple, practical windows password recovery tool.Resetting windows password with it can save lots of time for me.I no longer have to worry about forgetting windows password.
If one day you forget your windows password, and you want to use the shortest time to solve it, you can try this software.
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March 17th, 2011 at 6:06 am
I am a design director in a design company.Many of the designs are stored in my computer.In order to ensure the security of the computer, I have always change my windows password.For this reason, I sometimes forget my computer password.
At this time, colleagues and friends would give me a lot of views.ALICE tell me to use the administrator account in safe mode without password, but the computer still prompt for password.BILY suggested me look into the SAM file,and delete it.but it not a good ways.
At last,A friend recommended me to use Windows Password Buster Professional(the url is:http://www.password-buster.com),which a very simple, practical windows password recovery tool.Resetting windows password with it can save lots of time for me.I no longer have to worry about forgetting windows password.
If one day you forget your windows password, and you want to use the shortest time to solve it, you can try this software.
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April 12th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
great! thanks,it is useful to me.
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July 7th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Kon-Boot Rocks btw I love your list
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August 17th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
A few days ago , I was confronted with the password problem.
Finally , my workmate James introduce the Windows password
Seeker.It help me access windows successfully. It’s official
site： http://www.passwordseeker.com
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December 8th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Last month, I lost my windows vista administrator password. I solved my problem with the help of the Reset Windows Password 1.7.
It not only supports Windows Vista, I have personally tested it with Windows 7.
It worked perfectly to reset any local user account to a blank password. Just an easy to use bootable CD/DVD.
You can download it from: http://www.top-password.com/reset-windows-password.html
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December 10th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
I know a simple way to reset windows password to blank when you forgot windows administrator password,it need not to reinstall windows OS,and wont loss any data, by using “Reset Windows Password 1.7″.
You could get the windows password recovery tool from the reference link:
http://www.top-password.com/reset-windows-password.html
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JD Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Would you quit spamming the password recovery software, the crap don’t work anyway.
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