The Bootable Maintenance Flash Drive-gctid43853

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The Bootable Maintenance Flash Drive

The Bootable Maintenance Flash Drive | PCWorld    

                       Fixing your friends' computers? Carry a bootable PC toolkit in your pocket.

                                                           By Lincoln Spector, PCWorld                             Jul 3, 2011 9:00 pm        
                                                                                                I enjoy being the tech hero.  Relatives and friends come to me with their computer problems, and more  often than not, I help them. Their problem gets solved, and my ego goes  up a notch. (I can vouch for that last one. --Ed.)

         It helps to have the right tools--and unless a friend has a  hardware problem, all of those tools fit onto a single flash drive. If a  person's system is sufficiently sick, I can boot a Linux variation  called PartedMagic from the flash drive. From there, I can retrieve  files off an unbootable PC, check the condition of the hard drive, and  scan for malware.

         Not that I always have to do that. My special flash drive also  contains multiple portable Windows utilities (relatives and friends with  Macs are on their own). With these programs I can clean a hard drive,  recover deleted files not in the Recycling Bin, properly remove  installed programs, check the condition of the hard drive, and scan for  malware.

         All of the programs I'm recommending here are free, at least for  personal use. Some may require licenses if you're a professional.

         Creating a bootable flash drive is remarkably easy. All you need is  a flash drive (a 512MB drive will do, with room to spare) and the free Universal USB Installer. Insert the drive into a USB port, and then launch the installer. In step one, select PartedMagic (it's somewhat near the bottom), and then check the Download the iso option.  The download itself can take time; as I write this, the current version  is 163MB. Everything else should be clear from there.

         Once the drive is bootable, you can copy your Windows programs onto  it. But I won't talk about those programs just yet; I'd rather start by  showing you what to do in Linux.

         Fixing Windows From Another OS

           Your friend's PC probably doesn't boot from a flash drive by  default, so you'll have to figure out how to make it do that. When the  computer first comes on, it may produce messages telling you what keys  to press for 'Setup' or the 'Boot Menu'. If it offers both, go with the  Boot Menu option, since Setup will require you to change the boot order  of your friend's machine (you should change it back when you're  through).

         If you see no such messages, experiment with pressing function keys  just before Windows loads (F10 is a good bet for the Boot Menu). You  can also search the Web for setup or "boot menu" plus the PC make and model number.

         Even if you know the appropriate button, getting the timing right  can be tricky. I just push and release the button over and over again  until the correct menu comes up.

         (If you're wondering why you shouldn't simply create a bootable CD  instead of a flash drive, I can list several reasons: You can't easily  copy files to a CD. Not all PCs have optical drives anymore. And not all  computers with optical drives boot from them without the same hassles I  just described.)

         Once you successfully boot from the drive, select Default Settings (Runs from RAM) from the resulting menu. You'll soon find yourself in a comfortably familiar-looking environment.

         But here's one thing you should remember: Linux is actually running  in a virtual drive in RAM. Any file you save to the root "drive" will  disappear when you reboot. If you want to save a file, save it to the  flash drive.
         The following are a few things that you can do in PartedMagic.

         

Mounting partitions in Linux.Recover files:            

If your friend can't boot the PC, recovering important files  off its hard drive is probably the first priority. Click the  external-drive icon near the lower-left corner, and then click the Mount  button next to the appropriate partition. Find the files and folders  you want, and drag and drop them to an external drive (if your flash  drive has enough free room, you can use that).

         

Editing hard-drive partitions.Edit partitions:            

If the name PartedMagic didn't clue you in, this Linux  distribution's main claim to fame is a nondestructive partition tool.  Just double-click the Partition Editor icon on the desktop, and  up it comes. This will tell you right away if the correct partition is  bootable, or even visible. To change a partition's status, right-click  it and select Manage Flags.

         Check the hard drive's health: Double-click the Disk Health icon  on the desktop for technical information on the hard drive. The last  tab lets you run the drive's built-in diagnostic tests.

         Scan for malware: Unfortunately,  the command-line version of ClamAV that comes in PartedMagic is anything  but friendly. You may want to follow these instructions closely, or  just skip to the next section, where I suggest some alternatives.

         First, you have to download the current definitions. Click the Start button (yes, I'm using the Windows term for clarity) and select System Tools. If a Download Clamav Definitions option is available, select it.

         If you don't see one there, launch Firefox (Start, Internet, Firefox), and go to the ClamAV site. Download main.cvd and daily.cvd. Save them to the /root/clamav folder.

         Before you run the scan, make sure that all of the partitions you  want to scan are mounted. See the "Recover Files" section above for  instructions.

         Next you'll need a folder, preferably on the flash drive, to store  the suspected infected files. If you know how to create a folder in  Windows, you can figure it out here.

         Now open a terminal window: Select Start, Accessories, LXTerminal. A command-prompt window will open. At the prompt, type cd /root/clamav and press Enter. Then type clamscan -r -v --move=             path to your new folder             /media. For instance, you might type clamscan -r -v --move=/media/sdb1/badstuffinside /media. (Note that there's a space between badstuffinside and /.) Press Enter.

         When the scan is over, suspected files will be off your friend's  hard drive and on your flash drive. You can then look at them, determine  if they're necessary, and delete them. Just don't open them in Windows.

         Point your browser to linux.die.net/man/1/clamscan for more on using ClamAV.

         Other Malware-Fighting Tools

           If ClamAV seems like too much of a hassle, consider using one or more of these other portable malware scanners.

         

SuperAntiSpyware PortableSuperAntiSpyware Portable Scanner:  You shouldn't keep this one--the portable version of one of the best  free on-demand scanners--on your flash drive. Why? The dictionary is  built into the file, so fresh versions come out every day or two.  Download it from a safe computer at the last possible moment, and save  it to your flash drive. Boot your friend's PC into Windows' Safe Mode,  and run it from there.

         HijackThis:  Actually, this isn't a scanner, but a portable, Windows-based analysis  tool. It produces an obtuse report on the PC's configuration, and that  report may contain clues about an infection. Consult Trend Micro's HijackThis site for a list of online forums where you can upload your report and get advice.

         AVG Rescue CD:  If you can't (or won't) run a malware scan in Windows, here's another  live Linux distro built especially for antivirus work. You can download  separate versions to burn to CD or to put on a flash drive. Either one  is bootable.

         Extra Tools for Your Flash Drive

           Not every PC problem your friends have will require a malware scan  or an alternative boot. These portable programs easily fit on your flash  drive, and can run in Windows without being installed.

         

Recuva PortableRecuva Portable:  If any type of software should be portable, it's an uneraser, because  every time you write to your hard drive, you lower the chance of  successfully restoring a lost file. You'll never find a guaranteed  file-recovery tool, but in my experience Piriform's Recuva has an  amazing track record.

         

CCleaner PortableCCleaner Portable:  Here's another excellent, free, and portable tool from Piriform. As the  name implies, this one cleans up your friend's messes. It empties  caches, cookies, and other Windows and application garbage. It cleans  out the Registry (do this with extreme caution). It can also uninstall programs, although not as well as my next recommendation.

         

Revo Uninstaller PortableRevo Uninstaller Portable:  Every Windows program comes with an uninstaller, but many of them leave  junk behind. Windows' own Uninstaller tool (called either 'Programs and  Features' or 'Add or Remove Programs') isn't any better--it just  launches the selected program's own uninstaller. Revo, on the other  hand, runs the program's uninstaller, and then cleans up the remaining  garbage. It isn't perfect, but it does a reasonable job. One warning:  Although the free, portable version works in 64-bit versions of Windows,  it cannot remove x64 programs.

         

HD TuneHD Tune:  You don't need to boot into Linux to check a drive's status. This  program will do it in Windows. This version is free only for personal  use; professionals will have to shell out $35 for the more-powerful HD  Tune Pro. This is not officially a portable program--you have to install  it on Windows. But once you do that, you can copy the folder to your  flash drive, and use it anywhere.

         

Folder Size PortableFolder Size Portable:  If your friend's hard drive is too crowded, cleaning it out will be  easier if you can identify the folders that contain the bloat. MindGem's  tool will show you which folders, and which folders inside those  folders, are taking up lots of disk space. Two caveats: First, the  portable version is marked "Experimental," although it works fine for  me. Second, the cool-looking, animated graphics work only if your friend  has Java installed in Internet Explorer. But don't fret--the data is  the same with or without the pretty pictures.

         With tools such as these in your pocket, you can be a very popular person.

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How to Create Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows Vista?  This tutorial will help you in creating a bootable USB drive of  Windows Vista which you can use to install Vista in any system. It might  become very useful when you don't have access to DVD drive.
1. First format your USB drive in NTFS file system.  You can do it by attaching your USB drive to your system and then format  it from My Computer window.

 2. Now open Command Prompt window from Start menu.  Right-click on Command Prompt entry in start menu and select "Run as  administrator" option.
 3. Now type diskpart in Command Prompt window and press Enter. It'll launch DiskPart program:
 
 4. Now provide following command:
 list volume
It'll show a list of all drives in your system. Look for your USB drive entry. As in the below screenshot, the USB drive is "G" which you can determine from its "Type" entry.
 Now you have to select the USB drive volume by providing select volume no. command. Since in our case volume no. of USB drive is "Volume 4", the command would be:
 select volume 4
Now we have to make this drive active. So provide active command:
 active
Now exit from DiskPart using exit command.
 
 5. Now we need to create Boot sector on USB drive. We'll use "bootsect.exe" utility for this task. You can find this utility in Windows Vista setup disk. It'll be present in "Boot" directory.
 Now provide following command in Command Prompt:
 bootsect /nt60 G:
Here G is drive letter of USB drive. Replace it with the correct drive letter if your system has some other letter for USB drive.
 
 6. At last, copy all files/folders from Vista Setup DVD to your USB drive and you have done.
 Now you can boot using your USB drive and can install Windows Vista in any system.
 PS: You can also take a look at some free tools to  automatically create bootable USB drives to install Windows using  following link:
 Ultimate Collection of Best Freeware to Create Bootable USB Drive to Install Windows and Linux