Free BootMed For Your Sick PC

I’ve covered a boatload of  free Live CDs (a boot disk on a CD) in the last few years, including – Boot, Recovery, Rescue, Antivirus, and so on. To work effectively with such tools generally demands a very high level of user experience with operating systems, which effectively restricts usage to geeks or, the occasional very daring newbie.

I’ve just spent a week, or so, testing BootMed, a Ubuntu Linux driven set of recovery tools which is a little different than most such tool sets – it’s much more new user friendly.

On launch, BootMed defaults to Firefox which opens on the developer’s site – “What can BootMed do”.

That’s a bit of a twist on most recovery tools/disks/applications, since the developer has recognized that not all users have the practical background, or the experience, to work with these types of tools unaided.

The tutorials (walk- throughs) on this page (What can BootMed do) – shown below – should make working with the specific applications included on the CD/DVD much easier for less experienced users than it would be otherwise. Kudos to the developer on this one.

Recovery

• Troubleshoot Windows Boot Problems
• Copy files from a computer that will not boot to a pen drive or external hard drive
• Scan for viruses with
  • Stinger
  • ClamWin
• Make a forensic image of a damaged or corrupted hard drive with dd-rescue and recover files from the image
• Recover deleted files with:
  • TestDisk
  • PhotoRec
  • Foremost
• Recover a deleted partition with TestDisk

Misc.

• Create a virtual machine from a physical computer
• Wipe (securely erase) a Hard Drive or Pen Drive

More experienced users will simply venture straight to the Desktop to access the available tools.

The following screen capture illustrates the applications available.

Note: Under “Applications”, additional tools are available.

You can see from the following screen capture, BootMed allows the user to access all attached devices (and their files), from the “Computer” icon.

The following two graphics show the AV’s available. Both AVs will automatically update their definition database – provided the PC is connected to the Internet.

McAfee’s Stinger – a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses.

ClamWin Free Antivirus – ClamWin is a free antivirus designed for Windows.

Two file recovery applications are available including PhotoRec, a powerful recovery application.

And TestDisk, which adds additional functionality – including partition recovery.

There are many more applications included in this bag of tools including – GParted partition manager, as well as WINE, which will allow you to run Windows applications from within BootMed.

The CD/DVD burning application Brasero (available under “Applications”), is shown in the following screen shot.

System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

Download 32 bit ISO at: Download.com

Download 64 bit ISO at: Download.com

I particularly like BootMed since it allows a fairly typical user access to complex tools while at the same time, not feeling abandoned in the scary world of operating systems. The developer has recognized this chill factor, and does a fair amount of “hand holding” – I think that’s very cool.

If you’re now a geek, or a high level user, think back to the days when you could have used some “hand holding”. If you were lucky enough to get it, I think you’ll agree that “hand holding” can make a major difference.

Don’t have a CD/DVD drive? Then – install BootMed to a USB flash drive. Easy to follow instructions are here.

Download Free BootMed – PC Medicine That Works

I’ve covered a load of  free Live CDs here in the last few years, including – Boot, Recovery, Rescue, Antivirus ……….. To work effectively with such tools though, demands a very high level of user experience with operating systems which, effectively restricts usage to geeks or, the occasional very daring newbie.

I’ve just spent a week, or so, testing BootMed, a Ubuntu Linux driven set of recovery tools which is just a little different than most such tool sets, inasmuch as it’s much more new user centric than most.

On launch, BootMed defaults to Firefox which opens on the developer’s site – “What can BootMed do”.

That’s a bit of a twist on most recovery tools/disks/applications, since the developer has recognized that not all users have the practical background, or the experience, to work with these type of tools unaided.

The tutorials – What can BootMed do – shown below – should make working with the specific applications included on the CD/DVD much easier for less experienced users than it would be otherwise. Kudos to the developer on this one.

Recovery

• Troubleshoot Windows Boot Problems
• Copy files from a computer that will not boot to a pen drive or external hard drive
• Scan for viruses with
  • Stinger
  • ClamWin
• Make a forensic image of a damaged or corrupted hard drive with dd-rescue and recover files from the image
• Recover deleted files with:
  • TestDisk
  • PhotoRec
  • Foremost
• Recover a deleted partition with TestDisk

Misc

• Create a virtual machine from a physical computer
• Wipe (securely erase) a Hard Drive or Pen Drive

More experienced users will simply venture straight to the Desktop to access the available tools.

The following screen capture illustrates the applications available.

Note: Under “Applications”, additional tools are available.

You can see from the following screen capture, that BootMed allows the user to access all attached devices (and their files), from the “Computer” icon.

The following two graphics show the AV’s available. Both AVs will automatically update their definition database – provided the PC is connected to the Internet.

McAfee’s Stinger – a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses.

ClamWin Free Antivirus – ClamWin is a free antivirus designed for Windows.

Two file recovery applications are available including PhotoRec, a powerful recovery application.

And TestDisk, which adds additional functionality – including partition recovery.

There are many more applications included in this bag of tools including – GParted partition manager, as well as WINE, which will allow you to run Windows applications from within BootMed.

The CD/DVD burning application Brasero (available under “Applications”), is shown in the following screen shot.

System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

Download 32 bit ISO at: Developer’s site.

Download 64 bit ISO at: Developer’s site.

Installing BootMed to a USB flash drive: If you do not have a cd-rom (e.g. a Netbook), you can install BootMed to a bootable USB flash drive. To do so you first need to download the cd, then follow these instructions.

I particularly like BootMed since it allows a fairly typical user access to complex tools while at the same time, not feeling abandoned in the scary world of operating systems. The developer has recognized this chill factor, and does a fair amount of “hand holding” – I think that’s very cool.

If you’re now a geek, or a high level user, think back to the days when you could have used some “hand holding”. If you were lucky enough to get it, I think you’ll agree that “hand holding” can make a major difference.

Got A Sick PC? Give It Some Free BootMed

I’ve covered a load of  free Live CDs here in the last few years, including – Boot, Recovery, Rescue, Antivirus ……….. To work effectively with such tools though, demands a very high level of user experience with operating systems which, effectively restricts usage to geeks or, the occasional very daring newbie.

I’ve just spent a week, or so, testing BootMed, a Ubuntu Linux driven set of recovery tools which is just a little different than most such tool sets, inasmuch as it’s much more new user centric than most.

On launch, BootMed defaults to Firefox which opens on the developer’s site – “What can BootMed do”.

That’s a bit of a twist on most recovery tools/disks/applications, since the developer has recognized that not all users have the practical background, or the experience, to work with these type of tools unaided.

The tutorials (walk- throughs) on this page )What can BootMed do) – shown below – should make working with the specific applications included on the CD/DVD much easier for less experienced users than it would be otherwise. Kudos to the developer on this one.

Recovery

• Troubleshoot Windows Boot Problems
• Copy files from a computer that will not boot to a pen drive or external hard drive
• Scan for viruses with
  • Stinger
  • ClamWin
• Make a forensic image of a damaged or corrupted hard drive with dd-rescue and recover files from the image
• Recover deleted files with:
  • TestDisk
  • PhotoRec
  • Foremost
• Recover a deleted partition with TestDisk

Misc

• Create a virtual machine from a physical computer
• Wipe (securely erase) a Hard Drive or Pen Drive

More experienced users will simply venture straight to the Desktop to access the available tools.

The following screen capture illustrates the applications available.

Note: Under “Applications”, additional tools are available.

You can see from the following screen capture, that BootMed allows the user to access all attached devices (and their files), from the “Computer” icon.

The following two graphics show the AV’s available. Both AVs will automatically update their definition database – provided the PC is connected to the Internet.

McAfee’s Stinger – a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses.

ClamWin Free Antivirus – ClamWin is a free antivirus designed for Windows.

Two file recovery applications are available including PhotoRec, a powerful recovery application.

And TestDisk, which adds additional functionality – including partition recovery.

There are many more applications included in this bag of tools including – GParted partition manager, as well as WINE, which will allow you to run Windows applications from within BootMed.

The CD/DVD burning application Brasero (available under “Applications”), is shown in the following screen shot.

System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

Download 32 bit ISO at: Download.com

Download 64 bit ISO at: Download.com

I particularly like BootMed since it allows a fairly typical user access to complex tools while at the same time, not feeling abandoned in the scary world of operating systems. The developer has recognized this chill factor, and does a fair amount of “hand holding” – I think that’s very cool.

If you’re now a geek, or a high level user, think back to the days when you could have used some “hand holding”. If you were lucky enough to get it, I think you’ll agree that “hand holding” can make a major difference.

If you’re not familiar with booting from a CD, checkout TechPaul’s – How to boot from a CD.

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Free Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta AV – Boot From A CD Or USB Stick

Much of today’s malware can be extremely difficult to identify and remove – despite a user relying on frontline antimalware applications to do the job. So, from my perspective, I don’t see any advantage in running full scans * on a live system – instead, once a week I run a Linux-based antimalware application (a live CD), which scans from the outside looking in. Malware generally can’t hide if it’s not running.

* I do however, run a Quick Scan with both Microsoft Security Essentials, and Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, on a daily basis. Combined running time for both applications is less than five minutes – so, it’s worth the minimum effort involved.

I can now add one more CD/Flash Drive based, antimalware application to my arsenal of  boot CDs – the just released Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta. System Sweeper Beta operates much like Panda SafeCD, Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10, Avira AntiVir Rescue System.

Microsoft says:

Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta is a recovery tool that can help you start an infected PC and perform an offline scan to help identify and remove rootkits and other advanced malware.

In addition, Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta can be used if you cannot install or start an antivirus solution on your PC, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your PC. It is particularly useful for detecting and disinfecting malware infections which give regular AV products running within Windows a hard time.

To get started with System Sweeper Beta – first, download and run the installer which will open up the following series of windows.

Click on any graphic to expand to original size.

Choose the media or the device you want to install the application to.

Then sit back and relax – more or less.

For additional help and information, checkout – Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta Help & How-To.

System requirements (from Microsoft):

The following is a list of minimum requirements for both the computer infected with a virus or malware and the computer on which you are creating the bootable media.

• Operating system:Windows XP Service Pack 3; Windows Vista (RTM, Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2, or higher); Windows 7 (RTM, Service Pack 1, or higher).
• Required processor:
  Windows XP: 500 MHz or higher1.0 GHz or higher
  Windows Vista and Windows 7: 1.0 GHz or higher
• Required memory:
  Windows XP: 768 MB RAM or higher
  Windows Vista and Windows 7: 1 GB RAM or higher
• Required video card: 800 × 600 or higher
• Available hard disk space: 500 MB

The following requirements apply only to the computer infected by a virus or malware:

• The computer infected with a virus or malware must have the same Windows operating system architecture as Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta, either 32-bit or 64-bit.
• In addition, BitLocker must be disabled to use Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta.

The following requirements apply only to the computer on which you are creating the bootable media:

• Internet connection: Required for installation and download of the latest virus and spyware definitions for Standalone System Sweeper.
• Internet Browser: Windows Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher or Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher.

Download: at Microsoft

In the constantly evolving world of cybercrime, all users are well advised to scan their computers regularly with an antimalware application that does not rely on the native operating system.

Please keep in mind that Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta, is not an intrusion prevention system – it is not a replacement for your installed antimalware application/s.

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