System Rescue CD, Windows Repair and Recovery Tool Collection

Windows users have several options at hand when their system does not boot anymore. They can try to boot into Safe Mode, use System Restore to recovery the system to a previous state, or use repair options on the Windows CD to repair the issue. When Windows 8 gets released, options get even better with the included reset and refresh options.

Sometimes though you may need something more powerful, for instance if you need to correct partitioning errors or recover files from a failing hard drive.

System Rescue CD is a Linux Live CD that has been specifically designed for repair and rescue operations. You should not get too confused with the CD in the application’s name though, as you can also install the contents on an USB stick instead which is handy for PCs that do not come with an optical drive anymore (See this manual page for the Windows installer link, and Linux console commands to create the USB version of the rescue disc).

Everyone else can download System Rescue CD as an iso image from the project website. When you first boot either from the rescue CD or USB drive, you get to see the following boot menu. A tap on the enter key loads the system with the default boot options.

Znless you have selected different settings during creation, the CD will load the console if you select the default options. You can type wizard and select a graphical user interface to boot into an interface that should be more pleasing to the average user. Linux buffs on the other hand who feel at home using the console can use it for all recovery and repair options.

From here, you can start programs like the file explorer Midnight Commander, the partitioning tool Gparted, the data recovery tool Testdisk, a CD and DVD burner, or the antivirus software Clam.

You also get access to a web browser or mail reader, in case you need to look up information on the Internet. System Rescue CD is one of those useful-to-have tools when disaster strikes. It is best used in situations where standard recovery options fail, especially after hard drive crashes and other emergencies.

You can check out the related articles and tags below for a selection of alternative solutions. While we are at it, which recovery solution would you recommend?

Avira AntiVir Rescue System
Windows 7 System Recovery Disc
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Rescue that infected Windows machine with Trinity Rescue
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About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Monday March 19, 2012 -
Tags:Linux, live cd, recovery, rescue cd

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Avira DNS Repair Resolves Manipulations By DNSChanger

The FBI back in November managed to close down a botnet that was created with the help of a malware called DNSChanger. In operation since 2007 it grew to a size of nearly 4 million infected computer systems of which about 500,000 were located in the United States. The operators manipulated the DNS system of local computer systems to redirect users to other web pages or to replace page elements such as advertisement with their own.

The configured DNS server basically tells the web browser where to look for when a web address such as www.ghacks.net is entered into the browser’s address bar. If that lookup is manipulated part or all of the page elements of the website can be replaced by the operators of the rogue DNS server.

The FBI back then replaced the DNS servers that the cyber criminals used with working servers to avoid interruption of service for users affected by the DNS server change.

These DNS servers will however be shut down on March 8th, 2012. Affected users from that day on may not be able to connect to Internet addresses anymore until they replace the DNS server with working ones.

Security company Avira, famous for their antivirus solution, has released the Avira DNS Repair-tool.

You can run the portable program on your system to see if your computer’s DNS server has been manipulated by DNSChanger.

The program will reset the DNS servers to Windows default values if it finds out that they have been manipulated by the malware.

It is alternatively possible to check for manipulation manually.

Use the shortcut Windows-r to bring up the run box. Enter cmd in there and tap on the enter key to open the command prompt. Now run the command ipconfig /all and locate the DNS Servers entry. Compare what you see there with the list of rogue DNS servers below

64.28.176.0 – 64.28.191.25567.210.0.0 – 67.210.15.25585.255.112.0 – 85.255.127.25577.67.83.0 – 77.67.83.25593.188.160.0 – 93.188.167.255213.109.64.0 – 213.109.79.255

If your DNS server IPs differ from the ones above then congratulations, you are not infected. You otherwise need to change the DNS server. While you could do that manually, you may prefer to use a program for that. You can use the Avira tool to reset the DNS Server, or a program like DNS Jumper to select a public DNS server instead.

You can download the Avira DNS Repair-Tool from the official Avira website

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Antivir Maker Avira Changes Update System About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Monday January 23, 2012 -
Tags:avira, dns

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Using Windows “Safe Boot” To Diagnose and Repair Problems

When something goes wrong with Windows it can be very difficult to diagnose or repair, and there are times when booting your computer into Safe Mode just isn’t good enough.  Safe Mode, a special diagnostic mode built into Windows strips the OS of all drivers and start-up software and presents you with a very limited version of Windows in which to diagnose what might be causing a problem, and repair it.  Many Windows features simply won’t operate in Safe Mode so there’s not very much you can do.

Fortunately though there is an alternative and it’s in every version of the operating system (XP, Vista and Windows 7).  This is called “Safe Boot” and you can find it in the MSConfig panel.  To open this type msconfig into the Start Menu search box in Vista or Windows 7, or run msconfig from the run option in XP.

Under the Boot tab in the MSConfig window you’ll see the Safe Boot option as a tick box.  Turning this on will make Windows use the Safe Boot option every time thereafter.  When you want to stop using Safe Boot and return to starting Windows normally you’ll need to return to the MSConfig panel and untick this option.  There are also several other options here including Minimal Boot, which will take you into the full Safe Mode, but the standard option will normally be enough for most people.

The Safe Boot screen, as you can see here is a half-way house between the full Windows desktop and Safe Mode.  What you will find though is that most of your hardware drivers will be installed and working though your startup software will still be disabled.

So when might you want to use Safe Boot?  Occasionally you will encounter a problem in Windows that you will need to go into Safe Mode to repair.  As I mentioned earlier however Safe Mode won’t allow you to perform some Windows tasks, and this is where the Safe Boot mode is useful.  You may also suspect that your problems aren’t being caused by a hardware driver, but by software instead.  This diagnostic mode enables you to have a full Windows desktop where nothing loads at startup and where you can run and check programs individually to see what effect they are having on your system.

As I have already mentioned Safe Mode is extremely limiting, not just in the very low screen resolution that it gives you.  If you need to run full diagnostics on your copy of Windows, to see what’s going on under the hood, or if you need to test individual software packages in a safe environment where they will be able to run properly then Windows Safe Boot is the way to do it.

Remember though that you will need to turn off Safe Boot when you are done, or else Windows will start permanently in this mode.  I have found this to be a very useful diagnostic tool in Windows and it’s extremely underused because, frankly, many people simply do not know that it exists.  Hopefully you will find it useful too.

Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter. Print Covers using Undercover XP
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Improve Firefox Private Browsing With Private Browsing Window Add-on About the Author:Mike Halsey is a Microsoft MVP for "Windows Expert". He is also the author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press and the Windows 7 Power Users Guide, a how-to guide for non-technical Windows users on how to get the best out of Microsoft's new operating system, with step-by-step and quick guides. You can follow Mike on Facebook, Twitter or on his own website The Long ClimbAuthor: Mike Halsey MVP, Sunday January 22, 2012 -
Tags:msconfig, safe boot, safe mode, vista, Windows, windows 7, xp

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