Diagnostic / Repair Utilities have come a long way since UBCD4Win and I thought I'd create a small starter post of some of the ones that I have come across. Some need to be built similar to UBCD4Win and some can be downloaded in ISO format. I have mostly used Linux Boot CDs/DVDs over the last several years but some others have peaked my interest. If you have tried any of these, please post with your incite or if you have other suggestions.
Windows XP ---
UBCD4Win -> This has been discontinued but the last version (3.60) can still be downloaded from some sites such as http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/ubcd4win.html -- The forum was taken down some time ago and it looks like that great source of information is sadly lost.
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Vista ---
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Windows 7 ---
Windows7PESE -> http://w7pese.cwcodes.net/
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Windows 8/8.1---
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Windows 10---
Gandalf's Win10PE -> http://windowsmatters.com/
MediCat -> https://gbatemp.net/threads/medicat-dvd ... vd.361577/
Windows10PESE -> http://win10se.cwcodes.net/
Windows10XPE -> https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps ... media.html and http://win10se.cwcodes.net/Compressed/index.php -- Came across this recently and although I haven't built any yet, the project looks very interesting and is very active. Added September 29, 2018
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WinBuilder http://winbuilder.net/ can be used to create various PE versions such as Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, etc depending on the source files used.
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Some Linux Boot CDs/DVDs I've used over time although some only once or twice. I check http://distrowatch.com/ very regularly for updates on various distros and keep at least 1-3 older versions of some for older systems.
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UBCD "Ultimate Boot CD" -> http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ -- Need I say more??? I've used this more than any other bar none. Although it is not purely Linux as most of the Utilities are DOS boot images... Many times when working on family and friends PCs I ask that in lieu of payment they make a donation to this or other projects that were used, hopefully some have done just that.
Knoppix -> http://knopper.net/knoppix/ -- One of the earliest Linux Live CDs/DVDs available and still amazing. There is even a version available for blind and visually impaired users "Adriane".
Parted Magic -> https://partedmagic.com/ --They charge for newer versions but the price is definitely worth it, $9 for the latest ISO or $49 for 1 year of downloads. One of the last free versions is still included in "UBCD".
Clonezilla -> http://www.clonezilla.org/
SystemRescueCd -> http://www.system-rescue-cd.org/
GParted Live -> http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php
Super Grub2 Disk -> http://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/
Rescatux -> http://www.supergrubdisk.org/rescatux/
Plop Linux -> https://www.plop.at/en/ploplinux/live/intro.html
RIPLinuX -> https://sourceforge.net/projects/riplinuxmeta4s/ -- Has not been updated in some time and the site has gone offline.
Ophcrack Live CD -> http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/
Trinity Rescue Kit -> http://trinityhome.org
All In One System Rescue Toolkit (AiO-SRT) -> https://paul.is-a-geek.org/aio-srt/
And many more...
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Anti-Virus and Malware---
Many Antivirus developers have free "Live" CDs for running offline scans and ClamAV is included on many Linux Live CDs/DVDs.
AVG -> http://www.avg.com/en-us/download.prd-arl?ECID=af:cj
Avira -> https://www.avira.com/en/download/produ ... cue-system
Bitdefender -> https://download.bitdefender.com/rescue_cd/latest/
Comodo -> https://www.comodo.com/business-securit ... e-disk.php
Dr. Web -> http://www.freedrweb.com/aid_admin/
ESET -> https://www.eset.com/int/support/sysrescue/
F-Secure -> ftp://ftp.f-secure.com/anti-virus/tools/Rescue%20CD/
Kaspersky -> http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/re ... #downloads
Norton -> https://security.symantec.com/nbrt/nbrt.aspx
PC Tools -> http://www.pctools.com/aoss/details/
Others are also available...
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Portable programs/utilities and suites--
Some tools can be run directly from flash drives or even downloaded to the hard drive for use without actual installation.
PortableApps Suite -> https://portableapps.com/ -- Been using this for years and have a locally installed set on all systems I run, usually on a secondary HDD or Partition. Check it out.
Portable Freeware Collection -> https://www.portablefreeware.com/ -- Not a suite but many portable applications are listed and discussed here.
Nirsoft Tools -> http://www.nirsoft.net/ - A vast collection of utilities for windows systems created by Nir Sofer. If your antivirus warns of a virus/PUP, IT"S A FALSE POSITIVE!!!
Sysinternals -> https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sysinternals --Sysinternals was bought by Microsoft but is still free and some "or all" can be run "Live" from the web.
Snappy Driver Installation -> https://sdi-tool.org/ -- Posted by Midas at https://www.portablefreeware.com/forums ... hp?p=87243 -- Haven't used this yet but UBCD4Win used DriverPacks in the last couple versions and it looks promising. The full download from SDI is 12.5GB with (I'm guessing" all the "Driver Packs" and extracted is about 90GB but you can get a "Lite" version that is only 4MB without the driver packs. Added July 7, 2017
FixWin -> http://www.thewindowsclub.com/repair-fi ... in-utility -- A windows 10 version is noted/links to on the page. -- ALWAYS CREATE A RESTORE POINT PRIOR TO USING. Added July 8, 2017
Edited 07-11-2020 to remove links to theoven.com since that site now requires you to login and other issues.
UBCD4Win is discontinued, what do we do now?
Moderators: Icecube, StopSpazzing
UBCD4Win is discontinued, what do we do now?
Last edited by The Piney on Sat Jul 11, 2020 1:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: UBCD4Win is discontinued, what do we do now?
With both BartPE and UCBD4Win_360 I can install most of the drivers I need, including SCSI etc.
It is the Ethernet bits that give grief. On this MB (SuperMicro H8DM8) there is an NVidia chip set with on-board Ethernet (no NIC's). Typically, the drivers are installed via NVidia's "motherboard" installer etc. So not sure how that may be affecting things.
Oddly, the SCSI etc bits I've added work correctly, but no net.
By contrast HBCD provides Ethernet but no scsi.
... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
... yes we still use WinXP and WinXP64 ... it still provides a vastly superior environment (and low cost of ownership) compared to newer Wins
It is the Ethernet bits that give grief. On this MB (SuperMicro H8DM8) there is an NVidia chip set with on-board Ethernet (no NIC's). Typically, the drivers are installed via NVidia's "motherboard" installer etc. So not sure how that may be affecting things.
Oddly, the SCSI etc bits I've added work correctly, but no net.
By contrast HBCD provides Ethernet but no scsi.
... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
... yes we still use WinXP and WinXP64 ... it still provides a vastly superior environment (and low cost of ownership) compared to newer Wins
Re: UBCD4Win is discontinued, what do we do now?
The best source of info would be -> https://web.archive.org/web/20121113163 ... /index.php?
I know some of the NVidia drivers were problematic but thought most of that was cleared up when the BTS driver packs started being used.
I often had issues with my Asus P4PE motherboard's Raid/Sata controller using hardware IDs that didn't match some drivers and had to manually change them. Not sure if that's your issue or not but could be. Other UBCD4Win users may be able to add to this but it may take some time before they stop in.
I know some of the NVidia drivers were problematic but thought most of that was cleared up when the BTS driver packs started being used.
I often had issues with my Asus P4PE motherboard's Raid/Sata controller using hardware IDs that didn't match some drivers and had to manually change them. Not sure if that's your issue or not but could be. Other UBCD4Win users may be able to add to this but it may take some time before they stop in.