I'd like to put together a bootable USB flash drive that contains various tools so that in the event my Win7 64bit laptop has issues and won't boot, I'd like to have the ability to boot directly from my USB flash drive.
Is this possible using the portable apps applications - in particular the ability to boot directly from the USB Flash drive (when Windows itself on the main laptop won't boot). If not, what needs to be done?
Some the things I'd like to be able to do from the USB flash drive:
- boot directly from the USB flash drive (instead of needing to boot my main windows7 64bit laptop - which at some time might have a virus or an issue with the registry that prevents it from booting)
- restore a backup image of my main c drive partition from an external hard drive (using a tool such as DriveImage XML for example - assuming I had previously saved my laptop's c drive onto the external hard drive using the same driveimage XML software).
- surf the internet
- use a file manager tool like explorer to search and open file
- edit text files
- edit the laptop's c drive registry
- run anti-virus tools on the c drive main partition
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on BlueSky
PortableApps is designed to run inside of the Windows environment, and is not a substitute for an operating system.
And it's illegal to make a portable version of Windows, so that is out of the question.
There are quite a few tools out there that can help you do most of what you are asking, but they are more often used from CD or DVD.
Also, you could categorize your tasks into
1. Recovery and repair
2. Normal use with an alternate OS.
For 1. and some of 2., google Ultimate Boot CD for Windows from USB.
The Ultimate Boot CD is a well-known collection of utilities that has been a staple of system admins for years, and while it typically is run from CD, you can find instructions on how to put it on USB - but you may want to use it from CD anyway, to save wear and tear on your USB drive.
For a fully functional operating system that boots from CD or USB, you'll want a Live Linux distro. I prefer Knoppx.
So, are you currently having such serious issues on your W7(64) laptop, or are you just trying to be as prepared as possible?
'cuz if you are having these issues on a regular basis, it's time to back everything up and do a fresh OS re-install!
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
I don't believe that
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
can run on a 64-Bit pc (which I now have).
Looking at the packages on "Hiren's Boot CD 15.1"
(which could be used to create either a live CD or a Live USB),
it includes both Drive Image XML (v2.30), and Opera Web Browser.
I'm unsure of the "Operating System."
You can build yourself a bootable PE system and add tools to it that will help you resolve problems to an ailing system or to just image it and restore it. The BartPE system has been doing this for years with based on XP. And the new Make-PE3 does it with Windows 7. All perfectly legal systems.
And your BartPE system can be configured to include DriveImage XML, and a tool to backup the drive's MBR, and various AVs and AMs. It can do everything you listed.
Stop by the http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?act=idx site and see what's available.
It should be noted that Windows 7 has a function for creating a Recovery CD which you should create as a bare minimum starting point.
Ed
the Ultimate Boot CD should be able to do most of what a "civilian" would want to do
but if you really want to tool up the speak to the Dragon and get a copy of BackTrack
since that would be a full bore forensics Linux distro.
DO NOT HAVE THIS ON YOU AT WORK DO NOT HAVE THIS IN OTHER SENSITIVE AREAS
you can be convicted with FELONIES depending on what you do with BackTrack
The OP was looking for something to help deal with obvious laptop performance problems, he wasn't looking for a high-powered cracking tool.
Why would you suggest a product that could get you arrested?
One of the hallmarks of PortableApps.com is its commitment to doing everything above board and legitimately. It's irresponsible to promote this product here.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Overreaction???
As robertltux indicated BackTrack can be used to perform "full bore forensics". Yes, it can be used for illicit purposes which can have the result of "you can be convicted with FELONIES".
However, just to point out there are several apps portabilized here and elsewhere can lead to similar consequences:
If any of these are used improperly in the wrong environment you could lose your job or worse "you can be convicted with FELONIES". These can provide access to user accounts, passowords, network traffic and other sensitive information.
BackTrack can be also used for valid, completely legal, forensic analysis and system recovery purposes. I know of IT techs that have used it to recover and investigate crashed systems.
I have to leave several of my tools behind when I visit the sites of some of the customers I support as just having them on my usb drive may trigger serious consequences for myself and my customers if my USB drive is just plugged in to a USB port in the customers environment. Even Microsoft apps like ProcessMonitor, ProcessExplorer, TCPView can get you in trouble on some systems.
My point is that I don't believe there was anything wrong robert1tux's comments about using BackTrack. He even warned people to be careful. More importantly, I would suggest you be very, very, very careful as there are many other apps here that can get you terminated from your job or worse "can get you arrested" if you use them improperly, in the wrong environments, with bad intent, or without the consent of the owner of the system you're working on.
It's like gun ownership. Don't blame the gun, blame the user who incompetently or knowingly uses it and causes harm to others.
Although his suggestion was far beyond what the original poster needed (I would have classified pcnb2010 as a "civilian" to use robertltux's parlance), it's true that many utility apps can be misused, and I appreciate that he gave warning, even if it implied (to me) that the app itself was suspect.
Also, a side question - this thread hadn't been commented on in a year and a half. There are so many posts on PA.c that anything that has lain fallow for a few weeks tends to drop off the radar. I'm curious how you came across this thread - was it by searching the site, or did you page thru the forums? 'Cause every so often an old thread gets resurrected from the early years...
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
@Solanus
I didn't mean anything against you by my comments. I hope it didn't come across that way. If so I apologize.
I responded because your prior response was a bit misleading from the perspective that there isn't anything wrong with the suggested tool(in and of itself) but more importantly because there are many other apps portablized here that could get people into a great deal of trouble.
I know PortableApps.com does not promote the use of hack tools but there are tools here that are understandably deemed as such in the security policies of many organizations. Just plugging in the drive with them on it may cause serious consequences.
As for how I came across it... I usually only follow recent posts in the https://portableapps.com/tracker. For some reason it either popped up as current in my browser or I must have inavertantly stumbled back in time page wise. I didn't look at the dates. I'll be more careful next time.
In any case, again if my response came across wrong I apologize.
it popper because of this response https://portableapps.com/node/25496#comment-193054 so technically it was a recent comment?
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss
I am (more often than I'd like to admit) occasionally prone to responding before I think things thru. I'm glad that this forum allows me the freedom to make mistakes, and to get constructive criticism when I need it. Thanks!!
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.