System Rescue CD for Windows Users?

Infopackets Reader 'Robin' writes:

" Dear Dennis,

Regarding yesterday's Shell Extension City pick labeled 'SystemRescueCd':

According to the write-up, I understand that this particular rescue disc is (and I quote) 'a Linux system.' Question: does this mean that this is a rescue system for Windows XP that operates under Linux or is it a rescue system for people running Linux on their PC? I hope you understand what I mean. I'm confused! "

My response:

I was also very interested in this Shell Extension City pick, so I downloaded it and burned it onto a rewriteable disc.

The answer to your question is that 'SystemRescueCd' is a rescue disc that operates [primarily] from the command line under Gentoo Linux (one of the many free distributions of Linux). SystemRescueCd supports Windows-based file systems (NTFS and FAT), and is therefore compatible with both Linux and Windows PCs.

Having said that: if you have no idea how to use Linux or aren't good at using the command line (I.E.: similar to MS DOS or "command prompt"), then SystemRescueCd may not be for you because you must type in commands in order to get things to work. Unfortunately, this isn't a very intuitive approach for basic PC users (and especially Windows users). SystemRescueCd does, however, come with plenty of useful utilities -- if you know how to use them -- and the author should definitely be credited for his efforts.

RE: A more practical approach to System Recovery for Windows Users

If you're looking for a more practical "point and click" approach to disaster recovery (should your system die and you need to restore it or recover files) you might want to look into Acronis True Image.

True Image runs completely from GUI (a Graphical User Interface), so all you need to do is point and click your way to recovering files -- or even your entire operating system.

While True Image does not offer a utilities such as a virus scanner or partition manager (as SystemRescueCd does), True Image is (in my opinion) by far the best preventative insurance you can invest in, should disaster strike. And I've had *plenty* of people email me to tell me the same ;-)

Acronis True Image Review