Portable operating systems can be very useful to us. Especially when we have problems with our main operating system and we want to try to repair and recover it before the problems get worse. Generally, when we talk about Live operating systems, that is, they are loaded into RAM without being installed, we usually talk about Linux distros. However, there are other alternatives that seek to go a little further and allow us, among other things, to load Windows in RAM . And one of the most interesting in this regard is MediCat.
MediaCat DVD is a totally free project that started working as an alternative to the popular Hiren’s Boot CD to offer users a Swiss Army Knife with everything they need to boot any computer and try to solve problems. However, over time, this project gained the trust of many users and has since forgotten its rivalry to continue growing around what its users are looking for.
Main features
Unlike other projects, which have already been forgotten, MediCat is still in development. This toolkit is still one of the best alternatives to Hiren’s Boot CD, which any user can download completely free of charge and without restrictions.
This toolkit has been designed with modern computers in mind. Therefore, it is programmed to work on 6-bit processors, and on UEFI systems. However, there are also some tools that could work in BIOS mode. Computers with only 32-bit support will not be able to boot MediCat.
When we start our PC with this tool, the first thing we will find will be a boot menu, like the one we have just seen, with all the tools and options that it offers us, correctly arranged by categories.
Antivirus . We are going to find a bootable version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware bootable. Thanks to it, we will be able to analyze our PC for threats and eliminate any malicious software.
Backup and restore . Here we are going to find a series of tools that will allow us to make and restore all kinds of backup copies of the data on our PC. Among others, we will find the programs of Aomei, MiniTool, Norton Ghost, Acronis and EaseUS.
Boot repair . The three tools that we are going to find here are going to allow us to repair the boot of our PC when it has been damaged or unconfigured. For example, we can load Boot Repair Disk, Recatux and Supergrub2.
Boot an operating system . This is one of the most interesting sections. Within it we are going to find a series of operating systems that are included within this tool. All these systems are designed to run in Live mode, that is, from RAM. We can find a portable Windows 10, boot disks like Active @ BootDisk and SystemRescue CD, and a Linux distro: PlopLinux.
Diagnostic Tools . Here we will find 4 tools that will allow us to diagnose our computer and solve any possible problem that we may detect on it.
Partitions Tools . Tools and programs that will allow us to manage our hard drives and create partitions. For example, we will find the AOMEI partition manager, the MiniTool disk manager and the EASEUS software, among others. In addition, we will also find a tool, DBAN, that will allow us to destroy the data on any hard drive and prevent its recovery.
Password Removal . Different tools that will allow us to easily remove the password from our PC so that, if we have problems, we can log in to them, as administrators, without even knowing the password.
Windows Recovery . It allows us to load the recovery environments of Windows 8 and Windows 10 to use the own tools that we can find in them.
All the programs we just watched are loaded from scratch, with their own minimal Windows PE. But where we are going to find all the potential is with Windows 10 portable that we will find in the “Boot an operating system” section.
A portable Windows 10 full of portable programs
If we choose the option to load Windows 10 portable, after loading, we can find an interface like the following.
As we will see, the desktop we will be able to find a series of programs and tools that we can access with a double click. In addition, we will also find many other tools within the start menu that we can find. Menu that, by the way, has been customized to be more similar to that of previous versions of the operating system.
All the programs that are included in this MediCat Windows are portable, so we will not have any problem when using them. All the hard drives that we have connected to the computer will be perfectly recognized by this portable Windows. In this way, we can locate any problem we have with the PC and solve it without complications. Programs will also be able to detect, for example, other instances of Windows 10.
Download MediCat USB
If you want to create your own rescue USB with MediCat, you can download the latest version of this tool suite completely free of charge from this link . Although we will find several servers to download it, the fastest is to do it from the torrent that its developers offer us.
The file itself is heavy as it takes up over 25GB . Therefore, to record it, we will need a USB of at least 32 GB of capacity with which we can boot any PC. This PC repair toolkit comes in the form of an .IMG file, so to burn it to a USB, we will need special software such as imageUSB.
We remember that virtual machines, such as VMware or VirtualBox, do not usually recognize IMG files.
Alternatives to create a bootable multi-system USB
Hiren’s BootCD PE (Preinstallation Environment)
Hiren’s BootCD PE (Preinstallation Environment) puts at our disposal a fully functional Windows 10 PE x64, and with a good number of programs, so that we can easily load a portable Windows 10 in RAM, without installing anything. And, from it, we can analyze and repair any possible problem that may be causing our PC to not work properly.
We can download Hiren’s Boot CD from this link .
Gandalf’s Windows 10PE
Gandalf’s Windows 10PE is a bootable CD for any PC that brings us a portable Windows, in addition to a series of useful tools for all kinds of situations, such as detecting errors, recovering files or repairing the PC. It will even help us detect and eliminate potential threats that would otherwise be very difficult to eliminate.
We can download this Windows 10PE from here . Of course, although before it could be downloaded for free, for some time now, to use it, we have to pay a license ($ 20) in the form of a “donation”. Otherwise, we cannot download this software.
