Paragon Rescue Kit 9.0 Express (freeware)

Paragon Rescue Kit 9.0 Express (freeware for non-commercial use)
http://www.paragon-s...ome/rk-express/

After registration at http://www.paragon-s...ration/rke.html ,
you get a product key and serial number used to create the iso/CD from the executable downloaded from the Paragon web site :
http://www.paragon-s...s/download.html

In the bootable CD, one interesting part is the Boot Corrector. Following are its main functions:

#1 Search for valid Windows installations (Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Server)
#2 Correct drive letters in the System Registry of a selected Windows installation
#3 Correct "boot.ini" on selected disk
#4 Correct Boot Configuration Data (BCD) files for partitions on selected disk or for partitions on all disks
#5 Correct the Master Boot Record (MBR) executable code
#6 Reorder primary partitions (change primary slots)
#7 Correct the boot record for a selected Windows installation (increment the Serial Number, correct the partition offset, make a copy of the boot record, correct the Bootsect.dos file if exists)
#8 Set an active partition
#9 Hide/unhide partitions
#10 Change Serial Numbers
#11 Change Partition IDs
#12 Display the MBR in a more understandable format
#13 Display partition properties
#14 Create, display, save or print a boot correction report
#15 Adjust OS to boot on new hardware (Windows Vista only)


Functions #2 and #4 are interesting from my point of view since not directly covered
by existing utilities known by me (apart maybe Savepart :
Updating Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Seven registry
http://damien.guibou...tml#Chapitre_11

Updating Windows Vista/Seven boot configuration
http://damien.guibou...tml#Chapitre_12
).

The other functions could be covered by well-known utilities
like bootice, Mbrfix, ptedit32/Beeblebrox, HDHacker, TinyHexer, bcdboot, bcdedit, bootfix, bootsect, bootrec.
But all of these utilities requires at least WinPE or full Windows XP/Vista/Win7 to run.
The rescue kit runs from a bootable CD, and can be loaded using grub4dos iso emulation as in this thread:
http://www.boot-land...?...ost&p=90086


Function #2 : I think it fixes problem of hang at XP/Vista/Win7 welcome screen after restoring disk image (problem with MountedDevices in registry).
Function #4 : I think it fixes problem of winload.exe (BCD problem) after restoring or moving Vista/Win7 partitions.

Function #15 : I guess it adds "detecthal on" options to the BCD. It applies of course to both Vista and Windows 7 too (the rescue kit is available before Windows 7 is released).

In the past many times I ran into problem #2 and #4. If ever I had this rescue kit express, it would save me lot of times :-).

Edit (add) : the commercial version for Boot Corrector :
http://www.justboot....t_corrector.htm

First problem.
Right now the Paragon page:
http://www.paragon-s...ration/rke.html

Doesn't seem to work. (it resets "chosen country").

Additionally my previous Paragon ESS account seems like not working.

Hopefully just temporary "glitch in the matrix".

However, it's not a problem to get access to the .iso inside the downloaded file.

At first sight I find very interesting the DOS.IMG within it, as it contains:

Paragon DOS IFS driver.
Copyright © Paragon 2003-2008.

Paragon IFS driver allows user to access non-DOS file systems under DOS.
This version supports NTFS, Ext2FS, Ext3FS and hidden FAT/FAT32.

The .iso appears to boot fine in Qemu , though on first tests it looks like having pronlems in detecting (intentionally) malformed Windows installs, with "less malformed" installs seems like working allright.

Apart from the above, in my quick Qemu test:

• "Normal Mode" works <- please read as Paragon Linux
• "Safe Mode" hangs with loading mouse driver. <- please read as Paragon DOS
• "Safe Mode Low Graphics" hangs with loading mouse driver. <- please read as Paragon DOS Safe Mode

Will need to do more tests....

Thanks for pointing out this nice thingy.



Wonko