Rescue distros The Verdict
The first step to rescuing a damaged computer is to have access to the right utility, which is why we looked favourably at distros with a large collection of tools. But just having the largest collection of tools isn’t of much use in the hands of inexperienced users. Taking that into consideration, the winner of this Roundup has to be a distro which can be used by a large number of people, irrespective of skill and experience.
This is why ALT Linux Rescue loses out. While the distro is equipped to handle all sorts of repair and rescue jobs, it won’t be of much use in the hands of new users – it’s firmly designed for experienced technicians.
Morpheusarch Linux loses out for similar but different reasons. Unlike ALT, the distro boots into a graphical desktop, but all the tools it packs are Cli-based and the distro provides no assistance to help guide users to the right tool for the job. We do like its Lindiag utility, which is a nice attempt to make some of the tools more palatable to first-time users, despite its limited area of reach. But the fact that it isn’t included by default in the distro is a huge downer.
Systemrescuecd has some of the same problems. Unlike earlier versions of the distro, which had a comprehensive boot menu, the current version is only useful in the hands of someone who is familiar with its cache of tools.
The two options that impressed us the most are AIO System Rescue Kit and UBCD. Both are loaded to the brim with tools and utilities, and have customised interfaces to help you find your way to the right tool. However, AIO loses out to UBCD for its strong focus on Windows-specific repairs. Even its customised menu comes up when the distro runs from inside Windows.
UBCD wins this Roundup because it scores highly on both our criteria. The distro is loaded with tools and is still intuitive enough to be of use in the hands of first-timers. Its logically arranged boot menu is also its USP, offering useful information to help you identify the right tool and then boot straight into it.