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Live Windows Bootable CDs for Sysadmins

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the Kootwijkerbroek dept.

WhoDaresWins writes "Ever wonder how to make a Knoppix-like live Windows bootable CD (or DVD)? Well its now possible using Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD. It's basically an expansion of the Microsoft's own Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) idea which is a minimal Windows (XP/2K3) based bootable live CD with a command prompt and the ability to run some basic Windows GUI. Bart's PE allows anyone to make a bootable CD using their own Windows XP/2K3 media with Bart's PE Builder. What's more many people have contributed quite a few plugins that allow you to use the BartPE discs as quite a nifty system administration tool and with some work an almost usable quick system."

10 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Why didn't we have this sooner? by MattyCobb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why didn't we have this sooner? ....Like, 8 years ago? Would you REALLY want to see bootable Microsoft code from 8 years ago? eh!? answer me that!!!

    --

    Matt
    You have 1 Moderator Point! Use it or lose it! Is that a threat? -vapid
  2. Yeah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "New hardware has been detected. Please reboot for the changes to take effect..."
    "Windows is shutting down"
    "Write configuration failed. The volume E: is read-only"
    ***
    "Loading Windows"
    "New hardware has been detected. Please reboot for the changes to take effect..."

  3. New plugin announcement! by Trillan · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd like to announce the new Blue Screen of Death plugin. This plugin makes a blue screen of death a simple click away. Remove the unpredictability of not knowing exactly when your system will die!

    Warning: Does not remove other blue screens of death.

  4. Re:Why didn't we have this sooner? by neonstz · · Score: 5, Funny
    Like, 8 years ago?

    Because the windows source wasn't released until now. :)

  5. Almost usable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...an almost usable quick system.

    Almost usable...doesn't that describe all versions of Windows, stripped down or not?

  6. Re:Bootable Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Bootable Windows"

    As opposed to all those that won't boot?
    Well, this IS something new!

  7. I browsed microsoft.com but couldn't find by prostoalex · · Score: 4, Funny

    Any word on when they plan to leak the source?

  8. Stop! by christophe · · Score: 4, Funny

    This man released something which involves making a copy of the copyrighted intellectual property from Microsoft! We must stop him, or Windows will be available on P2P networks very soon, and terrorists will use it to destroy the world!

    (This 'copy is bad' nonsense works both ways, right?)

    --
    Christophe (Don't hesitate to point out my spelling and grammar mistakes, I want to learn - Thanks).
  9. Great tool for converting Linux users! by hingo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, this could be a great tool for converting Linux users to WinXP!! Now they can try Windows without installing it and when they start to like it, they can switch to a WinXP installed on the harddrive.

    This Live-Windows-CD is also great, if you need to use Windows but all your friends have Linux and in your office there is only Linux etcetc... Don't worry, now you can keep this CD in your pocket, and use Windows on any computer!

    Oh wait... did I just get something backwards?

  10. Is it good for windows newbies? by ron_ivi · · Score: 4, Funny
    Cool, now we can finally try this Windows thing that I hear lots of people talking about - without having to re-partition our hard drives!

    If it's good, maybe it'll take some market share from BSD.