Recovery software

Bootable

Data recovery cannot always be done on a running system. As a result boot disk, Live CD, Live USB, or any other type of Live Distro containing a minimal operating system and a set of repair tools.

List of live CDs

This is a list of live CDs. A live CD or live DVD is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive.

Rescue and Repair Live CDs

• Billix – a multiboot distribution and system administration toolkit with the ability to install any of the included Linux distributions
• Hiren's Boot CD – DOS-based computer rescue CD (partition, filesystem, and Windows tools)
• Inquisitor – Linux-based hardware diagnostics, stress testing and benchmarking Live CD
• RIP: (R)ecovery (I)s (P)ossible is a Linux-based CD with partition tool and network tools (Samba), based on the 2.6.17 kernel.
• SystemRescueCD is a Linux-based CD with tools for Windows and Linux repairs, based on the 2.6 kernel.
• Trinity Rescue Kit – Mandriva Linux-based CD for use on a Windows or Linux based system.
• Ultimate Boot CD^[1] – Linux/freeDOS-based computer rescue CD (partition, filesystem, and Windows tools)
• UBCD4Win^[2] – the Windows version of Ultimate Boot CD (BartPE based)
• Parted Magic – GNU/Linux live CD with rescue and partitioning tool

BSD-based

• Anonym.OS – an OpenBSD-based disk for secure anonymous web browsing
• DesktopBSD – as of 1.6RC1^[3] FreeBSD and FreeSBIE based
• DragonFly BSD
• FreeNAS – m0n0wall based
• FreeSBIE – FreeBSD based
• Ging – Debian GNU/kFreeBSD based
• m0n0wall – FreeBSD based
• pfSense – m0n0wall based
• Jibbed – NetBSD based

Debian-based

• Damn Small Linux – very light and small with JWM and fluxbox, installable Live CD
• DemoLinux (versions 2 and 3) – one of the very first Live CDs
• Dreamlinux – installable Live CD to hard drives or flash media
• Finnix – a small system administration Live CD. A PowerPC version is available.
• Freeduc-cd – an educational live CD using Xfce realized with the help of UNESCO
• gnuLinEx – includes GNOME
• GNUstep – works on i386, AMD64, UltraSPARC, and PowerPC
• grml – installable Live CD for sysadmins and text tool users
• Kanotix – installable Live CD
• Knoppix – the "original" Debian-based Live CD
• MEPIS – installable Live CD
• sidux^[4] based on Debian unstable (Sid), installable Live CD, DVD
• Tuquito – created in Argentina
• ULAnux/ULAnix – created in Mérida, Venezuela, and available on CD/DVD and USB forms

Ubuntu-based

These are based at least partially on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian:

• CrunchBang Linux – installable Live CD, using Openbox as window manager
• Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu – installable Live CDs
• gNewSense – supported by the Free Software Foundation, includes GNOME
• gOS – a series of lightweight operating systems based on Ubuntu with Ajax-based applications and other Web 2.0 applications, geared to beginning users, installable Live CD
• Linux Mint – installable Live CD
• openGEU – installable Live CD
• Sage – designed solely for the use of sage mathematics software
• Ubuntu – installable Live CD
• Super OS (formerly Super Ubuntu) – installable Live DVD, can be converted to a Live USB using the built-in cd2usb or usb-creator
• TurnKey Linux – family of installable Live CD appliances optimized for ease of use in server-type usage scenarios
• WeakNet Linux - installable Live CD with Security tools coded by members of WeakNet Laboratories