A "Skeleton Key" For Your PC
With the above info, combined with the information we discussed in Part One, you can build your own boot CD with exactly the files you need to get your system running and to perform whatever level of repairs your skills and interest suggest.

In effect, this boot CD is a kind of skeleton key you can use to gain access to your PC--or almost any PC. What's more, by filling the CD with software tools, you can create an entire workshop-on-disc that might be the only tool you need to diagnose and repair a huge range of system problems.

It just might end up being the most useful and valuable software tool you own--and all it cost you was some time, and a blank CD!

Join the discussion! What tools do you use? How do you create bootable CDs on your system? How do preconfigured boot CDs compare with the custom type that Fred discusses? How do you use your boot CDs? Join in!

To discuss this column with other readers, please visit Fred Langa's forum on the Listening Post.

To find out more about Fred Langa, please visit his page on the Listening Post.