I Always Keep a Copy of This Rescue USB Handy (and You Should, Too)

Modern computers are built to last, and you almost never encounter a problem that renders your computer useless. While hardware problems require a degree of expertise to troubleshoot, most software problems can be handled with tools you can keep handy on a USB backup.

What is a Rescue USB?

As mentioned before, catastrophic system failures are rare, but they can cause a lot of problems when they do happen. For starters, troubleshooting a PC that won’t even start is quite difficult. You will also have trouble recovering any data that may be on the damaged PC.

This is where a backup USB comes in handy. These backup USBs, formerly called backup CDs, usually have a tool like SystemRescue that boots the system into another environment and allows you to perform repairs, solve problems, or recover your data.

Now, there are plenty of tools out there that can save you in a pinch. I prefer to use it SystemRescue– a Linux system backup toolkit that operates as its own bootable environment. It comes with a bunch of system utilities like Test-disk (to test your storage drives), Memtest (to test your computer’s memory) and GParted (to manage your storage drives) that you can use to carry out administrative or repair activities. You will also find network tools like Samba, NFS, ping, nslookup, and other basic tools like editors and support for all major file formats like EXT4 and NTFS.

It can be used for x86 and x64 systems, regardless of whether the installed OS is Windows or Linux. It’s also easy to make custom versions of the toolkit, including your own script to automate tasks. It is a useful feature for IT administrators who work on multiple PCs simultaneously.

Why you should have a USB SystemRescue Handy

Being able to repair your PC yourself is a valuable skill that every avid PC user should have. SystemRescue makes this even easier as you can create a SystemRescue USB once and keep it with you to access or repair systems when needed. Having a recovery USB can be usefulbut reinstalling the OS is not always an option.

Besides saving your PC, there are many other reasons you want a backup USB on the go. It allows you to play with administrative and other computer tools that you don’t need to use every day and build a first-hand understanding of how your computer works.

Since most of these toolkits, including SystemRescue, are based on Linux, playing with a backup USB also gives you the opportunity to learn about Linux at the same time if you haven’t already. Most of my knowledge about computers, especially Linux, comes from trying to solve problems myself and playing with new OSes or programs every chance I get.

How to create the USB SystemRescue

The process of creating a SystemRescue USB is simple. Just download the latest version SystemRescueget your hands on Rufus, grab a USB stick with at least 8GB of storage, and make a bootable SystemRescue USB in no time. The process is identical to create a bootable USB drive from an ISO.

If you’re on Linux, SystemRescue offers its own SystemRescue USB Writer, which works on most, if not all, Linux distros. Here’s how you can quickly make one if you’re on Windows:

1. Download and install Rufus.

2. Below boot selection, click the SELECT button to select your SystemRescue ISO file.

3. Below partition scheme, select MBR from the menu to the curtain.

4. Below target system, select BIOS or UEFI.

5. Check the Volume label next field, must read RESCUEXXXX. IX represent the version number of the ISO file you downloaded.

6. Put the File system to FAT32. You can leave the Cluster size set to its default value.

7. Click the Begin button to create the bootable drive.

From this point forward, you are free to boot your PC using the newly made bootable drive. You can start playing with it immediately; your PC doesn’t need to break for you to run SystemRescue. You can boot into the toolkit to test the tools, see what works, or install your own tools or scripts.

Alternatives to SystemRescue

SystemRescue is a free tool with everything you need to get a PC back up and running. However, if you want to use something else, try it Clonezilla-SysRescCD, saveo GParted Live. They are all Linux-based system backup bootables that can backup both Windows and Linux systems.

PCs don’t fail every day, but it can be quite a problem when they do, and having a backup USB on hand can save you serious time and effort getting your hardware back online.