Windows computers can become unresponsive at times, stopping your work. There is a way where you can easily get back to your valuable data using Linux. Linux can also penetrate in to the system’s registry and make changes. So, you can retrieve important data from the system before reinstalling Windows. If the problem in your computer is due to a virus, merely cleaning the virus from your computer’s registry will solve the issue. If the problem is something more than that and if you do not have a backup of your valuable data, you can use Linux. The steps that is going to be discussed can be used in any version of Linux CD.

Method to use Linux

• Create a copy of Linux and reboot the PC
• When the CD-ROM prompts, press “Enter”
• Open the Terminal Window from the “Application Menu”
• Enter “regedit” once the command prompt appears and make necessary changes to the Registry Editor
• Choose “hard-disk partition” from the desktop and select a folder to store data
• The program “K3B” can be used to write to a DVD or CD and also to drag and drop files to the USB folder

You can use Linux to:

 Create the Live CD

The first step involved in this process is to create a Live CD based on Ubuntu. Download the Linux software and burn the file into a CD. When this process is in place, you can also create another CD through the reconstructor to accommodate custom applications that are not built-in.

If you are not comfortable with carrying the Live CD around, you can also create a Live USB. This is nothing but a flash drive which contains Linux. This can be booted much faster when compared to the CD. However, the only problem with this is, it does not support all computers. The best solution is to have both the CD and USB.

 Reset the Password

If you are trying to pick up a forgotten password, using Linux is best suggested. Boot up Linux and run the commands which will reset your password. This is so simple to follow and take a look at the various ways you can do this:

• Change Windows password from the CD
• Reset the Ubuntu password via Live CD
• Change the password using the Linux System Rescue CD

• Identify Hardware Problems

Hardware problems can be diagnosed and fixed using Ubuntu Linux. Boot up the Live CD and run any application. Now test all the hardware from Linux and if it works fine, most likely the problem has to be a virus, driver or Windows issue. Memtest86+ can also be used to test hardware components like the RAM. Other tools can also be used to test the CPU and motherboard.

 Cloning the Hard Drive

If you have a new hard drive replaced or want to have a backup of the entire files in the system, Linux Live CD can be used. Linux clones the drive, creates the drive image and even transfers the image to another computer. Cloning is easy but you need to take a close look at the guidelines to see which files can be backed up from the PC.

 Recovering Data and Deleted Files

Important files which are accidentally deleted can be retrieved using Ubuntu Linux Live CD. Boot up Linux and get back the deleted files with a few keystrokes. This method is useful when you are not able to login to Windows due to a virus attack or other reasons. If your system can boot up with Windows but you still prefer to restore the deleted file, you can do it.

You can also repair damaged CDs that have the backup files and also access these files from a dead Windows computer. Do you have Linux Live CD or a USB drive with you? If no, then get it and have it done right away.

Ryan Larkin writes about Social Media, Technology and the latest about the Internet. He is writing for www.broadbandproviders.com – the leading provider of the best value broadband internet. click here