Official MediCat USB - A Multiboot Linux USB for PC Repair

[Jayro]

Please help me to add Victoria 3.52 (for DOS, not foe Windows) in MediCat flash drive. I can't.

I put victoria.ima (goo.gl/48oZ8G) into MEDICAT folder on usb flash. Add this text in harddisk_tools.cfg (between GParted and Norton Ghost):

LABEL Victoria v3.52
MENU LABEL Victoria v3.52 ==>
KERNEL memdisk
        kernel /memdisk
    APPEND ramdisk_size=900000 initrd=/MEDICAT/victoria.ima
text help
                         Victoria v3.52.
endtext

But i get next error: s018.radikal.ru/i509/1710/99/08a630412ad4.jpg

How i fix it? Thanks!

@Gigses I had to make my own Victoria 3.52 floppy image, but I got it to work. download this version of Victoria 3.52 HERE.

And here is the code I used:

LABEL Victoria v3.52
MENU LABEL Victoria v3.52 ==>
KERNEL memdisk
        kernel /memdisk
    APPEND ramdisk_size=400000 initrd=/MEDICAT/victoria.img
text help
                         Victoria v3.52.
endtext

 

[Mat69]

Lubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) released! >>>

http://lubuntu.me/artful-released/

 

[Jayro]

Lubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) released! >>>

http://lubuntu.me/artful-released/

Thanks, I'll be updating and prepping the release tonight. Might not release it for a day or two though. My upload speeds are garbage.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

View attachment 84386​

☑ Project is still active.
☑ This project is absolutely free to use; I do not charge anything for MediCat DVD.
☑ The full MediCat DVD aims to replace Hiren's Boot CD/DVD, for bleeding edge computers.
☑ Derivative projects are allowed and encouraged.
☑ MediCat DVD is clean of viruses, malware, or any kind of malicious code.
☑ Modify MediCat's ISOs and menus as you see fit with UltraISO.
☑ USB bootable using Rufus, or similar USB tools.
☑ Now has a page on http://alternativeto.net/software/medicat-dvd/
☑ Gluten-free, non-GMO, gender neutral, and no trans-fats!

Spoiler: What is MediCat DVD? Learn About MediCat Here. ==>

MediCat History:
I run a PC repair service out of my home called ReSET Computers. As a seasoned PC Technician (A+ Certified by CompTIA) in the field for 16 years, I could never find a software toolbox that could fit my personal needs.... Until I found YUMI, which allowed me to customize my own. That got me making multiboot USB sticks, and all was great. However, some older hardware (and picky computers) wouldn't boot from them, rendering them useless. Even the F-key boot menu wouldn't work. Sometimes the BIOS just doesn't support bootable USB sticks for whatever reason, even when set to Legacy Boot in the BIOS settings. So I made a bootable DVD variety, for those finicky computers that refuse to (or can't) boot from USB. So I created a bootable ISO called MediCat DVD in early 2012. I kept working on it and kept it updated whenever I needed to, but never thought about releasing it. The first public release wasn't until February 2nd, 2014. I had a stable home and job so I figured, 'why not?'.

The Project Objective:
My overall goal of this project is to continue where Hiren's Boot CD/DVD left off in 2012; Provide a simplified menu system that's completely overloaded with useful PC tools, be easy to navigate, and remain aesthetically pleasing to technicians. I wanted something elegant, but not too distracting. I didn't want it to come across as too technical-looking, or confusing. So I did what I could to spruce things up, within the constraints of SYSLINUX.

ISO Testing:
I periodically test my ISOs in Virtualbox and VMware, whenever I make enough drastic changes in PowerISO UltraISO. (PowerISO 6.0 is now bundled with adware by Conduit Ltd. called "Search Protect". For this reason alone, I can no longer promote or support the use of PowerISO) I also test out the USB and DVD versions across different hardware in my home, to make sure it works across as many hardware configs as possible. All the artwork was generated by myself from scratch in Photoshop (Yes, I have borrowed and re-purposed the Nyan Cat), and all menus have been completely re-written to function as I needed them to. Constant testing to make sure the boot paths are correct takes a large part of my time, but is always necessary.

​

Click the Google Drive or MEGA buttons below for the download directory:

View attachment 84441 View attachment 27786 View attachment 85854​

View attachment 85568​

​

Spoiler: How to create a bootable USB drive with Rufus. ==>

1.) Choose your USB drive you're going to use. Use caution, as it will be erased!

2.) Click on the CD-Rom drive icon on the right, and choose the MediCat ISO you want to put on the USB drive.

3.) Set the File system to NTFS.

4.) Leave everything else as it is, and click the Start button. This will take a long time, depending on the amount of PortableApps installed. The NAKED builds have no PortableApps installed, so they take significantly less time. When it is finished, set your BIOS or UEFI to boot the USB drive from CSM / Legacy mode. (If you boot it from UEFI, it will boot into rEFInd EFI boot manager instead.)
​

​

This is how it should look:
View attachment 85510
​

MediCat DVD Screenshots:

View attachment 85564 View attachment 85565 View attachment 84426 View attachment 84418 View attachment 84416 View attachment 84420 View attachment 84423 View attachment 84424 View attachment 84415 View attachment 84425

Lubuntu Screenshots:

View attachment 84419

Mini Windows 10:

View attachment 84422


View attachment 50594

Spoiler: MediCat DVD and Mini Windows 10 are released under the WTFPL: ==>

DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, December 2004

Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <[email protected]>

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim or modified
copies of this license document, and changing it is allowed as long
as the name is changed.

DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

0. You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO.

For more information about the WTFPL: http://www.wtfpl.net/about/

Concerning Donations:

Please understand™:
As much as I appreciate you guys wanting to donate to me, I can't accept donations... This project is my labor of love. It's my way to give back to the tech industry. And it's just overall fun to work on. I have no financial need, so I wouldn't benefit from donations.

However, there are many smaller projects you can direct your donations to (listed below), as they help keep MediCat alive:

GBATemp's Patreon page

4MLinux

Snappy Driver Installer

Lubuntu

Gparted

PortableApps

Giving Center / Computers with Causes

FAQs:

Can I run the PortableApps on my current PC without MediCat?"
Yes, just mount the MediCat DVD or USB, and open Start.exe to launch the platform. These are the same exact apps that get loaded within Mini Windows 10. So if you update them, they will show up updated in Mini Windows 10 as well.

"Can I add or swap out the PortableApps with different ones?"
Absolutely, I encourage it! Please feel free to modify MediCat to YOUR individual needs! Just keep in mind, not all PortableApps will launch under Mini Windows 10, but should launch just fine in Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10. I have not tested them in Windows XP, so your mileage in XP may vary. Microsoft's .Net 2.0 Framework is the minimum requirement.

"Can I install Mini Windows 10 as my main OS?"
No, it doesn't work like that. It's a WinPE image (Windows Pre-install Environment) that runs in memory. It's primary use is to troubleshoot a troublesome PC.

"Is it free?"
Absolutely. I will never charge money for MediCat, or accept donations. However, fell free to share your ideas, questions, and concerns in this thread. That's how you can give back.

"How often will this be updated?"
All included ISOs on the DVD image will be updated to their latest versions, shortly following each release of Lubuntu every 6 months (April and October). The links here will always be the latest version. The PortableApps are easily updatable by the user, once they have been 'burned' to USB.

"My computer won't boot from DVD-R, what's up?"
Make sure your BIOS is set to boot from DVD-ROM drive first. If using a PC with an EFI, try disabling Secure Boot, and enable legacy/CSM booting if the option is there. Alternatively, there's usually an F-key Boot Menu you can bring up during POST. (Mine is F9, yours may be F2, F10, F12, etc.)

"If anyone can make these bootable DVDs and USB sticks, what makes yours so special?"
Nothing, really. Just simplicity, and convenience on my part. Everything is subjective to opinion of usefulness. My software suite may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it helps you in the field, yay!​

I gave MediCat a shot after nothing in HBCD would work on a brand new Intel NUC.
It boots Win10 fine when I use UEFI boot, but when I try to use legacy boot to get into the boot menu it complains about "vesamenu.c32: not a COM32R image"
Is this a known issue, or do you know a solution for it?

When I copied the files with Rufus it asked to update some .c32 files, I don't remember exactly what the message said, but as your post didn't mention anything about it, I clicked no. Maybe that would solve it, but I don't want to spend another 40 minutes copying the files with Rufus again so I'll just try to do what I need to do from Mini Win10 (which is cloning a mSATA drive to a m.2 one), just wanted to mention it in case this is something you can fix.

 

[Jayro]

I gave MediCat a shot after nothing in HBCD would work on a brand new Intel NUC.
It boots Win10 fine when I use UEFI boot, but when I try to use legacy boot to get into the boot menu it complains about "vesamenu.c32: not a COM32R image"
Is this a known issue, or do you know a solution for it?

When I copied the files with Rufus it asked to update some .c32 files, I don't remember exactly what the message said, but as your post didn't mention anything about it, I clicked no. Maybe that would solve it, but I don't want to spend another 40 minutes copying the files with Rufus again so I'll just try to do what I need to do from Mini Win10 (which is cloning a mSATA drive to a m.2 one), just wanted to mention it in case this is something you can fix.

You gotta click yes to any prompts from Rufus, as it fixes issues. Even putting the "fixed" files in the ISO, the prompts still come up, but the USB stick I make boot fine when I click yes to whatever it asks.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

You gotta click yes to any prompts from Rufus, as it fixes issues. Even putting the "fixed" files in the ISO, the prompts still come up, but the USB stick I make boot fine when I click yes to whatever it asks.

Thanks. Maybe it would be a good idea to add that to the instructions in the first post.
I did manage to get it done with Mini Windows 10 and the Acronis TrueImage that was on there. But the NUC bricked itself not long after.

 

[Jayro]

Thanks. Maybe it would be a good idea to add that to the instructions in the first post.
I did manage to get it done with Mini Windows 10 and the Acronis TrueImage that was on there. But the NUC bricked itself not long after.

I will add that to the OP upon upload of the new images this weekend. And I'm sorry to hear about the NUC bricking, those things are not cheap! I have fixed majority of the USB boot problems with this new-coming release on the 23rd. I'm thinking the grub.exe v0.4.5c nightly was to blame. I updated to the 0.4.6a (10-14-2017) nightly, and suddenly everything boots again.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I will add that to the OP upon upload of the new images this weekend. And I'm sorry to hear about the NUC bricking, those things are not cheap! I have fixed majority of the USB boot problems with this new-coming release on the 23rd. I'm thinking the grub.exe v0.4.5c nightly was to blame. I updated to the 0.4.6a (10-14-2017) nightly, and suddenly everything boots again.

I was helping out my dad by cloning the SSD for him, but ended up having to spend hours trying to help him troubleshoot instead.
Oh well, he's going to go and try to get it replaced tomorrow, let them deal with it.

 

[Jayro]

MediCat USB v17.10 has just been released!

​

MediCat DVD will now be referred to as MediCat USB, going forward. (Long overdue, I know)
As per the usual, the changelog and hashes are in the download folder, along with Rufus to make the USB bootable, and the Hasher program to compare your hashes.
The torrent will come sometime after Halloween when I have more time, so please be patient with Google Drive for now.
I poured over 224 hours into this release, and I hope it shows.
I love you all, and goodnight. <3

 

[myosddend]

Hello,
can you make patch for update from old to medicat.17.10.stable.iso.

 

[Jayro]

Hello,
can you make patch for update from old to medicat.17.10.stable.iso.

No, I wouldn't even know how to do that. But after you download the new ISO, you can just mount it and drag everything over to your existing MediCat USB stick and update that way.

 

[Dasanko]

MediCat USB v17.10 has just been released!
...
I love you all, and goodnight. <3​

Wonderful, I can't wait to check it out. I love you too. Metaphorically.

 

[chapsteph]

HI,

Thank you for the new release.
I've tested it yesterday but the mini windows 10 don't boot, there is a black screen with grub prompt.
Someone have the same thing ?
Thank you.

 

[myosddend]

No, I wouldn't even know how to do that. But after you download the new ISO, you can just mount it and drag everything over to your existing MediCat USB stick and update that way.

I mean, apply this to iso,
that we, would not have, to download the full ISO file,
for example using:

xdelta3.exe -e -9 -AA -B2147483648 -W16777216 -I0 -S lzma -vvvs medicat.17.04.01.stable.iso medicat.17.10.stable.iso patch_17.04.01_to_17.10.vcdiff

 

[Jayro]

I mean, apply this to iso,
that we, would not have, to download the full ISO file,
for example using:

xdelta3.exe -e -9 -AA -B2147483648 -W16777216 -I0 -S lzma -vvvs medicat.17.04.01.stable.iso medicat.17.10.stable.iso patch_17.04.01_to_17.10.vcdiff

I've never used xdelta, especially via command line, so I'll look into this when I have time later this month. Thanks for this!

 

[madbomb122]

great job on another release, but is there a way to change the color of the start menu and taskbar in mini win 10?
even if it involves editing the files (or registry) in the win 10 pe wim file (ive done a little in there already)

 

[Jayro]

great job on another release, but is there a way to change the color of the start menu and taskbar in mini win 10?
even if it involves editing the files (or registry) in the win 10 pe wim file (ive done a little in there already)

You can edit the registry to change the color and transparency, right now it's set to use whatever color is in the wallpaper. Change the wallpaper, and it will change to match it. Wallpaper is at Windows\Web\Wallpaper\img0.jpg inside the boot.wim file.

 

[chapsteph]

Hi,

any idea to boot the miniwindows 10 ?
I tried to create another USB key but it's the same, when I choose Mini windows 10 in the medicat menu I'm on a grub console.
Thank you

 

[madbomb122]

You can edit the registry to change the color and transparency, right now it's set to use whatever color is in the wallpaper. Change the wallpaper, and it will change to match it. Wallpaper is at Windows\Web\Wallpaper\img0.jpg inside the boot.wim file.

thanks, i thought i changed the "use the wallapaper color" setting.. but i guess i missed that, it was the setting i needed to change

 

[TheGlade]

Thanks for the new release, but it seems the hashes.txt is incorrect? filesizes and hashes do not match.