Official MediCat USB - A Multiboot Linux USB for PC Repair

[Jayro]

What happen to the medicat windows 7 version?

It became too difficult to maintain and fix, it was bloated, and very broken in a lot of ways. So I started fresh with Mini Windows 8, but then Windows 10 dropped in July, and I went with 10 instead. Mostly for better driver support, but also for longevity. Windows 10 is going to stick around for a while, so I figured I'd just skip Mini Windows 8 altogether. So while I have Mini Windows 8 on my USB harddrive, it's never seen the light of day as a pubic release.

 

[red9350]

Can you add Cisco TeslaCrypt? It's a free tool used to decrypt files locked by ransomwares. Can you add Shadow Explorer too?

 

[Jayro]

Can you add Cisco TeslaCrypt? It's a free tool used to decrypt files locked by ransomwares. Can you add Shadow Explorer too?

I'll take a look at them when I get home. If they can both run portable, it shouldn't be any problem.

 

[Grim Ripper]

Hello and thanks for the MediCat DVD.

I'm not exacty sure what kind of programs you have in it but is it possible to add Autoruns for Windows or the whole Sysinternals Suite?

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb842062

Also people can make a bootable dvd with plop boot manager and use that to boot from usb in older hardware with no "boot from usb" support.

 

[Jayro]

Hello and thanks for the MediCat DVD.

I'm not exacty sure what kind of programs you have in it but is it possible to add Autoruns for Windows or the whole Sysinternals Suite?

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb842062

Also people can make a bootable dvd with plop boot manager and use that to boot from usb in older hardware with no "boot from usb" support.

Ill look into those, and I have the plop boot manager on MediCat, I just haven't experimented with it yet.

 

[Shoshi]

I got Bitdefender working, although the Bitdefender menu and the loading screen looks messed up. I ended up finally getting SARDU 3.0 to work on my computer to see how it lays out a USB and ISO. Jayro, thanks for the information. However it looks like that is a different version of ESET. I cannot get it to work by adding it to MediCat or by creating a brand new multiboot layout in SARDU despite SARDU having the ISO listed and it looking like its based on Ubuntu. I my post about this on the SARDU forums, but it seems to not be very active.

 

[Shoshi]

A small update...

Bitdefender did not fully work. It loaded but the antivirus engine would not work. I had extracted the files and ran it as a flat file system. However I figured out how to boot it as an ISO and it loads and actually works. However there is no more Bitdefender selection menu so you cannot select language and there is no more fancy loading screen. If anyone knows how to change this, let me know. Bitdefenderis Gentoo based.

 

[Jayro]

I got Bitdefender working, although the Bitdefender menu and the loading screen looks messed up. I ended up finally getting SARDU 3.0 to work on my computer to see how it lays out a USB and ISO. Jayro, thanks for the information. However it looks like that is a different version of ESET. I cannot get it to work by adding it to MediCat or by creating a brand new multiboot layout in SARDU despite SARDU having the ISO listed and it looking like its based on Ubuntu. I my post about this on the SARDU forums, but it seems to not be very active.

I think the version of Eset SysRescue you (and most people) are using is the Linux LiveCD version. Mine is a WinPE version. It's smaller, and boots up without issues (for me and my machines, anyway). I had some SLAX-based antivirus before, and it would never boot up either, always crashing to busybox prompt. BitDefender was simply too large to keep on MediCat DVD, that's why I removed it early-on. I don't remember having issues booting it though. It could have been the version of Sardu I used, it was an older 2.x.x.x version with the older Syslinux menu, 4.06. So many variables, it's really hard to say. Another reason I stick with the WinPE version of Eset (besides it's 190MB footprint) is I can generate a fresh ISO of it with updated virus definitions included in just a few clicks, before releasing MediCat DVD.

 

[Shoshi]

I think the version of Eset SysRescue you (and most people) are using is the Linux LiveCD version. Mine is a WinPE version. It's smaller, and boots up without issues (for me and my machines, anyway). I had some SLAX-based antivirus before, and it would never boot up either, always crashing to busybox prompt. BitDefender was simply too large to keep on MediCat DVD, that's why I removed it early-on. I don't remember having issues booting it though. It could have been the version of Sardu I used, it was an older 2.x.x.x version with the older Syslinux menu, 4.06. So many variables, it's really hard to say. Another reason I stick with the WinPE version of Eset (besides it's 190MB footprint) is I can generate a fresh ISO of it with updated virus definitions included in just a few clicks, before releasing MediCat DVD.

I understand that saving a lot of size is important. However when I run the WinPE version I am unable to update the virus database and it prompts me to enter my registration information that I do not have.

 

[Jayro]

I understand that saving a lot of size is important. However when I run the WinPE version I am unable to update the virus database and it prompts me to enter my registration information that I do not have.

Odd, I've never had that happen. I'll perform some more testing.

 

[Shoshi]

Odd, I've never had that happen. I'll perform some more testing.

I can take a screenshot if you need!

 

[Jayro]

I can take a screenshot if you need!

That might actually be of use to me, snag one if you can.

 

[Shoshi]

Ok!

The environment first loads and I click to update the database.

After that I press OK to try again and get this...

Pressing OK it just sits for a bit and the screen appears again. I I press cancel I cannot update at all.

 

[Jayro]

I just tried Eset myself with VMware and a freshly made Eset ISO, and while I got the same update error (I'm on Gigabit Ethernet with 120Mb down, 15Mb up), I didn't get the licensing error. I wonder if the licensing error is time-sensitive? Meaning the ISO actually expires after like, 30 days? If the Linux LiveCD ISO works better for you, then I suggest you stick with that. It seems severely outdated, but the update function works, and Linux has better chances of having hardware drivers that "just work" for internet anyways.

 

[Shoshi]

I do wish the Linux live cd was more up to date. With that being said, it does at least update! I also just got it integrated! So far it looks ok! I just wish I knew more about this, I feel like I am taking a hammer approach to getting stuff working.

 

[Jayro]

I do wish the Linux live cd was more up to date. With that being said, it does at least update! I also just got it integrated! So far it looks ok! I just wish I knew more about this, I feel like I am taking a hammer approach to getting stuff working.

View attachment 39149

Trust me, this project has tried my patience, my understanding, even my relationships. I had never dabbled with a WinPE image before, so I learned about them, and now I can modify my existing images with NTLite instead of GImageX or DSIM GUI. Or even 7zip can edit the .wim files without mounting them, and that saves lots of time. Linux continues to both frustrate me, and blow my mind at what it can accomplish. Overall, I've really gotten to brush up on my artwork, my understanding of portable apps, how WinPE chainloads apps and libraries upon startup, etc. I'm just having an amazing time with this project, while at the same time contributing back to the PC repair community to make quite possibly the best damn "Hiren boot cd replacement" I can muster. I'm just one 32 year old guy with a laptop and a dream.

 

[Shoshi]

I know 7zip can read and extract files from .wim but it cannot add files or write to it. How are you using 7zip to edit the file?

 

[Jayro]

I know 7zip can read and extract files from .wim but it cannot add files or write to it. How are you using 7zip to edit the file?

I dunno, I'm using the latest version (15.14) and I can drag files to and from the .wim file as needed.

 

[Shoshi]

Interesting. I also have 15.14 and I get a not implemented message when I try...

 

[Jayro]

Made a new background for the v4.23.2016 April release: