Official MediCat USB - A Multiboot Linux USB for PC Repair

It's based on WinBuilder. (Win10XPE)

 

Progress Report:

I have added Memtest86+ v5.31 Beta to the Diagnostic Tools menu. ==> This boots in BIOS mode.
Not to be confused with PassMark's Memtest86 v9.0 Beta 2. ==> This boots in UEFI mode.

MemTest86+ and PassMark's MemTest86 are not the same programs, not even close. I know having similar names can be confusing, but I try to distinguish them a bit in the menu, and added a proper icon to PassMark's Memtest86, which has been upgraded from v8.3 to v9.0 Beta 2!

I have set MemTest86+ to autoboot with MEMDISK in ventoy.json, so you don't have to enable it before hitting Enter.

I also made a new icon for Memtest 86+ from scratch, giving it that DOS app vibe.

Here's how they look in the menu:


MediCat v21.01 is getting VERY close to a release, as it's just about done. I'll hopefully upload the new version by tonight.

 

It's not out yet, calm down. LOL

 

Progress Report:

So MediCat USB's v21.01 release was supposed to launch yesterday, but it kinda didn't happen yet, as I've been trying to finish up MediCat VHD. This way I can release them together, side by side.

But I want to clear some things up:
1.) MediCat USB will NOT include MediCat VHD... As it's simply too big, and would require a 64GB USB stick minimum, and a hefty download size.
2.) MediCat VHD WILL be released as a Drag and Drop add-on for MediCat USB, if you want it on your MediCat USB stick. you'll just extract the zip file to the root of your MediCat USB stick (v21.01 and later), and you'll see a new Icon in the list called "VHDs -->". Open it, and you will see MediCat VHD, ready to boot.
3.) MediCat VHD will have it's own menu, but I will try to have it autoboot as quickly as possible.
4.) MediCat VHD will boot via UEFI but booting in Legacy BIOS mode may or may not work for you. I got lucky and it works for me.
5.) MediCat VHD is a 20GB VHD file, with 3GB of free space inside. The other 16.5GB is taken up by Windows 10, but I've slimmed it down as much as I can without losing major functionality like Windows Updates, Networking support, etc.
6.) MediCat VHD has .NET v2.0 through 4.8 installed., as well as Visual C++ Redistributables. So it will run pretty-much anything a regular Windows 10 installation can run. Your USB device is the only bottleneck. USB 3.0 is HIGHLY recommended as the bare-minimum, USB 3.2 Gen 2 recommended. USB 2.0 will be too slow for regular operation.
7.) MediCat VHD is NOT a Win10PE like Mini Windows 10. It's a full installation of Windows 10 for PC repair, that uses your computer's real hardware. It's a lot less limiting in functionality.
8.) Regarding drivers, MediCat VHD was built and tested on AMD Ryzen hardware. However, I suspect it should run on Intel/Nvidia hardware without any issues. It comes with AMD graphics drivers pre-installed. Nvidia and Intel graphics drivers are not pre-installed, but feel free to add them if you wish.
9.) MediCat VHD was also built with ODD emulation harddrive enclosures in mind. The iODD 2531, iODD 2541, iODD Mini are all supported. Simply drop the MediCat VHD file into the _ISO folder of your iODD drive, mount the VHD, and select the MediCat VHD device at the BIOS's boot menu! I don't have a Zalman version to compare compatibility with, but I highly recommend anyone using the Zalman variants to flash theirs with the superior iODD firmware.
10.) If you DO use MediCat VHD on an iODD device, you MUST leave the "&DW" at the end of the filename, so the iODD drive knows the VHD is read/write! The file name is [UEFI]_MediCat_VHD_&DW.vhd, So please don't rename that part of the file if using with an iODD drive.

Here are some screenshots of the new VHD menu added to MediCat USB v21.01, And the MediCat VHD Desktop:



With all this exciting stuff, I've been very busy... But MediCat v21.01 will release later tonight, I'm working on it right now and finishing up the release. I still have some Changelog stuff to do. I'll post here again when the release's torrent is ready.

 

MediCat VHD has just been released!

You can find it HERE

It's Magnet Link only for now, until the seeding really takes off. Then I can upload to my file hosts.

 

MediCat USB has Mini Windows 10, which is handy, but has many limitations. MediCat VHD is an alternative to Mini Windows 10, as it's a real Windows 10 installation, not a gimped WinPE.

Or in simpler terms, this can do more.

 

MediCat USB v21.01 has just been released!

Get it here as usual. Only the Magnet link is up for now. Once the seeding gets good I'll upload to the file hosts.

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