ERD Commander in MSDaRT 6.5

Applies To: Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset 6.5

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (MSDaRT) 6.5 helps diagnose and repair a system that has trouble starting or has other issues. When you start the system using the Emergency Repair Disk (ERD), also referred to as Boot CD for MSDaRT, a System Recovery Options dialog box appears. A graphical environment and a command-line console are available. The command-line console can be opened by clicking the Command Prompt option in the System Recovery Options menu. You can access any Windows® 7 or Windows Server® 2008 R2 file system, which includes FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset is available on the System Recovery Options menu. Clicking MSDaRT opens a detailed MSDaRT Tools menu which presents various recovery tools.

The following table lists some of the problems that can be solved using the utilities and wizards that are provided in the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset.

Task Solution

Edit the Registry

The ERD Registry Editor utility on the MSDaRT Tools menu provides information about the registry that can help you repair a system.

Regain access to a system

The Locksmith wizard can be used to list the local user accounts and change passwords.

Diagnose a system failure

The Crash Analyzer can be used to diagnose the cause of a system crash and identify the driver that caused the failure.

Salvage and repair partitions or volumes

The Disk Commander can be used to salvage or repair partitions, or volumes.

Recover deleted files

The File Restore utility can be used to find and restore deleted files from any supported Windows-based file system.

Erase disks or volumes

The Disk Wipe utility can be used to erase disks or volumes.

Search for particular files

The Search utility allows you to restrict the scope of your search by specifying part of the name, search location, estimated size of the file, or the time when the file was modified.

Browse drives

The Explorer utility allows you to browse folders and files that are stored on various drives.

Perform administrative tasks to manage the computer

The Computer Management utility provides recovery tools to help you:

  • Disable problematic drivers or services.

  • View event logs.

  • Partition and format hard disk drives.

  • Get information about Autoruns.

  • Get information about the computer.

Configure TCP/IP

The TCP/IP Config utility helps you to display and set a TCP/IP configuration.

Uninstall Windows hotfixes and service packs

Hotfix Uninstall can be used to remove Windows hotfixes or service packs from a system that cannot be started.

Check and repair system files

The SFC Scan utility helps you check system files and repair any that are corrupt or missing.

Use an anti-malware tool

The Standalone System Sweeper utility helps detect malware or other unwanted software, and alerts you to potential risks.

The following Help topics provide information about creating a boot CD for MSDaRT and the system requirements for running MSDaRT: