Posting a second straight landslide victory, Winternals Software's ERD Commander 2002 proudly claims the top spot in the Best Emergency Recovery Console Utility category. ERD Commander 2002 provides the useful capability to boot dead systems directly from CD-ROM into a Windows-like repair environment, bypassing the OS of the damaged machine.
By regaining access to the dead system's volumes, you can use tools on the ERD Commander 2002 Start menu to diagnose and repair problems. The Service and Driver Manager gives you graphical access to the dead system's registry so that you can disable services or drivers. The Locksmith Wizard lets you quickly reset lost or locked-out administrator passwords. The Registry Editor lets you reset registry permissions. The File Explorer lets you browse the dead system's volumes to copy, move, delete, rename, and examine the properties of files and directories. You can also browse an unbootable system's event logs, browse the local network for replacement drivers, and look for tips in the integrated Help facility, all from an intuitive desktop environment.
ERD Commander 2003 is now available, offering the look and feel of Windows XP. New features include the ability to compare unbootable systems' files, services, and drivers with those of working systems.