DLC Boot

A bootable rescue environment with the whole technician toolbox on it, covering partitioning, imaging, password recovery, data rescue, and hardware testing without needing the installed system to start at all.

Version 4.3 4.18 GB Bootable ISO / USB (32-bit and 64-bit) Updated 1 week ago

Overview

What this release is

DLC Boot is the disc you keep in the drawer for the day a machine will not start. It boots into its own Windows preinstallation environment from a stick or a disc, ignores whatever state the installed system is in, and gives you a desktop with a few hundred maintenance tools already on it.

The partitioning section alone justifies carrying it. Full graphical partition managers, master boot record and GUID partition table repair, boot configuration rebuilding, and the ability to resize or move a system partition from outside the running system, which is the only way some of those operations are actually safe.

Data rescue is the other half of why people carry it. File recovery tools that read deleted entries, deeper carving tools that reconstruct files from raw sectors when the table is gone, disk cloning that skips bad sectors instead of stalling on them, and imaging tools that can capture a failing drive before it gets worse.

Then there is everything else: password reset for local accounts, registry editing against an offline system, driver backup and restore, hardware stress testing for memory and storage, temperature monitoring, network tools, several antivirus scanners that run outside the infected system, and a file manager that can reach any partition on the machine.

The build boots on UEFI and legacy hardware, includes both architectures, and carries a broad storage driver set so it recognises NVMe and RAID controllers that a stock recovery environment refuses to see.

Feature set

What you get

Boots without the system

Runs entirely from the stick in its own environment, so a machine that will not start is still fully workable.

Partition toolbox

Graphical partition managers plus boot record repair, partition table rebuilding, and safe resize from outside the installed system.

Data recovery

Deleted file recovery, raw sector carving, and cloning that skips bad sectors rather than stalling on them.

Offline password reset

Clears or replaces local account passwords by editing the account database directly.

Hardware testing

Memory, storage, and thermal testing so you can tell a failing drive from a corrupted install.

Offline virus scanning

Several scanners that run outside the installed system, where nothing can hide from them.

Changes in this build

What changed

Updated preinstallation environment base with a wider storage and network driver set
Added support for recent NVMe controllers that the previous build failed to enumerate
Partition tools updated to current releases across the whole section
Menu reorganised so the recovery and diagnostic sections are separated
Fixed the boot failure on machines with secure boot left enabled in certain firmware versions

Installation

How to install it

Write the image to a USB stick of 8 GB or larger using a tool that supports both UEFI and legacy boot entries.
Alternatively use the included builder to create a multi boot stick alongside other images.
Set the machine to boot from the stick in firmware, or use the one time boot menu.
Pick the environment that matches the machine architecture from the first menu.
Work from the environment rather than from the installed system, which is the whole point of using it.

Hardware

System requirements

Processor	Any 64-bit processor, 32-bit environment included for older hardware
Memory	2 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended since the environment loads into memory
Graphics	Any adapter with a basic display driver
Storage	8 GB USB stick, no installation to the internal disk
Display	1024 x 768 or higher
System	UEFI or legacy BIOS

Package

Release information

Title	DLC Boot
Version	4.3
Developer	Tran Duy Linh
Category	System Utilities
Platform	Bootable ISO / USB (32-bit and 64-bit)
Package size	4.18 GB
Interface languages	English and Vietnamese
Release identifier	BS-43000001
Listed	4 years ago
Last rebuilt	1 week ago
Total downloads	193,146

Questions

Before you start

Does it install anything on the machine?

No. It runs entirely from the stick and leaves the internal disk alone unless you use a tool that writes to it deliberately.

Will it boot on secure boot machines?

Usually. If it refuses, turn secure boot off in firmware for the session and turn it back on afterwards.

Can it recover files from a dying drive?

It can clone the drive while skipping bad sectors, which is the correct first step. Recover from the clone, not from the failing disk.

Why does it take a while to start?

The environment loads into memory so it can keep working even if the stick is removed. That first load is the slow part.