Implementing preinstallation environment media for use in user support

The creation and usage of a Preinstallation Environment (PE) media for use as a User Services tool for cleaning/repairing security attacks, data recovery and repairing Windows installations. As happens occasionally, a Windows installation is corrupted and a user receives an error indicating the inability to logon to the system. While in some cases a simple Check Disk (ChkDsk /r) at the command prompt is sufficient to fix the error. At times, a Master Boot Record needs to be fixed (FixMBR) or a reconfiguration of the boot settings (BootCFG) is needed. Still other times, the operating system needs to be completely reinstalled. In cases such as these, a user's data needs to be accessed. In our environment the hard drive is usually pulled from the chassis and transported to another office on campus to attach to a secondary system and recovery tools are then run at that location. From a security standpoint, an infected/hacked machine is often also pulled or an expensive Winternals CD must be used to identify the infected files. While this is in theory now, we are building and testing a bootable PE device in which a system can boot from this CD or USB device and then tools can be run or data recovered at the location of the system itself. We then propose to create additional devices for the members of the desktop support staff who are dispatched to identify security breaks or malfunctioning hardware.