Utilizing bootable recovery media

The concept of live media is a wonderful thing, as we can boot into a completely different working environment from the operating system installed on our device and perform tasks without disrupting installed software on the host system. The desktop version of Ubuntu, for example, offers a complete computing environment we can use in order to not only test hardware and troubleshoot our systems but also browse the web just as we would on an installed system. In terms of recovering from disasters, live media becomes a saving grace.

As administrators, we run into one problem after another. This gives us our job security. Computers often seemingly have a mind of their own, failing when least expected (as well as seemingly every holiday). Our servers and desktops can encounter a fault at any time, and live media allows us to separate hardware issues from software issues, by troubleshooting from a known good working environment.

One of my favorites...