FAQ

The AVG Rescue CD 8.5 is a portable variant of AVG based on the Windows PE platform. It is distributed as a bootable CD intended for operating system recovery when the system cannot be loaded in a regular way - for example due to substantial virus infection.

The AVG Rescue CD 8.5 will load temporary operating system Windows PE edition and run the AVG program. AVG is used for virus and spyware detection and removal. In addition, administrative tools are available for advanced users. The list of other features can be found in FAQ 1009.

Note: The AVG Rescue CD is a tool designed for IT specialists.

The AVG Rescue CD 8.5 is a bootable device that allows the user to access operating system settings and all computer data. It is fully compatible with the following operating systems:

• MS Windows 2000 SP4 + Update Rollup pack 1
• MS Windows XP
• MS Windows XP Pro x64 Edition
• MS Windows 2000 Server
• MS Windows 2003 Server
• MS Windows 2003 Server x64 Edition

using either FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file systems.

It is necessary that the computer’s BIOS will allow direct booting from the CD/DVD, (for correct CD/DVD startup) and also that the computer has at least 256 MB of RAM memory installed. Finally, a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM or compatible device must be installed on the computer. The detailed hardware requirements are described here.

AVG Rescue CD 8.5 is currently not available for computers running Windows Vista operating system. The current version is based on the Windows PE 1.6 platform. Windows Vista operating system supports only the new version Windows PE 2.0 platform.

The release of a new version of AVG Rescue CD compatible with Windows Vista is in our long term plan. The exact date is not available yet.

AVG Rescue CD 8.5 includes the AVG application with Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware component and also these useful tools: 

• freeCommander - two panel file manager intended for more experienced users. 
• Text Editor - plain text editor similar to Windows Notepad for saving notes, editing system files etc.
• Registry Editor - tool for system registry editing.
• Command Line - providing full command line access.
• IP Config - tool for managing network settings.
• Ping - utility for testing the availability of network resources (servers, domains, IP addresses).
• Scan Disk - tool for analyzing and testing hard disk integrity with optional automatic error correction.
• Screen - utility for changing screen resolution and color quality.
• Keyboard - utility for changing keyboard layout.
• Map Drive - utility to quickly and easily map a network drive.   

Note: The AVG Rescue CD is a tool designed for IT specialists.

Below you may find a possible issues connected to the hard disk controllers when using AVG Rescue CD 8.5:

1. Computer's physical drive is not visible (accessible) from AVG Rescue CD 8.5 (RAM disk is used)
This situation is caused by the consequenses of missing hard disk controller drivers (e.g. SATA), where the standard Windows drivers cannot be applied, and using of the RAM disk.

When Use RAM disk setting is applied, the AVG Rescue CD creates virtual RAM disk (taking up minimally 144 MB of RAM) where it stores downloaded AVG updates and other files. In such a case the physical drive of the computer is not needed. Even though the hard disk controller could not be installed due to the missing drivers, it is possible to run the AVG Rescue CD 8.5. However, it is not possible to access the physical drive or remove any infection. 

2. "Error 0x001003E. Folder [C:\] not found. Restarting..." error is shown during the boot process (RAM disk is not used)
If you encounter the above mentioned error during the boot process of AVG Rescue CD 8.5, it indicates that the CD does not contain drivers suitable for the hard disk controller.

Both issues can be resolved by adding the missing drivers when creating the AVG Rescue CD 8.5 using the MakeCD utility. For more information on how to use this utility, please refer to the AVG Rescue CD 8.5 User manual.

The "The file is not a valid license key" error message is displayed if an old AVG 7.5 Rescue CD License File is used to create the AVG 8.5 Rescue CD via the AVG Rescue CD Creator (MakeCD). To create the new AVG 8.5 Rescue CD it is necessary to use the new AVG 8.5 Rescue CD License File.

In case you have not received the new AVG 8.5 Rescue CD License File, please contact AVG Customer Services.