Hiren's Boot CD

[Emoclaw]

Hello all, I've tried to boot from Hiren's boot CD in a VM, It has such nice options, so I booted in mini windows xp(the cd has) and there were tools to run, but the problem is, most of them(registry editors, program uninstallers, and even scanners) only work with the Mini windows XP partition(The CD extracts it's tools into a temporary small partition)and I can't edit the original windows partition, I can only make changes in the mini windows's xp registry, and not the original, primary windows partition registry, some scanners also scan only the mini windows xp partition, any suggestions?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Hiren's boot CD is for manipluating stuff (files, registry, virusscan) on disks it can see.
The VM can't see the host the VM is running in. Assume the following scenario

-You try to delete a file on C-drive of machine. You do it from with VM. How can VM know if file is locked???
-----------------------
In a host with multiple VM's running.

-VM's can't talk to host
-VM's can't talk to each other
-host can't talk to VM

Of course host can send signals to VM to shutdown/reconfigure them.

VM's and host can talk to each other using "virtual network" (you can create virtual switch/network cards in host)

 

[Emoclaw]

I've just tried it on my host PC, and I still can't change the original windows registry nor uninstall programs.Although I could use the file manager and I had access to the C: drive.Is there a way to access the registry through the C: drive?

 

[Kaktussoft]

I've just tried it on my host PC, and I still can't change the original windows registry nor uninstall programs.Although I could use the file manager and I had access to the C: drive.Is there a way to access the registry through the C: drive?

No, the file is locked

 

[Emoclaw]

So there is no way of accessing the windows registry via hirens?That means most hirens tools are useless.

 

[Parman]

I thought you could load your systems registry into the registry editor? Not running through a vm but if booting your machine via hirens.

 

[Emoclaw]

Yeah, I did boot my host machine from hiren's a few hours ago, but I couldn't edit windows' registry.Also, hiren's boot cd has Revo Uninstaller, but I can't uninstall programs from the original windows partition either.

 

[Alejandro85]

No, the file is locked

Registry files aren't locked, since that Windows copy isn't running

So there is no way of accessing the windows registry via hirens?That means most hirens tools are useless.

As far as I know, you can't edit a foreign registry, just the one you're running, so regedit from mini-XP will edit a different one.

It isn't that Hirens is useless, it's not meant to do that. You can edit the registry from within Windows itself without needing an external OS, uninstalling programs is easy though the simple control panel applet too. If something happens you can try safe mode of the real OS.

Generally, an external OS cannot handle the innards of the real host OS (like registry) unless a specially crafted program exist for the purpose (like the one that deletes user's passwords). Maybe a program for what you want already exist, but no idea of it.

 

[Kaktussoft]

So there is no way of accessing the windows registry via hirens?That means most hirens tools are useless.

It can load any registry it can see and access all files on disk. Unless disk is invisible. VM's don't see the host disk.

 

[Alejandro85]

It can load any registry it can see and access all files on disk. Unless disk is invisible. VM's don't see the host disk.

The OP already said that he ran it on the real machine afterwards, no longer in a VM.
What are the tools that let you edit a foreign registry from the mini-XP?

 

[Parman]

Regedit?

 

[Alejandro85]

Regedit?

No way, at least that I know.
Regedit only edits the local registry, that is the one of the running OS, that is, the registry of the mini-XP, NOT the one of the C drive.
At most, regedit can connect to a remote registry though a network, but that's not the case with Hirens CD.
I was thinking of an external tool that parses the Windows internal structures that hold the registry, if it's at all possible.

 

[Parman]

From regedit you can load a the hives.

 

[Parman]

When in registry editor, highlight HKLM (or whichever hive you need to load), then do a File>load hive navigate to (drive letter):\WINDOWS\System32\config of the crippled drive and highlight the file "Software" (or navigate to another hive you need to load) hit ok, it will ask you to name the hive it is about to load, give it a unique name like Test, hit OK, it will load the hive under HKLM with the name Test, Make and changes you need then highlight "Test" and do File>Unload Hive. Be sure to have the Test key highlighted when you select unload.

More info.

http://smallvoid.com/article/winnt-offline-registry-edit.html

 

[Kaktussoft]

Hello all, I've tried to boot from Hiren's boot CD in a VM, It has such nice options, so I booted in mini windows xp(the cd has) and there were tools to run, but the problem is, most of them(registry editors, program uninstallers, and even scanners) only work with the Mini windows XP partition(The CD extracts it's tools into a temporary small partition)and I can't edit the original windows partition, I can only make changes in the mini windows's xp registry, and not the original, primary windows partition registry, some scanners also scan only the mini windows xp partition, any suggestions?

Has the original windows partition winxp as well? Or has it vista/win7?

What are you trying to change in original windows partition?

 

[mmkarimi]

what exactly you want to do, hiren boots into its own os, its like you install another os and expect uninstalling programs in the other os!!
with hiren boot cd you can easily get access to your information while your os is corrupt and can not boot into that. also it has some registry programs that runs through your os.