Rescue Kit Free Edition gives you all the tools you need to recover in the event of a system crash. The software works well and is straightforward enough for beginners.

PROS

Great wizard: After you download the program, a wizard launches that walks you through the step-by-step process of setting up a USB key that you can boot from to repair your machine. The wizard is very straightforward, and works perfectly.

Range of recovery tools: Rescue Kit has a variety of features to help you recover from different problems. You can correct the Master Boot Record if it has become corrupted; you can transfer files off the system if it is non-recoverable; or you can recover a partition if you’ve erased it in error.

Password reset: If you’ve forgotten an essential password and gotten locked out of your system, you can boot from your Rescue Kit USB key and reset your password.

CONS

Slow operation: Use of the recovery tool was very effective, but operations performed from the boot key were quite slow.

BOTTOM LINE

Rescue Kit Free Edition is an excellent recovery tool. Download it when you have a healthy computer and create a boot key in order to have the resources you need to restore your computer after a system failure.