Windows contains a number of productivity tools, but few tools to diagnose problems.

Worse, if Windows decides that it won't boot, due to a hardware error, many of the regular commercial diagnostic applications won't work without Windows, so you're in a Catch 22 where you can't diagnose or fix your problem.

The Ultimate Boot CD is a free bootable CD that ships with a wide range of diagnostic, repair and system enhancement tools that will enable you to quickly establish if something is wrong with your computer.

As it doesn't require Windows in order to operate (it's a self-contained bootable CD), most of the tools operate on a low level basis, enabling you to detect problems with ports on your computer and even your system Bios.

There are also antivirus tools that will scan your drive, without requiring Windows, and will solve virus infection issues.

If there are no problems with your computer, you can still make use of the Ultimate Boot CD. For instance, you could use the partitioning tools to resize or delete a partition on your hard drive.

If you want to benchmark your system on a low level basis, you could use the benchmarking tools and there are boot managers that will determine what happens when you start your system.

Note: supplied as an ISO image