Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Hirens BootCD VS Gandalf’s Windows 10PE

Compare Hirens BootCD VS Gandalf’s Windows 10PE and see what are their differences

Hirens BootCD logo Hirens BootCD

Hirens BootCD is a powerful, all-in-one boot disk utility that will help you resolve and make reformatting your computer easily.

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE logo Gandalf’s Windows 10PE

A completely free bootable CD that contains a load of useful tools you can make use of in a variety...
  • Hirens BootCD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • Gandalf’s Windows 10PE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Hirens BootCD features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolset
    Hirens BootCD includes a wide range of diagnostic and repair utilities, providing solutions for system recovery, hardware diagnostics, data recovery, and more.
  • Free to Use
    Hirens BootCD is available for free, making it accessible to users who need a variety of tools without having to spend money on commercial alternatives.
  • Portable
    The bootable CD/USB format allows users to carry it around easily and use it on multiple machines without installation.
  • Regular Updates
    The toolset is updated regularly, ensuring that users have access to the latest utilities and security patches.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface of Hirens BootCD is designed to be intuitive, allowing even less experienced users to navigate and use the tools effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Hirens BootCD

  • Legal and Licensing Issues
    Some of the included tools might have licensing restrictions or may not be legally free for non-personal use, potentially leading to legal complications.
  • Not Compatible with All Systems
    While the tool is versatile, it may not work with every hardware setup, particularly newer systems or those with unique configurations.
  • Requires Technical Knowledge
    While the interface is user-friendly, some of the tools require a level of technical expertise to use effectively and safely.
  • Limited Support
    Being a free tool, user support options are limited compared to commercial software, which may present challenges if users encounter issues.
  • Potential for Data Loss
    Improper use of some tools can lead to data loss, making caution and proper knowledge essential when using the diagnostics and repair features.

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE features and specs

  • Portability
    Gandalf's Windows 10PE can be run from a USB drive, allowing for easy portability and use on different computers without installation.
  • Diagnostic Tools
    Includes a variety of diagnostic tools for troubleshooting and repairing Windows systems, making it a valuable resource for IT professionals.
  • Data Recovery
    Provides access to data recovery tools to help retrieve lost or deleted files from damaged systems.
  • Malware Removal
    Contains utilities for detecting and removing malware, which is crucial for maintaining system security.
  • User Interface
    Offers a familiar Windows 10-like interface, making it easy for users to navigate and utilize the included tools.

Possible disadvantages of Gandalf’s Windows 10PE

  • Licensing Concerns
    May raise legal concerns regarding Microsoft licensing, as it uses modified Windows components without explicit permission.
  • Limited Functionality
    Being a lightweight environment, it does not offer the full functionality of a standard Windows installation.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Might not support all hardware configurations, leading to issues in accessing or repairing certain systems.
  • Update Limitations
    May not receive regular updates, potentially lacking support for newer hardware or system software developments.
  • Technical Expertise Required
    A certain level of technical expertise is required to effectively use the tools and perform troubleshooting activities.

Hirens BootCD videos

using hbcd to reset passwords

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE videos

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE x64 Redstone 5 build 17763 version 04-30-2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Hirens BootCD and Gandalf’s Windows 10PE)
Utilities
74 74%
26% 26
Backup And Disaster Recovery
Bootable USB
100 100%
0% 0
Preinstallation Environment

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Hirens BootCD and Gandalf’s Windows 10PE

Hirens BootCD Reviews

Ventoy Alternatives
Hirens BootCD is a utility that will help you get rid of various problems that plague your computer, such as failed startup, unstable hardware, and various other issues. It will also help you get rid of programs that are causing problems.
Source: updov.com
Windows 11 Recovery USB Software - Create Recovery USB in Easy Way
The Gandalf's Windows 10 PE software has portable version of other useful utilities preloaded into it. However, since this runs from a USB flash drive, quite like Hiren's Boot CD PE this too can become very slow while using it. Overall, this tool is quite similar to Hiren's Boot CD, one prominent difference being this is a freemium product whereas Hiren's Boot CD PE is a...
Source: www.uubyte.com
Best Bootable USB Programs to Boot and to Repair the PC
With this program, we will have a backup tool, cleaners, antivirus, device driver tools, file system tools, MBR , registry, recovery, testing tools, among many others. Hiren’s BootCD PE is made up entirely of free tools and can be downloaded from here .
Source: itigic.com

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE Reviews

We have no reviews of Gandalf’s Windows 10PE yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Hirens BootCD seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Hirens BootCD mentions (2)

  • Ask HN: Do you still use DVD?
    I still put DVD and/or Blu-ray drives in all PCs I personally build for myself and my family. This is due to the fact that we transferred dozens of old captured 16 mm and 8 mm film reels, scanned photo prints, negatives and slides as well as Video8, Hi8, Digital8 and VHS videocassettes to M-DISC DVD and some to Blu-ray. While I uploaded most of this content to Flickr and Google Photos while they were offering... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • My computer reset my user profile name and password. Now I can’t login. What do I do?
    This is what I normally do when needing to change a user account password at work. Http://hirensbootcd.org/ and create a bootable USB drive with it, set it as the boot device in the bios and get and use the NTPasswordEdit tool that should be in a folder on the desktop. Should be able to select the user account on windows and change the password to what you would like. Source: about 2 years ago

Gandalf’s Windows 10PE mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Gandalf’s Windows 10PE yet. Tracking of Gandalf’s Windows 10PE recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Hirens BootCD and Gandalf’s Windows 10PE, you can also consider the following products

MediCat USB - A multiboot Linux USB and Win10PE_x64 for PC Repair.

Ultimate Boot CD - The last Boot CD you'll ever need. You need the Ultimate Boot CD if you want to:

Ventoy - Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO files.

SystemRescueCd - SystemRescueCd is a Linux system rescue disk available as a bootable CD-ROM or USB stick for...

USB/DVD DLC Boot 2019 - DLC Boot customized version of Hiren's Boot Disk and of bundled of diagnostic tools used for a multitude of tasks such Password Resets, disk cloning, Boot Repair, File Recovery and Forensics, but it is also a Fully functional Live Operating System w…

UBCD4Win - "UBCD4Win is a bootable recovery CD that contains software used for repairing, restoring, or...