One of the convenient features in early versions of Windows (yes, Windows) was the ability to easily create an MS-DOS boot disk out of any floppy disk, which could then be used to troubleshoot ...

Need installation media to reinstall Windows? Here's how to create a bootable CD, USB, or DVD with an ISO from scratch!

Bootable disc image files may contain all the data necessary to create a disc from which computers can boot, but if you want them to work, you can't just burn them to a disc the way you would ...

It's easy to make boot disks on old Macs for older hardware, but as the years have gone on, it's gotten a little more difficult. Here's how to make classic Mac OS 9 and early Mac OS X boot media ...

A little trick for one-time installs: (1) Command-T boot the target in disk-target mode; (2) Install the OS X bootable installer on the target; (3) Boot the target and install over the OS over the ...

Therefore, it is suggested that you create the bootable Windows System Repair disc, which you can boot off of to access these troubleshooting and recovery tools when you need them.

To create a bootable optical disc (or, similarly, a bootable Zip or floppy disk) was a bit more involved, but not by much. So how does all of this compare to the situation with Mac OS X today?

With it, you'll be able to use Safari to find troubleshooting information, run Disk Utility to fix filesystem errors, restore from a Time Machine backup, or install Mountain Lion from scratch on ...