Redo Rescue: When Recovery Needs to Just Work
What is Redo Rescue?
Redo Rescue is the kind of tool you hope you’ll never need — and deeply appreciate when you do. It’s a free, Linux-based disaster recovery solution that lets you image and restore entire systems in minutes, with almost no friction.
Unlike most backup tools, Redo doesn’t live on your OS. It boots from USB or ISO, runs entirely in memory, and gives you a full graphical interface to back up or restore machines — no matter what state the installed OS is in.
It’s especially useful when something goes horribly wrong: failed updates, dead drives, ransomware damage, user-induced chaos. Redo Rescue lets you step in, rewind the system, and walk away like nothing happened.
How It Works
Redo Rescue is essentially a live environment that includes everything needed for system imaging and restoration. It uses partclone under the hood — a reliable tool for block-level disk cloning — and wraps it in a clean, point-and-click interface.
You boot into it, select a disk or partition, choose where to save the image (external drive, network share, SSH/SFTP location), and hit “Go.” The tool handles compression, storage, and verification for you. Same with restores: choose the image, select the target, and let it do its thing.
It works across filesystems — ext, NTFS, FAT, btrfs, etc. — and doesn’t care what OS you’re rescuing. It’s about blocks, not files.
Core Features
| Feature | What It Does |
| Live Boot ISO/USB | Runs independently of the system; perfect for recovery jobs |
| Disk & Partition Backup | Full or partial imaging with compression and verification |
| Network Share Support | Backup to SMB, NFS, SSH, or FTP shares |
| Filesystem Agnostic | Supports Linux, Windows, macOS partitions (via partclone) |
| Built-in Tools | Includes GParted, file manager, browser, and terminal |
| Simple GUI | Point-and-click interface that works even for non-experts |
| Free & Open Source | No licensing headaches; can be customized or extended |
Getting Started with Redo Rescue
1. Download the ISO
Get it from the official project page (https://redorescue.com). It’s a small image — under 1GB usually.
2. Create Boot Media
Flash the ISO to a USB stick using Rufus, Balena Etcher, or `dd`. Boot from it.
3. Select Backup or Restore
Choose the action, pick the source/destination disks or partitions, and the target (local or networked).
4. Let It Run
The interface shows progress and logs. Once done, shut down and remove the USB.
When It’s a Lifesaver
– A user laptop is blue-screening and won’t boot. Boot into Redo, restore the last image, done in 15 minutes.
– After a patch Tuesday goes sideways, use Redo to roll back a set of office machines overnight.
– Tech in the field needs to reimage systems quickly — Redo boots on anything and supports external disks or network targets.
– Setting up a batch of PCs? Make one image, deploy it across the rest — faster than PXE or WDS for simple jobs.
Compared to Other Recovery Tools
| Tool | What It’s Great At | Where Redo Wins |
| Clonezilla | Reliable, flexible CLI imaging | Redo has a GUI and better UX |
| Macrium Reflect | Fast Windows backups | Redo is OS-agnostic and free |
| Acronis TrueImage | Advanced features, cloud sync | Redo is lightweight and boot-anywhere |
| Rescuezilla | Based on Redo’s older codebase | Redo is newer, simpler, and more stable |
Why Admins Keep It on a USB Stick
Because sometimes the OS won’t load. Because sometimes you don’t have time to troubleshoot, and just need the machine back up — now. Redo Rescue isn’t trying to replace cloud backups or volume snapshots. It’s the fire extinguisher: simple, effective, and always ready.
And when it’s 2am and a manager’s laptop won’t boot — that’s exactly what you need.
