Tutorial creating & using Hirens Boot CD & MemTest86 diagnostic stress testing tools for USB boot to Windows 10 PE & WinXPmini on BIOS & UEFI

Tutorial creating & using Hirens Boot CD & MemTest86 diagnostic stress
testing tools for USB boot to Windows 10 PE & WinXPmini on BIOS & UEFI
(As always, please improve so that all benefit from every action you take.)

Thanks to Mike Easter for suggesting Hiram BootCD USB diagnostic tools.
o What hardware diagnostic stress-testing freeware can you recommend? 
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/dkkdOmL95d8>

End result:
a. A 2GB USB stick can boot with BIOS/UEFI to Win10PE for diagnostics 
a. A 2GB USB stick can boot with BIOS to WinXPMini for hardware diagnostics 

I needed to debug hardware issues on an old 2009 desktop as described here:
o What PC hardware diagnostic stress-testing freeware can you recommend?
  <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/dkkdOmL95d8>

  Win+R > perfmon /rel
  <https://i.postimg.cc/q7ZQbgXy/bsod-bios05.jpg>

This step-by-step tutorial resulted, written so that others always benefit.
(Please test & improve as this is the first pass of this nascent tutorial.)

1. Find an empty USB flash drive of at least 2GB size:
   o Hirens BootCD Win10PE used about 1.25 GB of my 1.90 GB flash stick.
     <https://i.postimg.cc/HsGPFQSZ/hiren02.jpg>
   o Hirens BootCD 15.2 used about 0.58 GB of my 1.90 GB flash stick.
     <https://i.postimg.cc/50BSJCK9/hiren07.jpg>

2. Determine whether your PC is BIOS or UEFI (mine is BIOS).

   Win+R > %comspec% /k findstr Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect %SystemRoot%\Panther\setupact.log
   o %SystemRoot%\Panther\setupact.log
     - Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: BIOS
     - Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: UEFI
       Note: Mine reported BIOS

   Win+R > msinfo32 > System Summary > BIOS Mode 
     - Win+R > msinfo32 > System Summary > BIOS Mode > Legacy 
     - Win+R > msinfo32 > System Summary > BIOS Mode > UEFI
       Note: Legacy === BIOS

3. If needed, set your PC boot order so that it boots from the USB stick.
    For me the defaults worked: i.e., at POST, F10==BIOS, ESC=BOOT, F9=DIAG
    Entering Setup > Boot > Boot Device Priority
     1st Boot Device = [CD-ROM Group]
     2nd Boot Device = [Floppy Group]
     3rd Boot Device = [HDD Group]
     4th Boot Device = [Network Boot Group]
    Note: USB isn't mentioned in my BIOS; but USB booted fine nonetheless.

4. Download the Hiren's Boot CD software containing diagnostic tools:
   <http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/>

   a. UEFI/BIOS Win10PE:
      Download either the Win10PE BIOS/UEFI HirensBootCD (HBCD) ISO file:
      <https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso>
      <https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso>
      <http://mirror.sfo12.us.leaseweb.net/hirensbootcd/HBCD_PE_x64.iso>
       Name: HBCD_PE_x64.iso
       Size: 1354811392 bytes (1292 MiB)
       SHA256: D67BCF0437A1BD27F31655C4A9C81C93269A5A239D43F38D0375618443D372BC

   b. BIOS WinXPmini:
      Or download the BIOS-only WinXPmini HirensBootCD (HBCD) ISO file:
      <http://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip>
      Name: Hiren's.BootCD.15.2.iso
      Size: 603979776 bytes (576 MiB)
      SHA256: 50384A61D304E06B720F9EF729C662D2E9EDA05A96E1C9056975C40E3BF3F2D0

   Note: The tools on these two releases are both the same & different:
         <https://i.postimg.cc/qv5N2sWS/hiren15.jpg>

5.  Download the Windows Rufus ISO-to-USB tool: 
    <https://rufus.ie/>
    <https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/releases/download/v3.11/rufus-3.11.exe>
    Name: rufus-3.11.exe
    Size: 1155640 bytes (1128 KiB)
    SHA256: A43BF34285D393F843B05D80F74C4790ED7F6AC636393CA5F6375AE0BB02E719

6. Remove all USB drives & insert the empty USB flash drive into the PC.

7. In Windows, right click on the Rufus executable to run as administrator.

   NOTE: The specific settings for creating a BIOS Win10PE USB are not
         documented anywhere on the net I could find, so please take note:
         <https://i.postimg.cc/2ykDXjW6/hiren01.jpg>

   a. UEFI Win10PE
   To create a bootable USB stick for HBCD_PE_x64.iso on UEFI machines:
    When you start Rufus as an admin, accept the Win10 UAC consent prompt.
    This brings up the Rufus 3.11.1678 GUI
    Set the options to:
    - Device: (choose your empty USB stick drive letter and label)
      (If you only have one USB stick plugged in, it will default to it.)
    - Boot selection: 
      (Choices are: "Disk or ISO image", "FreeDOS", "Non bootable")
      I left the Boot selection at "Disk or ISO image".
      I pressed the [SELECT] button to choose the "HBCD_PE_x64.iso" file.
    - Partition scheme: GPT (The only options are "GPT" and "MBR")
     Target System: The only option is "UEFI (non CSM)"
     Volume label: This defaulted to "HBCD_PE_x64"
     File system: FAT32 (other choices are "NTFS" & "FAT")
     Cluster size: It defaulted to 4096 bytes (but other options existed).
     When the Status says "READY", press the "START" button.
     A warning pops up saying all data on the USB drive will be destroyed.
     Press [OK].
     The messages will be:
      - Deleting partitions (This may take a while)...
      - Partitioning (GPT)...
      - Formatting (FAT32)...
      - Creating file system: Task 1/5 completed.
      - Creating file system: Task 2/5 completed.
      - Creating file system: Task 3/5 completed.
      - Creating file system: Task 4/5 completed.
      - Creating file system: Task 5/5 completed.
      - Writing Master Boot Record
      - Copying ISO files: 
      - Success
        (Mine took six minutes to complete from start to finish.)

   Note: You'll get this error if you create a UEFI USB but boot on BIOS:
         <https://i.postimg.cc/2ykDXjW6/hiren01.jpg>
         ERROR: BIOS/LEGACY BOOT OF UEFI-ONLY MEDIA
         Recreate the drive in RUFUS and use:
         * Partition scheme -> MBR
         * Target system -> BIOS

   b. BIOS Win10PE
      To create a bootable USB stick for HBCD_PE_x64.iso on BIOS machines:
      * Partition scheme -> MBR
      * Target system -> BIOS (it was the only option once MBR was set)
      * File system -> NTFS (it was the only option once MBR was set)
        (Mine took five minutes to complete from start to finish.)

   c. BIOS WinXPmini
      To create a bootable USB stick for HBCD 15.2 on BIOS machines:
       Boot selection -> Hiren's.BootCD.15.2.iso
       Partition scheme -> "MBR" (it's the only option)
       Target system -> "BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)"  (it's the only option)
       Volume label -> HBCD 15.2 (it's the default)
       File system -> "FAT32" (other options are "FAT" & "NTFS")
       Cluster size -> "4096 bytes (Default)"
       [START] (Mine took 30 minutes to complete from start to finish.)

8. Now you can boot using that USB image on BIOS/UEFI for Win10/WinXP!
   Note: In my case, I press "ESC" during POST to get to the boot menu.
   
   Win10PE: <https://i.postimg.cc/HsGPFQSZ/hiren02.jpg>
   WinXPMini: <https://i.postimg.cc/50BSJCK9/hiren07.jpg>

   Note: My boot to Windows10PE was _much_ faster than to WinXPmini.

   Win10PE looks just like "regular" Windows 10, kind of sort of:
   <https://i.postimg.cc/HsGPFQSZ/hiren02.jpg>

   Win10PE had access to the old system also so I could save a screenshot:
   <https://i.postimg.cc/sDp0zvqV/hiren03.jpg>

9. Each boot environment has similar (but sometimes different) debug tools:
   <https://i.postimg.cc/qv5N2sWS/hiren15.jpg>

   For example, on the Win10PE, these were the top level tools provided:
    <https://i.postimg.cc/W18WDxsC/hiren04.jpg>
   o Accessories
   o BCD-MBR Tools
   o Computer Management
   o Driver Management
   o Hard Disk Tools
   o Network
   o Other Tools
   o Removable Drive Tools
   o Security
   o System Tools
   o Windows Recovery

   Here's what the Hiren PE had in the "Hard Disk Tools" directory:
    <https://i.postimg.cc/5ttP8p00/hiren05.jpg>
   o Data Recovery
   o Defrag
   o Diagnostic
   o Disk Explorer
   o Imaging
   o Partition Tools
   o Security

   Here's what the PE had in the Hard Disk Tools "Diagnostic" category:
    <https://i.postimg.cc/CK6c7DB4/hiren06.jpg>
   o GSmartControl
   o HDDScan
   o HDTune
   o WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics

   For example, here are screenshots of those HDD diagnostics on Win10PE:
    <https://i.postimg.cc/CK6c7DB4/hiren06.jpg>
    o GSmartControl <https://i.postimg.cc/BbTFgj2D/hiren13.jpg>
    o HDTune <https://i.postimg.cc/WpGqxJJq/hiren14.jpg>
    o WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics <https://i.postimg.cc/KzKrnc9r/hiren12.jpg>

   Here are HDD diagnostic utilities on WinXPmini (Hirens 15.2 Boot CD):
   <https://i.postimg.cc/7L7g1zk1/hiren09.jpg>
   o Check Disk (chkdsk /f /x)
   o CrystalDiskInfo (HDD/SSD SMART info)
   o DiskView
   o DiskWIpe (by Roadkill)
   o HDD Capacity Restore
   o HDD Low Level Format Tool
   o HDD Scan (Low-level diagnostic)
   o HDD Scan (Old version)
   o HDD Tune (Test / Health / ErrorScan)
   o Victoria (HDD Info / Test)
   o Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic
   o HDDScan
   o HDTune
   o WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics 

Note: While MemTest86 is on the Hirams Boot CD, you can boot it separately:
      o UEFI MemTest86 v8 
        <https://www.memtest86.com/downloads/memtest86-usb.zip>
      o BIOS MemTest86 v4 
        <https://www.memtest86.com/downloads/memtest86-4.3.7-usb.img.zip>
      That MemTest86 utility came with an "ImageUSB.exe" utility from
      "Passmark.com" <http://www.passmark.com> which seems to do pretty 
      much whatever Rufus 3.11 did for the Hiren's Boot CD ISO 
      files to create a bootable USB stick.

See also:
o Windows 10 BSOD indicates a hardware problem - but what hardware is the problem?
<http://www.pcbanter.net/showthread.php?t=1110105>
<https://alt.comp.os.windows-10.narkive.com/oL7PTNKu/windows-10-bsod-indicates-a-hardware-problem-but-what-hardware-is-the-problem>
-- 
As always, please test & improve so all may benefit from your every action.