Norton Ghost Boot CD (or, more accurately, a bootable Norton Ghost disc) was a utility disc that allowed you to start your computer from the CD instead of your hard drive. This was crucial for using Norton Ghost, a disk imaging and cloning software. Because Ghost works at a low level, it needs to run *before* the operating system starts.

The main purposes of the Norton Ghost Boot CD were :

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Disk Imaging:

Create a complete backup image of your hard drive, preserving everything from the operating system to your files and programs. This image could then be used to restore your system in case of a hard drive failure or other disaster.

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Disk Cloning:

Create an exact copy of your hard drive to another drive. This was handy for upgrading hard drives or creating a backup drive.

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System Recovery:

Restore a previously created disk image to your hard drive, effectively returning your system to a previous state.

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Partition Management (limited):

Some versions offered basic partition management tools, such as creating, deleting, or formatting partitions.


Essentially, it was a self-contained toolkit providing all the necessary drivers and utilities for Norton Ghost to operate outside of a running Windows operating system. Since Norton Ghost is no longer actively developed or supported by NortonLifeLock (its current owner), finding a legitimate copy of the Boot CD is unlikely. Modern alternatives exist, such as Acronis True Image and Macrium Reflect.