TechSpot posted a tutorial about troubleshoot your Windows installation using an Ubuntu Flash Drive
The latest version of Ubuntu has been out for nearly a month now and if you're anything like us the peaceably-named operating system is now sitting untouched after you gave it a quick go for a week or so. Ubuntu 10.04 may not have convinced you to send Microsoft packing, but don't scrap your bootable USB drive just yet, it may come in handy the next time Windows goes haywire.Save the Day (and Windows) Using an Ubuntu Flash Drive - TechSpot
Being prepared by having another environment to troubleshoot your PC helps tremendously. We will cover a few ways an Ubuntu boot flash drive can save your tail when disaster strikes like resetting a forgotten Windows password, clearing malware and retrieving lost data.