Slashdot Mirror
Required Tools for PC Repair?
kennethrona asks: "I seem to be spending a lot of my time installing friends' WiFi access points, replacing power supplies, hard disks, blocking ports, installing software, etc. I can usually find any of the software I need on-line, but am thinking about putting together a "toolkit" for PC repair. What tools, both hardware and software, does the community think are essential for PC repair? Bonus points for free software (I always install a free firewall and spyware checker). Also, keep in mind that most folks are running Windows."
You should magnetize screwdrivers if they aren't already. It is not dangerous and it saves the day when you drop that damn little screw into the case, especially if it's a laptop :)
Intelligence shared is intelligence squared.
I just store them on the speaker magnet inside the PC. Just remember to remove them before putting the case back on tho'
You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
There is a lot of hype here.
> A philips screwdriver is always needed.
...) that have fallen into
Always. A slatted screwdriver also comes in handy sometimes. If
you have to work with Compaq systems, you'll also want a set of
six-pointed-star ("Torx") bits, including a couple of the ones with
the hole in the middle ("Security Tee Star" -- you NEED these,
because the only _other_ way to get those screws out is with a
drill; Compaq is evil) and a spare NIC, because Compaq systems tend
to use a NIC that Windows will not recognise on install, and while
the OEM system has the drivers you need, if you have to reinstall
for any reason it can be painful trying to figure out which drivers
you need -- especially for Deskpro models, which don't have the
exact model number _anywhere_ on them. A spare NIC, worth $10,
can save you hours of pain.
I also keep around a tray with multiple little compartments in it,
for screws; very handy. A spare IDE cable might be no bad thing too.
One of the very best things you can have is a complete working
system (preferably, a multiboot system). One of my favourite
tricks is to pull the HD out of a non-working system, and put it
in a working system as slave, so I can mount the drive and look at
it. This is similar in principle to the Knoppix idea, but it has
the additional benefit of isolating the hard drive from the rest
of the system hardware.
Oh, and a pair of needlenose pliers comes in handy for an
astonishing variety of things. They fit certain types of screws
that no ordinary screwdriver can manage, or can be used on the
outside of the screw head in some cases. They're great for
retrieving things (jumpers, screws,
places they shouldn't have. They have other uses as well, and
if nothing else you can fidget with them while you think.
Oh, and: you need a set of boot floppies, one for each major
version of Windows, containing the following:
* FDISK, SYS, FORMAT, and SCANDISK
* A text editor you can use in an emergency.
* REGEDIT (Know how to use this in command-prompt mode.)
* An ATAPI CD-ROM driver general enough to work with most
ATAPI drives. The Mitsumi one has worked for me.
* MSCDEX
* DEBUG
* A hex editor, if you're not really comfortable with DEBUG.
(You still need DEBUG though, for other things.)
* A third-party boot loader that can install from the
command prompt. BOSS for example.
It's also good to have pkzip (and pkunzip), preferably the Win32
console version, on floppy. These don't have to be on each boot
floppy, just have them someplace, and a box of blank floppies.
Sometimes you have to get manufacturers' drivers for a NIC or
modem before you can get internet connectivity working, which
means using another computer to download them, and they can be
too big to fit on one floppy. The span-disks feature will get
you around this problem. If you don't have it, or some equivalent
compression and chunking solution, the other way out involves
moving the hard drive over to the system that works (as a slave
drive), depositing the files on it, and then putting it back where
it goes. PKZip can save you from that sometimes, especially if
you're dealing with a SoftPAQ that comes to 2MB or so; PKZip will
fit that on two floppies for you.
I also second the Knoppix suggestion. It isn't obvious at
first glance, but Knoppix comes with mkdosfs (_very_ handy
when the Windows CD has FORMAT embedded in a CAB and you have
no filesystem to extract onto) and dosfsck (which with the -v
flag gives better information than scandisk). Plus of course
the Linux version of fdisk, which is somewhat better than the
Windows version, and a decent text editor[1], and other things
that can come in handy. And if it recognises your NIC, which
in many cases it will, you can use this in lieu of the floppy
solution to get NIC/modem drivers downloaded.
[1] By "a decent text editor" I of course mean Emacs.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
In Switzerland, virtually all mail goes through the federal post office (i.e. no UPS, DHL, etc). The post office provides standard parcel boxes: they start out flat and you fold them into shape when needed. It's common to tie them up with string.
When you buy something at a store (a set of wine glasses, a stereo, etc) that is packaged in a box, they tend to tie it up with string.
The hook is meant for lifting / carrying parcels wrapped in string.
That said, I've never seen it used for that.
The thing about swiss army knives nowadays is that everyone wants the "mega" version, which is great 'cause it has all kinds of stuff, but it ways half a pound and there's no way you can reasonably carry it in your pocket!
The REAL swiss army knife has the following attachments:
1. large blade
2. small blade (kept very sharp)
3. awl (for puncturing things; has an eyelet, so you can sew leather or other tough materials)
4. Large screwdriver
(serves as bottle opener; has a special groove for stripping wire, works better than most wire-strippers!)
5. Small screwdriver
(works as can opener)
AND THAT's IT! The officer's version of the above knife also has corkscrew.
These standard versions cover 90% of the things you'd want to do; you can buy a much bigger, more expensive version that might cover 95% of the things you'd want to do. But the knife'll be so heavy you probably won't have it with you when you need it.
If you insist on getting more features, you should get the saw blade -- it's freaking awesome. You can also choose to replace the corkscrew with a Phillips head screwdriver.
Enjoy!