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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."
A philips screwdriver is always needed. I would suggest getting a packof different sizes. Laptops i've worked on have used smaller screws. besides that an extra ethernet cable is always handy, a crossover helps too. Maybe an extra ide cable would help.
Keep a knoppix disk handy, helps to determine if it a software or hardware issue. If it fails in windows and works in knoppix, it is most likely software, but if it fails in knoppix too, it startes too look a lot like hardware. That is usually the most annoying thing to figure out in a lot of cases. Knoppix just has the advantage of not doing any damage to the tested system and will put it throu the paces quite well.
Other options for inclusion are to taste.
On Arrakis: early worm gets the bird. Magister mundi sum!
memtest86 - never leave home without it!
Some not to strong tape / bluetack to hold screws that you have taken out. After slowly losing more case screws than I care to think I now tape/stick them to the side of the case till I put it back together. Even if I've just open it for a couple of minutes...
1- Bible
2- Holy water
3- Garlic
4- Sacrificial knife
5- Lambs
I find a laptop with a CD burner, and both windows and linux installed can come in very handy. If you forget anything software wise in your tool kit, you can pull it off your laptop, or use their net connection to pull it from the net. You can also use your laptop to check defaults and to test any external hardware (like printers, mice, keyboards). -Justin Ames
I used to work in a Future Shop with an in house repair shop. During some renovations, some contractor left some fairly heavy tools around that he took forever to come and pick up. (We had the damn things for almost 6 months.) These were serious construction tools like big ass drills with 2 foot bits, woodworking stuff, nail guns etc. For some reason, these tools were on the shelves in the repair area.
You could see into the shop through some bay windows, and every now and then the repair guys would haul out this old broken down HP desktop they had and "work on it" with the heavy tools. We'd get a kick out of watching customers watch our repair guys go at a desktop with a rotating saw and a nailgun.
I find that since I started carrying a Victorinox CyberTool 34 I very seldom have to go searching for any other tools. It has a built in socket set with a variety of Phillips and Torx bits, a pliers and the various other sundry clever things you'd expect to find in a Swiss army knife (ballpoint pen, straight pin, cork screw...).
It also happens to be the smallest Swiss army knife that has both a pair of scissors and a pair of pliers (make sure you get a pair, neither is worth a hoot singly).
Finally, since I'm posting anyway, does anyone know what that crazy hook thing is that appears on the "back" of most Swiss army knifes? I've been wondering for years, and the only thing I can figure is that it is very common in Switzerland to get from the top of a building to the ground by sliding down a thin wire.
Here's a few suggestions from my toolkit that I've put together over the years. I might work on anything from a Sun server to a Wintel or Mac so the tools are pretty generic.
A power screwdriver. Most PCs have a large number of screws and doing them all by hand is (literally) a pain. I like the Milwaukee 2.4-Volt 2-Speed Cordless Screwdriver -- it's more expensive than some but is a quality tool that'll last. Get several extra batteries and an extra-long driver bit for easier access to motherboard screws.
A set of nut drivers. These are screwdrivers for nuts, especially those little nut-screws on the back of the PC that hold the serial and video connectors on.
A multimeter. Useful for all sorts of things from checking power at the outlet to grounding. Skip past the Wal-Mart cheapies and get a quality instrument like a Fluke.
A set of ball-drivers. These are hex (a.k.a. Allen head) driver tools with a ball on the end so you can work at an angle.
Torx drivers. Handy for working on laptops or newer machines. When you need it you need it -- no other tool will work.
A DOS boot disk.
An assortment of cables: a normal Ethernet, a cross-over, IDE, Floppy, USB, and serial. If you work on Unix or Linux servers or routers you might need to be able to hook up a serial terminal connection. I also like to have a set of extension cables for keyboard, mouse, and video for hooking up to equipment on racks.
Several extra PC power cords.
A cordless soldering iron (and the knowledge to use it). Not used very often but you never know...
And, last, a book: "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" by Scott Mueller. This books is an amazing resource -- it'll tell you the pin-outs for everything from an ATX power supply to an IDE hard drive. It's handy to have when working with old or odd hardware.
This might be overkill for the average hobbiest repair kit, but I find that it works well.
First, a binder of software:
Now, the tools:
Now, replacement parts to be able to swap in and out:
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.
A standard TORX driver plus a needlenose pliers (or other small-tipped, hard object) is all it takes. Use the needlenose or screwdriver to push the security pin off to one side or the other. They're just spot-welded in and break out really easily. Once the pin is gone, the standard TORX driver works just fine.
At least TORX bits are analog and I'm not violating the DMCA by telling you guys this. Of course, there's probably something in the USA PATRIOT act that prevents me from telling you how to open a power supply case... sigh.
John
For some reason, I always want to call it memchk86, but it's memtest86, and it's indispensable. Memtest86 boots from a floppy and begins running immediately. It's got several types of test, and runs in a loop so if you have an intermittent problem, you can just boot it and leave it for a while.
.ISO for machines without a floppy drive. Some of my favorite machines don't have CDROMs either (subnotebook with a network card and nothing else), so I'd love to see a version I can download and invoke with Loadlin, but hey, there's only so much I can ask.
The author has finally given in to popularity and set up a site for the program, MemTest86.com. I encourage anyone who's found bad ram with memtest to throw a few bucks his way. ("Professional" memory testers are nowhere near cheap!)
There's also a bootable CD
How to Assemble the Ultimate Toolbox
GOes into a lot of detail on the various tools needed for PC repair.