Andy
Banned
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- California
My PC Tool Kit - VERY LONG LIST
What do you think of my toolkit? Any suggestions for what I might want to add or change?
- I give a little description of most components, just in case no one's heard of them.
What I have now:
HARDWARE:
> HP dv6500t laptop
> Samsonite laptop case
> 500GB SeaGate FreeAgent GO - hate WD's glossy passports
> USB to EIDI/SATA adapter - connect any HDD to your own system. Can use it to recover data or scan for malware, and to make a ghost image.
> Male VGA to Female DVI adapter (need a Female VGA to Male DVI adapter) - if you only have a monitor that has DVI input or one with VGA, then you can use these adapters to work on systems that only have VGA or DVI.
> Some Ethernet cables, USB A to B cables
SOFTWARE:
> Win 7 Pro 32/64 Bit (free from college) + Vista Business SP2
> Windows XP Pro/Home SP3 VLK from my college
> Dell XP Home SP1a + Dell XP Pro SP2
> Win 7 Recovery disk
> Vista Recovery disk
> XP SP 1, 2, 3. Vista SP 1 and 2.
> UBCD4Win
> Bit Defender Rescue CD - haven't tried it yet
> MS Dart 5.0, 6.0, 6.5 - can only get it if your MSDN/Technet. Got it from my college through the MS Academic Aliance
> Todo Backup - a free cloning/backup program that has a damn good user friendly interface, as well as a smaller footprint then other image solutions.
> Ultimate Boot CD 4 + 5 RC 1
> Ubuntu 9.10 live CD
> Ping of Death batch file - lol
> 77 MB of malware to practice removing malware from my VMWare image of XP
> FREE Dial Up access from a program called Dial-In (only for Michiganders)
> Auslogics Disk Defrag
> HD Tune - to test HDD
> Western Digital Diagnostics - diddo
> SeaGate DiscWizard - for SG drives
> Unlocker - lets me delete files that Windows says I can't delete
> Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
> Open Office 3 - Microsoft Office alternative. Personally, I use Office 2010 beta
> Revo - to do a deep uninstall of software
> Java 18 - gotta have it
> MurGeeMon - let's me make a laptop change it's primary monitor to an external monitor. Some XP laptops can't do this.
> CCleaner - clean the Registry and unnecessary files
> DirectX runtime - installs all the latest DirectX components
> Lightscreen - great screenshot tool for XP
> Royal blue and Noir themes for XP
> Media Player 11 for XP
> K Lite Codec Pack Full - for XP if the system can't play DVD's without a codec
> VMWare Player 3 - to mess around with OSs
> Thunderbird 3 - to replace XP's outlook express
> Silverlight 3
> IE 8 for XP (I update IE even if it's not the browser being used, for safety reasons. Plus, some sites require IE)
> Firefox
> Chrome - my fav
PORTABLE APPS: (all freeware)
> Double Driver - to save drivers before you do a N&P (it's also on the UBCD4Win)
> LSP-Fix - Fixes internet connections damaged by malware
> Chrome - the future of Web browsers lol
> Thunderbird - check my E-mail anywhere - password protected
> Unknown Devices - this helped me find out which 2 devices I had on my computer that Win 7 wasn't recognizing
(my laptop's SD card reader)
> Wireshark - sniff packets on the go. Still new to it.
> CPU-Z and GPU-Z - info on the processor and video card
> Device Doctor - finds drivers for your system
> CCleaner
> Crystal Disk Info - info on the HDD
> SIW (System Info for Windows) - will tell you more than you need to know about your system
> PC Decrapifier - helps/guides you to remove bloatware
> Speccy - more system info (from same company that makes CCleaner)
> StartUpLite - from Malwarebytes - gives you info on what start up programs you might want to disable
> XP Quick Fix - fix various issues with XP
> 7 Quick Fix - diddo for 7
> RockXP4 - find Windows product keys - could also use Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
> Ninite - auto download and install essential software (you pick and choose what you want)
> Recuva - from CCleaner company - recovers files
> Norton Remover - remove Norton AV
> TreeSize - shows you how much space you're programs are taking up
> Eraser - to delete and write over data
> ClamWin - portable AV
MALWARE removers/scanners: (all freeware)
- I prefer to leave the customer with AVG. I've heard good things about MS Security Essentials, but I think it's too knew to trust just yet. Once I get a printer I can print off the log showing that the AV found no malware, which I can give to the customer.
- Combofix (haven't tried yet)
- Hijack This installer and portable versions - "examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys" (scan results at www.hijackthis.de) - BE VERY careful when using this
- Malewarebytes Antimalware - fav. malware remover
- CWShredder - "find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch – the name for a wide range of insidious browser hijackers"
- Autoruns - from MS; "goes beyond MSConfig"
- Process Explorer - see what's running, how much CPU it's eating, etc; and allows you to kill the process
- rkill - shuts down actively running malware
- Killbox - delete files that Windows won't let you delete
- Haven't tried these yet > Rootkit buster/ remover/ revealer/ Sophos. Portable SuperAntispyware, SmitfraudFix, MS Security Essentials, Housecall Launcher (online AV scanner), MS Malware Remover.
>> On my ext. HDD I have some videos from Bryce on how to manual remove viruses and how to fix XP when it won't boot.
WHAT I WANT: (gonna use my financial aid to pay for it)
> CaseLogic 92 disc CD wallet - to store OEM recovery disks (which I will get by copying the customer's if they have it)
... If they don't I could use their vendor serial key to purchase the disk for myself + recovery disks like UBCD.
> Business cards and magnets from Overnight Prints - awesome quality, pricing, and quick delivery.
> Samsill Regal Leather Business Card Wallet
> A printer (not sure what I want yet)
> 1000 Feet of grey RJ45 Cat5e cable - in case they have a damaged cable. I could sell this and make a little extra $ Can be bought from Sewell at Ebay for only $45 w/ S&H
> Paladin crimper
> 100 RJ45 connectors
> 3-in-1 RJ45 Network / RJ11 and USB Cable Tester
> Superlooper, Gigabit Loopback Jack & Plug
> Superlooper, Ethernet Crossover Adapter
> Memorex OptiDisc lens cleaner
> Universal laptop AC adapter - to test if a customer's AC adapter is broke
> Belkin Anti-Static wrist band - protect computer components from ESD
> Paladin Tools computer tool kit - love the black and amber skrew drivers
> Bucket Boss 06049 GateMouth Long Boy Tool Bag
> 10 pounds of various computer skrews from Ebay (LOL)
> Verbatim 52X CD-R 100 pack
> AmazonBasics DVD-R 100 pack
> Pioneer external DVD burner (DVR-XD08) - for netbooks and to do direct to disk DVD burning
> Slim USB 2.0 to PS/2 Adapter - for computers that have a bad PS2 connector
> 10/100M NIC PCI Ethernet LAN Adapter - to test if a NIC is bad
> Cooler Master Elite 460 watt PSU - to test if PSU is bad
> CoolMax PSU tester - faster than using a multimeter
> CD-ROM drives (sata/pata)
> Spare HDD (SATA+PATA) - great for cloning the customer's HDD before you start trying to fix the OS
> Little LED flashlight
> A work bench (maybe a table)
> 1 LCD Monitor
> 4 Port USB KVM Switch USB/VGA w/ 4 Cables & PS2 to USB - work on 4 computers at one time, while only needing one monitor.
Awesome info to have on hand:
> Check out Technibble's archives (really, really, super good info)
... Good article from TN > Repair commands: http://www.technibble.com/not-so-wel...pair-commands/
> Chkdsk commands : http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true
> Laptop repair guides: http://www.laptoprepair101.com/
> XP Command-line reference A-Z: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true
> E-mail server settings: http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/t...-settings.html
> How to Back Up or Copy Your Outlook Mail, Contacts and Other Data: http://download.cnet.com/Outlook-Express-Backup/3000-2242_4-10159751.html
Books to prepare me for A+ Exam (gotta pass it by the end of the year so I can get certified for life )
-I'm in my 2nd semester for Network Admin.
> The Ultimate CompTIA A+ 2009 Resource Kit by Jean Andrews (my fav. PC book author)
> A+ Guide to Software + the Guide to Hardware > both 5th Edition by Jean (I have the 4th editions; these ones just came out)
And the best of the best, Professor Messer's CompTIA+ exam prep tutorial videos @ http://www.professormesser.com/
So, did you make it to the end? lol - I hope this can be of some use to someone.
Let me know what you guys think?
What do you think of my toolkit? Any suggestions for what I might want to add or change?
- I give a little description of most components, just in case no one's heard of them.
What I have now:
HARDWARE:
> HP dv6500t laptop
> Samsonite laptop case
> 500GB SeaGate FreeAgent GO - hate WD's glossy passports
> USB to EIDI/SATA adapter - connect any HDD to your own system. Can use it to recover data or scan for malware, and to make a ghost image.
> Male VGA to Female DVI adapter (need a Female VGA to Male DVI adapter) - if you only have a monitor that has DVI input or one with VGA, then you can use these adapters to work on systems that only have VGA or DVI.
> Some Ethernet cables, USB A to B cables
SOFTWARE:
> Win 7 Pro 32/64 Bit (free from college) + Vista Business SP2
> Windows XP Pro/Home SP3 VLK from my college
> Dell XP Home SP1a + Dell XP Pro SP2
> Win 7 Recovery disk
> Vista Recovery disk
> XP SP 1, 2, 3. Vista SP 1 and 2.
> UBCD4Win
> Bit Defender Rescue CD - haven't tried it yet
> MS Dart 5.0, 6.0, 6.5 - can only get it if your MSDN/Technet. Got it from my college through the MS Academic Aliance
> Todo Backup - a free cloning/backup program that has a damn good user friendly interface, as well as a smaller footprint then other image solutions.
> Ultimate Boot CD 4 + 5 RC 1
> Ubuntu 9.10 live CD
> Ping of Death batch file - lol
> 77 MB of malware to practice removing malware from my VMWare image of XP
> FREE Dial Up access from a program called Dial-In (only for Michiganders)
> Auslogics Disk Defrag
> HD Tune - to test HDD
> Western Digital Diagnostics - diddo
> SeaGate DiscWizard - for SG drives
> Unlocker - lets me delete files that Windows says I can't delete
> Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
> Open Office 3 - Microsoft Office alternative. Personally, I use Office 2010 beta
> Revo - to do a deep uninstall of software
> Java 18 - gotta have it
> MurGeeMon - let's me make a laptop change it's primary monitor to an external monitor. Some XP laptops can't do this.
> CCleaner - clean the Registry and unnecessary files
> DirectX runtime - installs all the latest DirectX components
> Lightscreen - great screenshot tool for XP
> Royal blue and Noir themes for XP
> Media Player 11 for XP
> K Lite Codec Pack Full - for XP if the system can't play DVD's without a codec
> VMWare Player 3 - to mess around with OSs
> Thunderbird 3 - to replace XP's outlook express
> Silverlight 3
> IE 8 for XP (I update IE even if it's not the browser being used, for safety reasons. Plus, some sites require IE)
> Firefox
> Chrome - my fav
PORTABLE APPS: (all freeware)
> Double Driver - to save drivers before you do a N&P (it's also on the UBCD4Win)
> LSP-Fix - Fixes internet connections damaged by malware
> Chrome - the future of Web browsers lol
> Thunderbird - check my E-mail anywhere - password protected
> Unknown Devices - this helped me find out which 2 devices I had on my computer that Win 7 wasn't recognizing
(my laptop's SD card reader)
> Wireshark - sniff packets on the go. Still new to it.
> CPU-Z and GPU-Z - info on the processor and video card
> Device Doctor - finds drivers for your system
> CCleaner
> Crystal Disk Info - info on the HDD
> SIW (System Info for Windows) - will tell you more than you need to know about your system
> PC Decrapifier - helps/guides you to remove bloatware
> Speccy - more system info (from same company that makes CCleaner)
> StartUpLite - from Malwarebytes - gives you info on what start up programs you might want to disable
> XP Quick Fix - fix various issues with XP
> 7 Quick Fix - diddo for 7
> RockXP4 - find Windows product keys - could also use Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder
> Ninite - auto download and install essential software (you pick and choose what you want)
> Recuva - from CCleaner company - recovers files
> Norton Remover - remove Norton AV
> TreeSize - shows you how much space you're programs are taking up
> Eraser - to delete and write over data
> ClamWin - portable AV
MALWARE removers/scanners: (all freeware)
- I prefer to leave the customer with AVG. I've heard good things about MS Security Essentials, but I think it's too knew to trust just yet. Once I get a printer I can print off the log showing that the AV found no malware, which I can give to the customer.
- Combofix (haven't tried yet)
- Hijack This installer and portable versions - "examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys" (scan results at www.hijackthis.de) - BE VERY careful when using this
- Malewarebytes Antimalware - fav. malware remover
- CWShredder - "find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch – the name for a wide range of insidious browser hijackers"
- Autoruns - from MS; "goes beyond MSConfig"
- Process Explorer - see what's running, how much CPU it's eating, etc; and allows you to kill the process
- rkill - shuts down actively running malware
- Killbox - delete files that Windows won't let you delete
- Haven't tried these yet > Rootkit buster/ remover/ revealer/ Sophos. Portable SuperAntispyware, SmitfraudFix, MS Security Essentials, Housecall Launcher (online AV scanner), MS Malware Remover.
>> On my ext. HDD I have some videos from Bryce on how to manual remove viruses and how to fix XP when it won't boot.
WHAT I WANT: (gonna use my financial aid to pay for it)
> CaseLogic 92 disc CD wallet - to store OEM recovery disks (which I will get by copying the customer's if they have it)
... If they don't I could use their vendor serial key to purchase the disk for myself + recovery disks like UBCD.
> Business cards and magnets from Overnight Prints - awesome quality, pricing, and quick delivery.
> Samsill Regal Leather Business Card Wallet
> A printer (not sure what I want yet)
> 1000 Feet of grey RJ45 Cat5e cable - in case they have a damaged cable. I could sell this and make a little extra $ Can be bought from Sewell at Ebay for only $45 w/ S&H
> Paladin crimper
> 100 RJ45 connectors
> 3-in-1 RJ45 Network / RJ11 and USB Cable Tester
> Superlooper, Gigabit Loopback Jack & Plug
> Superlooper, Ethernet Crossover Adapter
> Memorex OptiDisc lens cleaner
> Universal laptop AC adapter - to test if a customer's AC adapter is broke
> Belkin Anti-Static wrist band - protect computer components from ESD
> Paladin Tools computer tool kit - love the black and amber skrew drivers
> Bucket Boss 06049 GateMouth Long Boy Tool Bag
> 10 pounds of various computer skrews from Ebay (LOL)
> Verbatim 52X CD-R 100 pack
> AmazonBasics DVD-R 100 pack
> Pioneer external DVD burner (DVR-XD08) - for netbooks and to do direct to disk DVD burning
> Slim USB 2.0 to PS/2 Adapter - for computers that have a bad PS2 connector
> 10/100M NIC PCI Ethernet LAN Adapter - to test if a NIC is bad
> Cooler Master Elite 460 watt PSU - to test if PSU is bad
> CoolMax PSU tester - faster than using a multimeter
> CD-ROM drives (sata/pata)
> Spare HDD (SATA+PATA) - great for cloning the customer's HDD before you start trying to fix the OS
> Little LED flashlight
> A work bench (maybe a table)
> 1 LCD Monitor
> 4 Port USB KVM Switch USB/VGA w/ 4 Cables & PS2 to USB - work on 4 computers at one time, while only needing one monitor.
Awesome info to have on hand:
> Check out Technibble's archives (really, really, super good info)
... Good article from TN > Repair commands: http://www.technibble.com/not-so-wel...pair-commands/
> Chkdsk commands : http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true
> Laptop repair guides: http://www.laptoprepair101.com/
> XP Command-line reference A-Z: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true
> E-mail server settings: http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/t...-settings.html
> How to Back Up or Copy Your Outlook Mail, Contacts and Other Data: http://download.cnet.com/Outlook-Express-Backup/3000-2242_4-10159751.html
Books to prepare me for A+ Exam (gotta pass it by the end of the year so I can get certified for life )
-I'm in my 2nd semester for Network Admin.
> The Ultimate CompTIA A+ 2009 Resource Kit by Jean Andrews (my fav. PC book author)
> A+ Guide to Software + the Guide to Hardware > both 5th Edition by Jean (I have the 4th editions; these ones just came out)
And the best of the best, Professor Messer's CompTIA+ exam prep tutorial videos @ http://www.professormesser.com/
So, did you make it to the end? lol - I hope this can be of some use to someone.
Let me know what you guys think?
Last edited: