netbook as a diagnostic tool

[Dougie]

Hi All
A general question. Is it possible to adapt your netbook that can be used as a diagnostic tool. For example, when you bring the car to a garage they hook it up a computer and it basically tells you what is wrong with the vehicle. I wonder is there such a device for desktops and laptops. It would be very handy and less time wasted trying to find a problem.

regards
Dougie

 

[MobileTechie]

What would you expect it to test exactly?

I don't think there is a relevant parallel with car diagnostics. The reason they use a laptop is because there is a computer in the car with no screen or keyboard and they need to communicate with it and get data from it.

A customer PC either works, in which case you get the data from it directly, or it doesn't, in which case linking a computer to it won't help.

 

[OldSchoolPC]

Dougie, please spend some time reading the forums, and articles here on Technibble. Most technicians who do on-site work do bring a laptop or netbook with them, however any technician worth his salt wouldn't need one at all, as stated above. You can use the client's computer for diagnostics. Sometimes, I may remove the harddrive and hook it up to my laptop, so then I can do a physical cleaning while performing scans. I also do this if my laptop has more processing power than the client's PC (which is true 80% of the time.) Almost all tools that technicians use are software based, and so can be used on the client's machine. Even if you can't boot into safe mode, there are recovery disks, and great boot disks like UBCD4WIN. For diagnosing hardware, there are dirt cheap physical tools that can be bought as well. Search Technibble. No need for a laptop at all.

 

[16k_zx81]

Dougie, please spend some time reading the forums, and articles here on Technibble.

^ what he said. Read, learn the basics, then start thinking about 'new and novel' ways of inventing the wheel.

But start from the basics.

 

[spriteshack]

I *think* what you mean is: plug something into a sick computer (via USB or whatever) and have it scan for problems.

After all, they do it on Star Trek, right?

I'd even settle for the ability to plug a cable into a sick laptop and the other end into a Tech PC, to access the hard drive. As it is, we have to physically remove the drive, which on some esoteric laptops (old iBooks, for instance) means taking the whole damn thing apart.

Someday, maybe. But I doubt it.

 

[layoric]

There is but no extra pc needed

Generally works for NON-booting pc's/laptops. It's a PCI/ISA or express-card device that plugs into the client computer and displays codes relating to the issues a computer is having. Again, generally for non-working systems.

I just got one similar to the example image, from someone doing a clean-up from a recent home purchase. This and two other boxes of used computer equipment were left behind. I purchased it all for $5 total .

Layoric