September 6th, 2021 at 8:03 AM
Going to go over the tools and separate them into hardware and software, needed and nice to have.
to Start with let's go with hardware you should absolutely have.
A Multimeter: any multimeter but one that can do circuit and component testing to look for broken circuits and traces at the very least, so even a cheap $20 one will do.
A grounding strap/Anti-static Wrist strap/anti-static mat: This one's also a no brainer, you need one because static electricity can fry sensitive components, less so now than in the past due to manufacturers hardening them against it but still a vital safety precaution.
A #1 and #2 Philips screwdriver: you need this at the minimum because most computers, and in fact most electronics use either the #2 or both the #1 and #2 Philips head screw driver
A flathead screwdriver: For prying off keyboard keys or carefully prying at panels that won't release, of course check for securing screws first.
A Decent Light source: another no brainer, get a good light, ideally a work lamp and a headlamp so you can see into the abyss that awaits inside.
A clean workspace: do I need to explain this one?
A screw tray or container to put screws in: Some people use ice cube trays, some use plastic bins, the classic is the magnetic screw tray which I primarily use however my toolkit comes with a nice organized screw tray built into the lid for fixing stuff when I'm not at home.
Nice to have.
A Decent Screwdriver kit: this one because it has everything you need for any electronic device
A logic probe: For reading the logic on circuits and to determine if the output of chips is faulty, or if something needs to be reprogrammed (like a bios).
An electronics workbench: It's not required but it should contain everything you need to fix anything electronic, from Soldering irons, multi-meters, and oscilloscopes to bench-top power supplies and shelves full of wires, components, and anything you could ever need to fix most anything, for everything else, there's amazon.
now for the Software.
you really only need your install media however there's an extra toolkit I'd like to talk about.
Hirens Boot CD: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/
This tool is insane, it has everything you could possibly need to diagnose a problem, remove a virus, repair a bugged OS, format drives, etc.
it's all free legal software and it's built on top of a version of windows 10 PE, I highly recommend running this tool if you're concerned about faulty ram, failing hard drives, or just want to do some data recovery, for everything else there's a linux variant.
As an alternative you can also grab the Ultimate Boot CD: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
basically this is an ISO that contains a series of disk images, each one pertaining to different types of problems and containing everything you need to fix it, super useful if you want to get rid of a virus or problem that the above has failed at.
Both are super powerful and allow you to do everything from virus removal and debugging to hard drive recovery up to complete drive failure, (this is where you'd need your workbench... and some kind of air tight cleanroom in a box, for transferring disk platters.)
just load either one onto a flash drive and boot from it.
to Start with let's go with hardware you should absolutely have.
A Multimeter: any multimeter but one that can do circuit and component testing to look for broken circuits and traces at the very least, so even a cheap $20 one will do.
A grounding strap/Anti-static Wrist strap/anti-static mat: This one's also a no brainer, you need one because static electricity can fry sensitive components, less so now than in the past due to manufacturers hardening them against it but still a vital safety precaution.
A #1 and #2 Philips screwdriver: you need this at the minimum because most computers, and in fact most electronics use either the #2 or both the #1 and #2 Philips head screw driver
A flathead screwdriver: For prying off keyboard keys or carefully prying at panels that won't release, of course check for securing screws first.
A Decent Light source: another no brainer, get a good light, ideally a work lamp and a headlamp so you can see into the abyss that awaits inside.
A clean workspace: do I need to explain this one?
A screw tray or container to put screws in: Some people use ice cube trays, some use plastic bins, the classic is the magnetic screw tray which I primarily use however my toolkit comes with a nice organized screw tray built into the lid for fixing stuff when I'm not at home.
Nice to have.
A Decent Screwdriver kit: this one because it has everything you need for any electronic device
A logic probe: For reading the logic on circuits and to determine if the output of chips is faulty, or if something needs to be reprogrammed (like a bios).
An electronics workbench: It's not required but it should contain everything you need to fix anything electronic, from Soldering irons, multi-meters, and oscilloscopes to bench-top power supplies and shelves full of wires, components, and anything you could ever need to fix most anything, for everything else, there's amazon.
now for the Software.
you really only need your install media however there's an extra toolkit I'd like to talk about.
Hirens Boot CD: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/
This tool is insane, it has everything you could possibly need to diagnose a problem, remove a virus, repair a bugged OS, format drives, etc.
it's all free legal software and it's built on top of a version of windows 10 PE, I highly recommend running this tool if you're concerned about faulty ram, failing hard drives, or just want to do some data recovery, for everything else there's a linux variant.
As an alternative you can also grab the Ultimate Boot CD: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
basically this is an ISO that contains a series of disk images, each one pertaining to different types of problems and containing everything you need to fix it, super useful if you want to get rid of a virus or problem that the above has failed at.
Both are super powerful and allow you to do everything from virus removal and debugging to hard drive recovery up to complete drive failure, (this is where you'd need your workbench... and some kind of air tight cleanroom in a box, for transferring disk platters.)
just load either one onto a flash drive and boot from it.
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