RAM: If you can’t afford the
R.S.T. Pro 2 and didn’t bother
to download Memtest 86 , you
should at least carry some spare
RAM. We keep on hand an
assortment of PC133, DDR,
and RDRAM modules that
we’ve previously tested for
integrity. Because there are a
few RDRAM systems still kicking
around, we also carry a set of C-
RIMMs, or continuity RIMMs, that are
required to fill the empty slots in an
RDRAM system.FALCON DUST OFF: Sometimes
dust bunnies can’t be avoided. That’s
why we tote a mini can of Dust Off
Jr. Blast the offending matter from a
safe distance, hold your breath for a
Mark Spitz minute, and then move in to
perform the repair.
$5, http://www.falconsafety.comNOVEMBER 2004 MA XIMUMPC
SNAP-ON
SCREWDRIVER:
Not as clumsy or
unpredictable as an
electric screwdriver,
the Snap-On
ratcheting, magnetic
screwdriver is an
elegant tool for a
more civilized time.
It’s also probably
the best damned
screwdriver on Earth.
$50, http://www.snapon.comHARD DRIVE:
A 20GB or 30GB laptop hard drive
with a 2.5-to-3.5-inch converter
(about $5) makes a nifty rescue
drive. We carry two: one with a
clean install of Windows XP for
booting a dead system, and a second
blank drive to copy important files to.
If you don’t have one of these, just pack a
couple of old 3.5-inch drives in your kit.WIHA SCREWDRIVER:
If you’ve ever bunged up a
screw with one of those
cheap-ass “jewelers”
tools, you’ll be more
than happy to pony
up for a set of
Wiha precision
instruments.
Made of
hardened
alloy steel,
these babies
are tough to
bend.VIDEOCARDS:
After all these years
we’ve finally found
a use for those old
S3 Virge videocards.
We use our PCI-based
Virge as an alternative
form of display should a
machine’s AGP card be bad, or even worse, if a PC is
lacking an AGP slot (think Intel 810 chipset... shudder ). Of
course, we also carry an old GeForce AGP card for AGP
component swap-outs.I/O SHIELDS: Half
the systems we work
on no longer have their
I/O shields—you know, that
metal plate that fits around the
PS/2, serial, and USB ports and keeps marbles, mice,
and Cheez Whiz out of your machine. We collect spare
I/O shields from gutted boxes, but mom-and-pop PC
stores seem to always have a cardboard box full of
them. For 25 cents a pop, it doesn’t hurt to stock an
assortment.
WINTERNALS ERD
COMMANDER 2003: Never,
ever mix a fifth of Stoli with
a computing session. It’s the
perfect recipe for a new PC
password that’s soon forgotten.
Fortunately, ERD Commander
2003 comes to the rescue with
its Locksmith feature. You can
reset the password after booting
the system from CD. ERD
Commander is also handy for
booting a system with a hosed
OS so you can move vital files
off the machine or access XP’s
restore points.
$150, http://www.erdcommander.comWhat do you carry in your box? Got a good tip on a must-
have piece of hardware or software for fixing a busted
PC? Let us know at [email protected].BartPE: In addition to carrying
an array of OS boot disks (don’t
have ‘em? Go to bootdisk.com),
you should consider building
a BartPE disk. Courtesy of Bart
Lagerweij, the program allows
you to construct your own
bootable CD or DVD with the
ability to burn discs, scan for
viruses, and copy files. Basically
a stripped-down version of
Windows XP, you can install drivers for various RAID and SCSI devices as
well as your favorite utilities. BartPE is free, but you may need full versions
of some utilities to get complete functionality, and you’ll also need a version
of your XP install disc with SP1 slipstreamed. Get BartPE from http://www.nu2.nu
and follow the directions to install plug-ins for a slick emergency boot disk.$24, http://www.wihatools.com