Question

Software tools a computer professional would use

Asked by: gecko_au2003

I see in this question :

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Q_21658687.html

garycase mentions spinrite as a good tool to have in anyones toolbox so to speak with regards to computer tools etc.

I basically want a comprhensive list of tools you have or would recomend to have for anything and everything from defragging ( RAM ie mem turbo 2 or 3 to defragging hard drives ) all the way to any other tools you would suggest.

software wise I mean, I dont mean physical ones like screw drivers etc.

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Asked On
2005-12-09 at 17:33:27ID21659847
Topic

Miscellaneous Hardware

Participating Experts
4
Points
500
Comments
31

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Answers

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-09 at 19:35:02ID: 15457411

Hi Shane,

Well ... I will undoubtedly miss a bunch of stuff that I have "laying around" -- but here are some key ones:

Hard disk drive maintenance:  Spinrite  (http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm)

Hard disk drive data recovery:  GetDataBack  (www.runtime.org)

Memory testing:  MemTest86  (www.memtest86.com)  or  MemTest86+  (www.memtest.org)

Bootable CDs:   (1)  Ultimate Boot CD  (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/)
                       (this has many useful utilities on it already => I won't list most of them here except for a few key ones that you should have available "outside" of this CD)

Bootable CDs:  (2)  Knoppix  (http://www.knoppix.com/)
                      (also has many useful utilities)

Component Identification:   Everest Home Edition  (no longer available -- hopefully you already have it)

Partition Resizing:  Boot-It NG  (www.bootitng.com) ==> once you understand this one, you don't need any others

Partition Imaging:  Boot-It NG  (www.bootitng.com)  (see above comment)

Boot Manager:  Boot-It NG  (www.bootitng.com)  (see above comment)

Hard disk secure erase:  Hard Disk Scrub  (http://www.summitcn.com/download.html)
(deleted files & free space)

Hard disk total erase:  Darik's Boot 'n Nuke  (http://dban.sourceforge.net/)

Anti-Spyware:  Microsoft's AntiSpy Beta (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=321cd7a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en)
                        Ad-Aware SE (http://www.lavasoft.com/)
                        Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html)

Anti-Virus:   AVG Free Edition (www.free.grisoft.com)
                  NOD32  (http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm) => a bit better than AVG (but not free)

Temperature Monitoring:   Intel Active Monitor (for Intel Boards)
                                       Motherboard Monitor (for others that support monitoring)

... I've gotta run for the evening -- I'll add to this later (this is nowhere near done)

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-10 at 02:30:22ID: 15458186

ok np, any chance you can upload everest home edition and any other dis continued ones to some webspace or give me URL's of where I can download them from ?

 

by: leewPosted on 2005-12-10 at 03:21:10ID: 15458243

For whatever reason you don't seem interested in the input of others.  Nevertheless, I'll offer mine.

I maintain a CD case I take to clients with the following tools (Some of the list below is merely a directory dump, some of it is a copy of my "Versions" file.

****DISK 1****:  A collection of FREEWARE - NO SHAREWARE thought a few apps might have "expanded" shareware versions (Note: This disk has not been updated in about 6 weeks).
\Antivirus Utilities\AntiVir Personal Edition.exe
\Antivirus Utilities\AvastHomeEdition4setup.exe
\Antivirus Utilities\avg70free_344a618.exe
\AV Utilities\DivFix
\AV Utilities\DivX511.exe
\AV Utilities\XviD_Install.exe
\Backup Utilities\CobainBackup6Setup.exe
\Backup Utilities\ntbackup.msi
\CD Burning and Recovery Utilities\cdbxp_setup_3.0.116.zip
\CD Burning and Recovery Utilities\DeepBurner1.exe
\CD Burning and Recovery Utilities\IsoBuster 1.8 (English Only) Setup.exe
\FTP Utilities\coreftplite1.3.exe
\Hardware Utilities\aida32
\Hardware Utilities\Belarc Advisor.exe
\Hardware Utilities\everesthome220.exe
\Hardware Utilities\RanishPartitionManager240.zip
\Hardware Utilities\sisoft Sandra 2005SR2a (10.60).exe
\Hardware Utilities\wcpu330.exe
\Instant Messaging\AIM-5.9.exe
\Instant Messaging\gaim-1.5.0.exe
\Instant Messaging\ICQPro2003b.exe
\Instant Messaging\YahooMessenger7.exe
\Java\JAVA-jre-1_5_0_05-win-i586-p.exe
\Multimedia\Codecs
\Multimedia\WMEncoder7.exe
\Multimedia\Codecs\ac3filter_1_01a_rc5.exe
\Multimedia\Codecs\DivX-UncheckTrialDuringSetup.exe
\Multimedia\Codecs\XviD-1.0.3-20122004(koepi).exe
\Network Utilities\Ethereal-setup0.10.11.exe
\Network Utilities\NetPerSec
\Network Utilities\WinPcap_3_0.exe
\Newsgroups\BNR2beta0.14.6.exe
\Newsgroups\xnews.zip
\Office and Related\AccessRuntime2003
\Office and Related\Office 2000 SPs
\Office and Related\Office 2003 SP and Patches
\Office and Related\Office 2003 Viewers
\Office and Related\Office XP SP and Patches
\Office and Related\OOo_2.0.0_Win32Intel_install.exe
\Office and Related\AccessRuntime2003\ACCESSRT.CAB
\Office and Related\AccessRuntime2003\ACCESSRT.MSI
\Office and Related\AccessRuntime2003\Temp
\Office and Related\Office 2000 SPs\o2ksp3a.exe
\Office and Related\Office 2000 SPs\Office2KSR1a
\Office and Related\Office 2003 SP and Patches\office2k3-kb838905-fullfile-enu.exe
\Office and Related\Office 2003 SP and Patches\Office2k3SP1-kb842532-fullfile-enu.exe
\Office and Related\Office 2003 Viewers\powerpoint.exe
\Office and Related\Office 2003 Viewers\visio.exe
\Office and Related\Office 2003 Viewers\word.exe
\Office and Related\Office XP SP and Patches\officexp-kb832332-v2-fullfile-enu.exe
\Office and Related\Office XP SP and Patches\OfficeXpSp3-kb832671-fullfile-enu.exe
\Office and Related\Office XP SP and Patches\OFFICEXP_SP1.exe
\Office and Related\PST Recovery\2gb152.exe
\Other Utilities\AdbeRdr70_enu_full.exe
\Other Utilities\QuickPar-0.9.1.0.exe
\Other Utilities\setx_setup.exe
\PDA\Palm Desktop
\Remote Access Utilities\MS RDP Client.exe
\Remote Access Utilities\Putty
\Remote Access Utilities\tightvnc-1.2.9-setup.exe
\Remote Access Utilities\UltraVNC-1.0-Setup.exe
\Remote Access Utilities\UltraVnc-101-Setup.zip
\Remote Access Utilities\vnc-4_1_1-x86_win32.exe
\Spyware Utilities\MicrosoftAntiSpywareInstall.exe
\Spyware Utilities\Spybot
\Spyware Utilities\Spybot\DetectionUpdates7-15-05.exe
\Spyware Utilities\Spybot\spybotsd14.exe
\TweakUI
\Web Utilities\Firefox Setup 1.0.7.exe
\Web Utilities\mozilla-win32-1.7.12-installer.exe

****DISK 2****: BartPE Boot Disk with MOSTLY free utilities and a FEW I've bought, including McAfee and WinHex
DIRUSE.EXE (Windows Resource Kit Util)
GBMAIL.EXE (Command Line Mailer)
MDATE.EXE (Make folder based on current date)
ZIP.EXE (InfoZip Compression)
WINFILE (Windows File Manager from NT4)
PKZIP 2.04g (16-bit; Zip, Unzip, zip2exe)
BlackViperWinXPServices.pdf
McAfee Antivirus Command Line 4.40/DAT 4535
Silent Runners (SR; Revision 39; silentrunners.vbs)
Silent Runners "Red" (SR; Run if "CreateTextFile" error; SR-IfCannotSaveFile.vbs)
CWS Shield Dropper (SR; CWS-ShieldDropper1.vbs)
CWS File Cleaner (SR; CWS-File-Cleaner2.vbs)
In Use Destroyer (SR; InUseDestroyer.vbs)
IRT.vbs (SR; NonStandardProcesses.vbs)
DOS 6.22 Boot Floppy Image (boot622.exe)
Windows 95A Boot Floppy Image (boot95a.exe)
Windows 95B Boot Floppy Image (boot95b.exe)
Windows 98 No RAM Drive Floppy Image (boot98noRamDrive.exe)
Windows 98 OEM Floppy Image (boot98oem.exe)
Windows 98 SE No RAM Drive Floppy Image (boot98senoRamDrive.exe)
Windows 98 SE OEM Floppy Image (boot98seoem.exe)
Windows Me No RAM Drive Floppy Image (bootmeNoRamDrive.exe)
Windows Me OEM Floppy Image (boot98oem.exe)
PSEXEC.EXE 1.55 (Remote command execution)
PSLIST.EXE 1.26 (Local or Remote Process list)
PSKILL.EXE 1.10 (Local or Remote process killing)
PSINFO.EXE 1.63 (Local or Remote system information)
PSLOGGEDON.EXE 1.31 (Local or Remote information on who is logged on to a system)
PSGETSID.EXE 1.41 (Displays the SID of a local or remote computer)
PSSHUTDOWN.EXE 2.40 (Shutdown the local or a remote computer)
PSSERVICE.EXE 2.12 (Service control and information on a local or remote system)
PSFILE.EXE 1.01 (Lists or closes files opened remotely)
PSLOGLIST.EXE 2.60 (Dumps event logs on a local or remote system)
PSPASSWD.EXE 1.21 (Changes passwords on a local ore remote system)
PSSUSPEND.EXE 1.05 (Suspends or resumes processes on a local or remote system)
NetAlias 1.00 (Displays, adds or removes NetBIOS names for the Server service)
Network Password Age 1.30 (Displays the password age for all accounts in the specified domain, both users and machines)
NTBackup.EXE (Windows XP Backup Utility)
AccessEnum 1.2 (Displays who has what access to directories, files, and Registry keys on your systems)
CacheSet 1.0 (Allows you to control the Cache Manager's working set size)
Contig 1.52 (Optimizes individual files, or to create new files that are contiguous)
DiskMon 2.01 (Captures all hard disk activity or acts like a software disk activity light in the system tray)
DiskView 2.0 (Shows a Graphical Map of the Hard drive and contents by sector)
DU 1.2 (Reports the disk usage for the directory specified)
EFSDump 1.02 (Displays information for encrypted files)
FileMon 7.02 (Monitors and displays file system activity on a system in real-time)
Junction 1.03 (Create Win2K NTFS symbolic links)
LDMDump 1.02 (Dump the contents of the Logical Disk Manager's on-disk database)
Shortcut 1.10 (Creates, modifies or queries Windows shell links (shortcuts))
ListDLLs 2.25 (List all the DLLs that are currently loaded, including where they are loaded and their version numbers)
LogonSessions 1.10 (List active logon sessions)
NewSID 4.10 (Changes a computer's SID)
PageDefrag 2.32 (Defragment paging files and Registry hives)
RootKitRevealer 1.55 (Scan systems for rootkit-based malware)
SigCheck 1.20 (Dump file version information and verify that images on system are digitally signed)
ShareEnum 1.6 (Scan file shares on network and view their security settings)
VolumeID 2.00 (Set Volume ID of FAT or NTFS drives)
TokenMon 1.01 (Watch security-related activity, including logon, logoff, privilege usage, and impersonation)
Autoruns 8.13 (Displays what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots and you login)
ADRestore (Undelete Server 2003 Active Directory objects)
TCPView 2.40 (See all open TCP and UDP endpoints)
TDIMon 1.01 (TCP/IP Monitor)
Handle 3.10 (Will show you what files are open by which processes)
Regmon 7.02 (Lets you see all Registry activity in real-time)
TCPVcon 2.40 (See all open TCP and UDP endpoints)
ClockRes 1.0 (Displays system clock tick frequency)
LoadOrder 1.0 (Displays shows order that a Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3 system loads device drivers (PNP drivers may differ))
PendMoves 1.1 (Enumerate the list of file rename and delete commands that will be executed the next boot)
ProcessExplorer 9.25 (Displayswhat files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded)
Strings 2.2 (Search for ANSI and UNICODE strings in binary images
BuiltIn Account Manager 1.11 (Displays or manages the builtin Administrator or Guest account, without knowing what the current name is)
MessageBox 1.1 (Displays a custom message box and returns the user's response (which button was pressed) in the exit code)
Network Speed 1.4 (Calculates the network speed between two winsock hosts)
Network Users 1.21 (Displays a current or historical list of users logged on to a specified Windows NT/2000 system)
Network View 1.20 (Displays a list of all machines visible in the specified domain, based on role)
Set Short File Name 1.00 (Displays or sets the 8.3 SFN (Short File Name) for a file or folder)
Windows File Protection Query 1.00 (Allows you to query the list of files protected by Windows)
Ultimate Windows Boot CD 2.5 (Compiliation of programs with BartPE)
Ultimate Windows Boot CD Drivers 1.5 (Compilation of programs with BartPE)
Modify Profile 1.21 (Loads Registry hives and modifies profiles for users who are not currently logged in)
WinHex 12.55 (Disk Level Hex Editor and File Recovery)
Partition Table Doctor 3.0 (Partition Table Repair Tool)
McAfee Stinger Virus Removal Tool
Windows NT 4 Performance Monitor
SymNRT, RNav2003, RnisUPG, SYMCLN, LRSetup (Symantec Norton Forcibly Remove Norton Products Tool; See PDF for specific compatible applications)
Microsoft Debugging Tools 6.5 (July 2005)
Analyze.cmd (used with Kernel Deubgging tools to analyze crash dumps
Magical Jelly Bean Finder 1.41
RegDelNull 1.00 (Delete Registry keys that contain embedded-null characters and that are otherwise undeleteable using standard Registry-editing tools)
WinHex 12.70 (Disk Level Hex Editor and File Recovery)

****DISK 3****: Service Packs & Patches CD for 2000, XP, NT4

****DISK 4****: Service Packs CD for 2003/SBS 2003

****DISK 5****: Knoppix 3.9

****DISK 6****: Windows Password Reset boot CD (Linux Based)

****DISK 7****: Winternals Administrators Pack 3.01

****DISK 8****: Ultimate Boot CD 3.3 (uncustomized) from http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Then I keep 2 blank CDs from TWO different makers
Then I keep 2 blank DVDs from TWO different makers
Then I keep a Knoppix 4.0 DVD
And finally a Knoppix 3.9 CD I give to most customers

Total of 14 CDs/DVDs.


Many (but not all) of the tools on CD2 are from www.optimumx.com and www.sysinternals.com

 

by: willcompPosted on 2005-12-10 at 08:55:53ID: 15459090

MajorGeeks still has Everest Home 2.20.  Get it while you can.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-10 at 09:26:51ID: 15459196

Shane,

I also keep a CD case full of stuff I carry with me => has 50 CDs/DVDs full of stuff, including 23 "CD archives" and 8 "DVD archives" of a lot of programs and utilities, plus virtually every OS that might be useful (from DOS 3.2 to XP-Pro, a couple versions of Linux, and even a CP/M emulator that runs on DOS - for those that remember that).   However, I didn't do a "directory dump" of those for the simple reason that you asked for "tools" ==> so I thought a listing by function would be most useful, and also do not see any point in listing all of the application programs, utilities, etc. I happen to have.  (As a simple example of why:  I have probably a dozen imaging programs: several versions of Drive Image & Ghost, TruImage, Drive Snapshot, etc. => but IMHO the BEST tool for this, as I've noted many times on this forum, is Boot-It NG; so that's the one I listed.  Listing the others would just be "clutter" and would be more confusing than helpful.   The same is true in many other areas as well.)

I'll continue my list when I get a chance ...

By the way, I do think you'd be well served with the input of others => there are a few who tend to post long lists of links to "virtually everything" for a particular problem, which I think are next-to-useless.   For example, if you need help with data recovery, a list of links to 20 or 30 data recovery programs isn't particularly helpful;  suggestions for a couple of key programs with a comment r.e. when each is best are IMHO much better (or, to use the same example as above, if you ask for a good imaging program, I'll recommend Boot-It; some will simply post a list of links to virtually every imaging program available).
BUT there are others who are usually well-focused and I would put in the "... when they speak, you should listen ..." category.   You obviously think Callandor and I are in that category -- thanks for the vote of confidence.   I suggest you add willcomp to that list.



 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-10 at 10:09:12ID: 15459375

I appologise for the title of this question, it wasnt supposed to be meant that I didnt want anyone elses help or suggestions / opinions etc, It was just that at the time I typed up the question you and callandor were 2 people that spring to mind with being helpful and always given concise and useful info , If anyone else can help out with a list ( Including willcomp etc ) then please feel free to do so.

It was just I am always participating in questions I as you said above people can make suggestions of numerous tools but defining between them to determine which are the better ones to suggest or even use for that matter is a different story.

Maybe if an admin or someone can rename the title, then go ahead but I obviously dont have the priveledges to do so and even if I did, I sure as heck wouldnt know what to put as the title of the question lol.

Anyway thanks for the help and look forward to your replies ( Garycase's , callandors and or anyone else who is willing to make any suggestions )

 

by: leewPosted on 2005-12-10 at 10:12:52ID: 15459391

I can only assume that's a reference to my post.  To that end, let me say,

I have posted the contents of my CDs.  I have not recommended 30 different data recovery options or 20 different network monitoring packages.  I have posted the software tools I carry with me to business and home user clients.  In MOST cases, these tools are all free.  The applications that are "free for home use" are only given to home users.

I have found, both in person and here on Experts Exchange, people like to have options.  I try to provide a few.  There are more.  But too many, I agree, is confusing.  For TECHNICAL people, most of them want to see EVERYTHING - so they can pick the ones they like best.  

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-10 at 10:16:01ID: 15459407

fair enough leew and please dont take it the wrong way as I was not trying to criticise you or anything or anyone else , I just wanted to some how narrow down all the tools into some sort of concise list of the most recomended ones because I wanted to try and basically ( my aim was to make my own tool kit ) and at the same time only put on the disc(s) what are good tools to have or use.

 

by: leewPosted on 2005-12-10 at 10:19:25ID: 15459419

As for a new title, might I suggest:
Software Tools a Technican Would Use

If you agree, I'll change it for you.

(Actually, my post was directed at Garycase)

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-10 at 10:21:55ID: 15459432

Software tools a computer professional would use ?

Or something to that extent ( you get the gist anyway ), but yes if you could change it to something like that, that would be great !

Thanks

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-10 at 10:26:30ID: 15459447

Thanks leew !

Asking questions on experts exchange is almost like fishing lol, cast your bait in and wait for bites lol.

 

by: willcompPosted on 2005-12-10 at 11:10:13ID: 15459588

Not a complete list, but a few comments.

First, I do a limited amount of on-site work.  Prefer to have a problem PC here in shop where all tools are available including DSL.  On-site service is limited to local government and businesses and they are all small.  If problem is not minor, just take back to shop.

Possibly the most important tool other than experience is broadband internet access.  Answers to a lot of strange/uncommon problems can be found there as we all know.

Have found that HDD manufacturer utilities on UBCD will not run on some PCs, so keep CDs of major ones on hand (Seagate, Maxtor, WD, and Hitachi).

Spinrite is a great tool, but not for on-site service unless you can leave and return.  Will take at least several hours to run.

Have CDs of every Windows version from 3.1 to Server 2003.  Been quite a while since I used 3.1 and 95.

Recommend boot diskettes from this site:

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

Personally use Partition Magic and Ghost for partition management and imaging.  Do the job well and I'm familar with them.  Have not tried Gary's recommended software but assume it's good.

Use ERD Commander for data recovery, but have seen a lot of references to GetDataBack lately.

Finally downloaded and burned Knoppix a few months ago.  Really good tool, especially for determining whether a problem is hardware or software, including OS, related.

You are getting some good suggestions.  Need to be familar with what you use, so give all a trial spin.

I'm a small operation and tend to use what's free or inexpensive and gets the job done.

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-10 at 11:24:39ID: 15459627

willcomp gave you the best suggestion yet: "... the most important tool other than experience is broadband internet access ..."  ==> absolutely agree!

I'll add more to this in a day or so :)

 

by: willcompPosted on 2005-12-10 at 12:57:41ID: 15459926

Comment for Gary and leew:  About 2 weeks ago, I posted a question regarding a Presario that randomly froze.  Thought you might like to know it was, in fact, the motherboard.  Replaced it yesterday and PC is still running.

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-10 at 13:23:33ID: 15459992

Dalton - Glad it's working;  I just looked over the thread and that was the basic conclusion there.   Nice to know the diagnosis fit the "disease" :)     Both leew and I had indicated "CPU or motherboard" in our initial posts ==> and you were clearly already leaning that way in the question itself :)

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-14 at 09:03:23ID: 15483536

Garycase ( or anyone else for that matter ) Did this just die ? Just you said you werent done and would post back later ( I dont mind waiting ) Just wanted to post this more as a reminder as I am sure you are extremely tied up and busy especially with all the skills and "know how" you have.

 

by: leewPosted on 2005-12-14 at 15:41:56ID: 15486958

Sometimes that can happen.  I would recommend posting a point question - but if you can, wait until roughly 9am ET - seems most activity and experts are on at that time.

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-14 at 16:35:36ID: 15487261

Shane - haven't forgotten, but have had a very busy week.  "Popped" in and out of here -- but haven't had time to write the rest of what I have in mind here.   Detailed responses do take a bit of time to compose.    I'll draft the rest of this reply this weekend (probably Sunday) :) :)

 

by: super_cokemanPosted on 2005-12-20 at 21:09:27ID: 15524207

i would like to throw a prog in the mix that seems to be very useful to me,
registry mechanic you can get a free copy of it or buy, etc. but it does seem to be quick and resolve alot of registry errors
i usually use it in combination with spyware doctor theyre both made by PC tools also i like winrar you can run a search for them  in google also i think their all on c-net
any other progs seem to be covered by lee and gary
thanks.
cokeman

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-25 at 22:50:19ID: 15550088

Just wanted to make a post so I don't get a reminder about closing the question out and awarding points, etc.

Merry christmas and a happy new year to all of you.

Kind regards

Shane

P.S I am curious and intrigued / interested to find out what the rest of the list from garycase was, hopefully he has time to post back with the rest of his input sometime soon.

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-25 at 23:41:29ID: 15550145

Shane,

Hope you had a great Christmas - and have a Happy New Year.

Also glad you posted your note -- I hadn't forgotten this, but the last note I had saved was "buried" in my e-mail backlog and your new one will prompt me to continue my initial post more quickly.
Been a very hectic two weeks -- I have "popped in and out" here, but haven't taken the time to compose the rest of the note for this thread (this one takes some time, as I want to be fairly thorough).   Still have a few after-Christmas things to get done the next day or two, but I will definitely finish this in 2005 !!

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-25 at 23:57:18ID: 15550160

lol yup, I can just see it now. 1 second to midnight on december 31st with your new post lol.

Anyway I wasnt trying to be a pain in your rear or anything but Just figured that it had been back logged with all the help you give on here and most likely other places etc.

Anyway I'm not sure if this is possible but is there anyway ( If I compile a list after you make your final and thorough post and post back ) with some of the tools that I dont have , would you or leew or any other experts upload the tools that I can't get ( provided they are not paid for ones ie dont require a license etc obviously )

If that is ok. I can get most of it myself obviously from sysinternals and other sites as mentioned above, but I did see somethings like :

partition table doctor 3.0
WinXpBlackViperServices.pdf

and

ADRestore

Just to name a few so that I know where to get them unless you can just post URL's of where I can get them ?

I did notice that the ADRestore was from the bart pe disc so maybe its just a case of burning the bart pe disc but I wasnt sure so I figured id mention it.

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-26 at 00:24:28ID: 15550209

I'll try and post links for as much as possible (as I did in my initial post).

 

by: garycasePosted on 2005-12-31 at 21:06:03ID: 15586149

Hi Shane,

Okay, I'm finishing this off -- and just to keep everything together, I'm copying what I wrote in the first post here -- and will add to it at the end.   Then of course I'll wait until 11:59:59 to post it :) :)

As I said in the first post, I'll undoubtedly forget something - but hopefully not too much.   And as before, I'll list the category, then my preferred product(s) and (in most cases) links.

So here goes ...

Hard disk drive maintenance:  Spinrite  (http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm)

Hard disk drive data recovery:  GetDataBack  (www.runtime.org)

Memory testing:  MemTest86  (www.memtest86.com)  or  MemTest86+  (www.memtest.org)

Bootable CDs:   (1)  Ultimate Boot CD  (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/)
                       (this has many useful utilities on it already => I won't list most of them here except for a few key ones that you should have available "outside" of this CD)

Bootable CDs:  (2)  Knoppix  (http://www.knoppix.com/)
                      (also has many useful utilities)

Component Identification:   Everest Home Edition  (no longer available -- hopefully you already have it) is my favorite.  Note:  GET IT NOW (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html)
Everest's precursor, AIDA32, is also still available (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html), although if you have Everest Home you won't need it.

Partition Resizing:  Boot-It NG  (http://www.bootitng.com/bootitng.html) ==> once you understand this one, you don't need any others

Partition Imaging:  Boot-It NG  (http://www.bootitng.com/bootitng.html)  (see above comment)

Boot Manager:  Boot-It NG  (http://www.bootitng.com/bootitng.html)  (see above comment)

Partition Imaging:  Image for DOS (http://www.bootitng.com/image.html) ==> I use this if I need to image/restore from a USB v1.1 port (rare), because Boot-It won't always work in this case (depends on the hardware).

Hard disk secure erase:  Hard Disk Scrub  (http://www.summitcn.com/download.html)
(deleted files & free space)

Hard disk total erase:  Darik's Boot 'n Nuke  (http://dban.sourceforge.net/)

Anti-Spyware:  Microsoft's AntiSpy Beta (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=321cd7a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en)
                        Ad-Aware SE (http://www.lavasoft.com/)
                        Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html)

Anti-Virus:   AVG Free Edition (www.free.grisoft.com)
                  NOD32  (http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm) => a bit better than AVG (but not free)

Temperature Monitoring:   Intel Active Monitor (for Intel Boards)
                                       Motherboard Monitor (for others that support monitoring)

Hard Disk Temperature Monitoring:  HD Thermometer (http://www.rsdsoft.com/hdd-thermometer/index.php)

Font Viewer:  Advanced Font Viewer (http://www.styopkin.com/)

Benchmark - Hard Disk:  HD Tune (http://www.hdtune.com/)

Benchmark - System:  SiSoft Sandra (http://www.download.com/3000-2086-10018691.html)

Backup Utility (1):  SyncBack  (http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/)  Freeware version is fine; but SE has a couple of nice added features.

Backup Utility (2):  Replicator (http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp)  Not as powerful as Syncback, but easier to use.

General Graphics Viewer:  IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/)

Directory Printer:  Directory Printer (http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptdirprn.asp)

Search Utility:  Agent Ransack (http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/default.aspx)
It's "big brother" - File Locator Pro - is not free, but does have some nice added features.  But I'm quite happy with Agent Ransack (much better than XP's search).

"Instant Imaging" Tool - GoBack v3.2 Deluxe.  This needs a bit of explaining.  GoBack is not an "imaging" tool (in fact it's incompatible with imaging tools).   AND I don't recommend the current version (from Symantec).  But the last version from Roxio (if you can find it) is excellent.  I do NOT install it to leave it on systems these days (I used to use it a lot); but if you install it on a system you're working on, it's like having an "instant image" available.   As long as the point where you want to "go back" to is within it's 4gb buffer, it works EXACTLY as if you had a current image -- but only takes a minute or two (basically a reboot plus 30-45 seconds).  An amazing tool -- and if you're "playing" with drivers; the registry; a new application; etc. you can be "fearless" - you can recover from ANYTHING in 2 minutes.  I often install this on a system; THEN do whatever I need to do; and then uninstall it.  While it's installed you can be fearless!  Why don't I just leave it installed?   Other than the licensing issue, that's a long story -- perhaps another post some day.

File/Folder Comparison Tool:  Foldermatch  (http://www.foldermatch.com/)

Hex Editor:  XVI-32  (http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm)

System Utilities (to monitor file activities, processes, access NTFS from DOS, etc.):  Rather than list these individually I'll just refer you to this very important site - Mark has provided an extensive set of very useful tools:  www.sysinternals.com    The utilities I use the most from this site are:  Diskmon, Filemon, NTFSDOS, Process Explorer, and RegMon.

That's enough!!  I haven't listed many utilities that are useful only with earlier version fo Windows -- some specific for '95, quite a few for '98 (memory management utilities, etc.).   It's been a long time since I used many of those -- and in many cases will probably NEVER use them again.  I'd characterize them as "not needed" in any "toolkit" you're compiling -- if you ever encounter an older system and want specific advice it would be best to post a question then with the particular issue you're trying to resolve.   In those case, the BEST "tool" you can have is experience.

In addition to the above tools, I also have a fairly extensive set of DVD's that I keep handy.  These contain install CD images for EVERY version of Windows; Service Packs for 2000 & XP; all Office updates/service packs for Office '97, 2000, XP, and 2003; copies of my "ought to be on every system applications (Acrobat Reader, WinZip, Agent Ransack, Microsoft's Power Toys - especially TweakUI, etc.)  and backups of all of my tools.  I also keep install CD's for all of my applications, so in a real catastrophe I could reinstall everything (but I am VERY well backed up so that's HIGHLY unlikely).

I have excluded from this list a LOT of programs I use for various applications.  Audio editing, graphics editing, video capture/cleanup/editing;  DVD utilities; CD/DVD burning; etc.  I have several versions of Office, plus a few freeware Office suites; etc.   Any specific area (e.g. audio editing) could be a very long discussion in its own right -- and I would call these "applications" rather than "tools."   If you have specific questions about any particular application area, feel free to post a question about that particular area, and if you make sure I know about it, I'll be glad to toss in my nickel's worth :) :)

DONE!   Sorry it took so long to get back to it.  I've popped in to EE quite a bit, but never really had an hour or so to finish this post; and as I worked on it I often found that a utility had a newer version :)   Of course I had to download that version and update my archives!! -- which made this take a good bit longer.   I NEVER post a link I haven't tried -- so ALL of the links here work (or worked in the past couple of hours anyway).   I'm sure I still have quite a few tools in my "toolbox" that I haven't listed -- but hopefully I didn't miss any major ones.   If you have any specific AREA of interest, post a question about that -- it's a lot easier to write a missive like this if you're focused on a particular type of tool, particular application, etc.

Happy New Year !!  (in 54 more minutes where I am)

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2005-12-31 at 21:32:57ID: 15586185

I will read through it later cos there is a lot to read and I havent slept yet , Its been 2006 here for like 5 and a half hours now , but its the right time some where around the world lol.

Anyway thanks for the comprehensive list etc and happy new year when it eventually happens.

Thanks

Shane

 

by: leewPosted on 2005-12-31 at 22:33:01ID: 15586289

Wow... so none of my suggestions were helpful to you?

 

by: gecko_au2003Posted on 2006-01-01 at 04:16:56ID: 15586606

I will re open a new question to assign points to you and willcomp ( If that is ok ) If not then re open this one and I will assign points correctly.

Just I wanted to Give Gary extra points because he took the time to make a full list with URL's of where to get each of the things ( as much as possible ).

@ garycase - I would ask about a couple of applications - but one of them is probably not a good idea to talk about with regards to dvd's lol.

 

by: willcompPosted on 2006-01-01 at 06:38:46ID: 15586782

Shane,

Leew mentioned a valuable tool that I didn't see listed anywhere else.  Want to ensure that you have one available.  That's a password reset utility for NT/2K/XP/2K3.  Here's a good link:

http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

I use the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor and highly recommend it.

Took some time off to recharge the batteries.  Spent a week in the Ozarks.  Too busy to post much for a couple of weeks prior while catching up to take off.

Happy New Year everyone!

Dalton

 

by: garycasePosted on 2006-01-01 at 07:57:52ID: 15586930

Welcome back Dalton - and Happy New Year !!

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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