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Computer Toolbox - March 2009:
Sooner or later you'll need to pop the hood on the evil beast.
(Or watch while a fearless guru friend does it for you.) When
you do, you'll need the proper tools:
·
two small screwdrivers, flat-head and Phillips-head, and
make sure they aren't magnetized
·
a Torx driver with a star-shaped head for getting hard drive
screws
·
tweezers with a good grip
·
a small flashlight
·
parts container, preferably with a lid
·
needle-nose pliers
·
an antistatic sheet or wrist-strap, especially if you're
handling memory modules or adapter cards. In an emergency,
you can cover your work surface with aluminum foil
·
contact cleaning solution to remove the rust and crud from
the metal contacts on expansion cards
·
a can of compressed air for blowing out the accumulated crud
·
a handheld vacuum cleaner for keeping your work environment
clean -- just don't crack the PC case and use the vacuum in
there!
·
lint-free wipes and swabs -- forget the paper towels and
Q-tips, they leave wisps of cotton or paper behind
·
PC cleaning solution, for gently cleaning motherboards and
various computer innards safely
·
small brushes for getting into the nooks and crannies
·
emergency boot disk with FDISK.EXE, SYS.COM, FORMAT.COM, and
driver software for your SCSI adapter (if any) and CD-ROM
drive, including MSCDEX.EXE
·
a BIOS POST card (for more advanced users only) for when the
Power On Self Test won't function properly and the beep
codes don't reveal the problem. The POST card gives a
numeric readout that details the problem.
·
a DOS-based diagnostic program such as AMIDiag (don't
forget the loop back plugs - loopback plugs are generally
useful anyway)
·
a hard-drive diagnostic/repair program such as GRC's
SpinRite (recently updated)
·
a DOS or Windows-based file system check and repair program
such as Norton's Disk Doctor
·
a DOS or Windows-based virus scanner; preferably both.
Other
Maintenance Categories:
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