STFU && RTFM

Like their physical counterparts, software tools are absolutely necessary for successful IT support. I usually divide them up into two categories; CD images and executables. In my last post, I covered CD images, now to the executables I bring with me:
 

• Autoruns
  • Autoruns is a nifty little app from SysInternals that lets you quickly and simply see what executables are launched at startup
• KeyFinder
  • The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder Does exaclty what it says; finds the registration keys for the software you’ve got installed, which is practical if you need to reinstall them
• KillNotes
  • When Lotus Notes starts misbehaving, stopping it dead in its tracks is at times the only solution. KillNotes does just that
• MBAM
  • Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware (MBAM for short) is a great tool for finding and eradicationg malware and spyware
• Process Explorer
  • Process Explorer Is another nifty app from SysInternals, letting you do so much more than the task manager does
• SpaceMonger
  • SpaceMonger is a little app that shows you, graphically, what files are taking up all your hard drive real estate
• TeamViewer
  • TemaViewer is a free and simple remote control and assistance app that I’ve been using for some time, with great success

 
I usually carry these files with me on a memory stick, as well as having them stored at my Dropbox.

Like their physical counterparts, software tools are absolutely necessary for successful IT support. I usually divide them up into two categories; CD images and executables. The first are usually distributed in the form of iso-files. I usually carry the following with me, along with blank CDs, so that I can make the tools I need to:
 

• ERD Commander
  • ERD Commander is a tool made by SysInternals. It has been distributed to enterprise clients, and I have not seen it online as a download.
• OphCrack
  • OphCrack is a Windows Password Cracker that has been nice to have around a few times. It does exactly what you’d think it does; it cracks Windows user account passwords.
• Super Grub Disk
  • Super Grub Disc is a neat tool to repair MBR and GRUB.
• Ubuntu
  • Ubuntu is one of the most prolific Linux distributions available. I use it for disc diagnostics and data retrieval.
• Ultimate Boot CD
  • UBCD is a toolkit unto itself, and has diagnostic tools to last you a lifetime. It has saved me a few times, and allowed me to diagnose errors correctly at others.
• Windows Memory Diagnostic
  • The Windows Memory Diagnostic does exactly that; helps you run diagnostics of Memory modules.

 
I usually carry these iso-files with me on a memory stick. That way, I don’t need to worry about losing CD’s, and I’m always able to make more tools should I need them.

Any and all jobs have a few tools of the trade that are essential to the successful completion of your tasks. So, too, with IT support. Whether in the office or out working with a client, I usually have a few tools with me, such as:
 

• Screw drivers
  • This set from DealExtreme has served me very well, and covers all my basic needs
• Kelly clamps
  • I’ve picked up a couple of kelly clamps, one straight, and one rounded. They are practical for picking up small stuff, as well as getting some leverage to remove parts from computers.
• Loopback jack
  • A loopback jack is handy for when you need to troubleshoot network.
• Voltage tester
  • This handy voltage tester is simple to use, and lets you find out whether there’s any power present before starting work
• Network tester
  • This simple network tester lets you quickly and simply ascertain whether a network cable is broken
• USB to SATA/IDE adapter
  • This USB to SATA/IDE adapter has saved data for my clients more than once, when their computers have been on the fritz, I’ve hooked the harddrive up to my own laptop, and extracted data
• A computer
  • Bringing a laptop computer has allowed me in the past to reference documentation, as well as helping me extract data from hard drives to back up for a user
• External harddrive
  • I usually bring a 250 GB harddrive so that I can extract data using the USB to SATA/IDE adapter and a computer.

  • Pen and paper
    • I always carry a journalist pad and a pen. I make sure to note most steps I take on the way while taking them, so that I can retrace what I have done. It’s also good to be able to document what you have done when asked.

   
  In the end, we’re only ever able to be as good at our jobs as our preparation and experience allows us to be. By assembling a small kit like the one I’ve outlined above, you’re that much more prepared to do a good job, whenever you need to.

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   | Posted by razumny | Categories: Tools | Tagged: adapters, essentials, screw drivers, toolkit |

AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) looks like one of the contenders for the way things are going in terms of simple programming interfaces. One example of this is Adobe Digital Editions, which runs on AIR, and I have recently discovered a second, called Snippage. Simply put, Snippage allows you to track a specific portion of a website as a desktop widget.

It’s all as simple as installing the program, and then selecting what you want to follow. The possibilities for this are varied, such as following an auction, a poll or just about anything else you might want to follow off the web. In addition to selecting a specific selection, you can also set the update interval, or leave the widget static.

To me, this looks like what I wanted to get from Active Desktop in Windows, taken to the next logical level.

Caveat lector: Snippage is currently in Beta stage, and the developer specifically says that it might behave “oddly”

I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have too. You’ve spent hours on a document, you go to bed, and the next morning, it’s gone! Oh crud! Now what? Here are three free Windows utilities that have worked charms for me:
 
The first thing I’d try is an utility called Free File Recovery by AVN Media Technologies. This does basic file recovery, and does not scan sector by sector. Still, it has on occasion done the trick for me.
 
The second tool I’d recommend is called simply Restoration, and does not require installation. It goes deeper than Free File Recovery, and actually scans sectors separately. While less intuitive than Free File Recovery, this, too, has saved me on occasion.
 
The third and last tool I’m going to recommend is called PC Inspector File Recovery, and comes from a German company called Convar.
 
The most important tip I can give you when it comes to recovering lost files is to use the storage media in question as little as possible until you can actually try to restore the lost data, as any use will increase the likelyhood that the file will be lost forever.

A while back, I was tipped off about an application called Glary Utilities, billed as “The #1 free, powerful and all-in-one utility in the world market!” This piqued my interest, and I installed it, deciding to try it out, as it has received favorable reviews from several places, including CNet.
 
The installation is just as simple as it should be, the only annoyance is that it offers to install the Ask.com toolbar, as well as set ask.com as the default search provider. While I harbor no antipathies towards ask.com, I don’t particularly like toolbars that don’t add any new functionality.
 
According to GlarySoft, Glary Utilities offer a wide array of functionality, from system optimization to spyware removal. The main window looks like this:
 

 
It looks to me like they might be trying to do too many things in one utility, but all in all, it looks like a decent tool, and can be found here.

An old joke says that there are three kinds of lies; black lies, white lies and the internal polling data of political parties. The latter example is typically statistics, and while statistics can be presented in such a way as to prove almost anything, raw, unprocessed statistics are a great tool.
 
One of my habits when troubleshooting troubles is to have a look at the event viewer. While event viewer allows you to see specific events, it can sometimes be difficult to see trends. In Windows XP, we don’t really have a choice, we’ll have to look through the data, and parse it ourselves.
 
Enter Windows Vista, and Windows Reliability Monitor. As the screendump below shows, it will show you, as a graph, when things have started to deteriorate. You can look through the history, and see on what days there have been many errors. It also gives you a reliability index rating, from 10 to 1 (Ten being very good, 1 being exceedingly bad. Coupled with event viewer logs, Reliability Monitor makes it that much easier to read logs, and solve problems.
 

Click the image to see the full size version

From time to time, I come across having to burn an ISO onsite. I usually carry with me an external hard drive on which I have a few essential ISO’s, such as Ubuntu, UBCD or GParted. Now, while I have software to burn ISO’s on my computer, I don’t always bring my computer with me when going to see a customer. Luckily, there is a nifty little app to help me burn the discs I might need.
 
The program is called “Free ISO Burner“, and it does exactly what it is meant to do, no more, no less. There are two advantages to this program. The first is the fact that it takes up less than one megabyte of storage. The second is that it runs, simply and smoothly, without installation. These two features means it’s one of the many programs I always have with me on a memorystick.
 
A quick word on ISO’s. Wikipedia defines ISO’s as

“…an archive file (also known as a disc image) of an optical disc in a format defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This format is supported by many software vendors. ISO image files typically have a file extension of .iso. The name ISO is taken from the ISO 9660 file system…”

Simply put, ISO’s contain the files and formatting of a specific optical disc (CD, DVD, BRD), and allows you to burn that image to a second disc. By burning the image, you get a carbon copy of the original disc. This is great for distributing software installation media over the net, and is also practical when you are stuck, without the CD you need, at a client’s offices. Provided, of course, that you actually brought the ISO…

Windows Task Manager is a decent enough tool, but it doesn’t really give you all that much information, nor is it always able to do what you need it to, such as end certain processes. By default, the Processes view looks something like this:

 
While this is enough for most users, it isn’t always enough information, nor capability, for techies. A wonderful little company called SysInternals, now owned by Microsoft, has made a wonderful little utility called Process Explorer. Let’s have a look at the information it gives us: 

 
Not only does it feature tree-structure of processes, but it also features windows to show live data and history of CPU usage, Commit history and I/O Bytes. Clicking any of these windows will display a full system information window, as shown below. These features are only the tip of the iceberg of what should make Process Explorer an essential part of any techie tool kit. 

In my job as a support technician, I use a plethora of different tools. I have collected the most useful ones in a list on my website, www.razumny.no.
 
For direct access to the list, go here.
 
I hope you find this useful.