What are your "must have" tools for PC repair.

[Barry]

The Leatherman is a godsend. I don't care what anyone says about it.
I carry mine with me at all times. I have used it on computer/electro equipment and prepping explosives. Indeed there is no single tool but if you can only take one or two (perhaps what fits into a pocket of a pair of jeans) then nothing will beat the Leatherman. As for the ASD wristbands, well I have used them and neglected them and have had both success and failures, but the problem is that I can't contribute those failures to the lack of a wristband. So it may be subjective at best. When it comes to a RJ45 crimper don't be cheap, pay the money and get a good one, and the ones from belkin are not good IMHO.

Mine's the more expensive one at Home Depot. I'm too lazy to walk out to the E to see who makes it.... Also for the coax connectors, get the kind that have the colored plastic that locks the cable in from the cable side, not the kind you have to crimp the sides. These seem to me to work a lot better.

[Gitsnik]

A lot of the networking equipment and PC diagnostics and repairs and such are in my kit as well (I run a retro-briefcase rather than a backpack or bag though).

Something that is, to me, obvious in it's lack of appearance in the list is a LiveCD of Backtrack, and a LiveCD of a windows recovery (I use UBCD). The amount of times a PC Repair job has turned into a "I forgot my password" or "I have a virus and can't rebuild my machine because i lost the disks" which can be fixed via a BT boot or an Avira scan is phenomenal.

[compaq]

hirens boot cd
usb to rj45 adaptor
rstudio
powerdatarecovery filescavanger ^
OS cd
BT4
screw drivers just two
two portable hdd, two flash drives
partion magic
password displayer email,internet explorer etc
sevice packs
mutlimeter and paper clip(psu, nothing fansy)
neck ties , cutters
spare cd
and other software that i can install if I get the key but they don't have the cd
usb to ide/sata
paperbook with infomation in it

[Lincoln]

Work shop Safety Glasses With LED Adjustable Lights

There was a time when we had a big budget and we were just buying anything , we all got a laugh when we got these shipped to us. While I wouldn't say a "must have" they actually have been useful for places that had low light visibility.

[Barry]

A lot of the networking equipment and PC diagnostics and repairs and such are in my kit as well (I run a retro-briefcase rather than a backpack or bag though).

Something that is, to me, obvious in it's lack of appearance in the list is a LiveCD of Backtrack, and a LiveCD of a windows recovery (I use UBCD). The amount of times a PC Repair job has turned into a "I forgot my password" or "I have a virus and can't rebuild my machine because i lost the disks" which can be fixed via a BT boot or an Avira scan is phenomenal.

My eee is running backtrack. One of my usb keys has the ntpassword reset floppy on it. I mostly work on corporate machines, so there's really no "I forgot my password" issues for me. Same with the "lost the disks" issue. Though I have copies of every version of windows here at home, except Me.

[streaker69]

If you're going to be a 'road-warrior' tech, then I highly recommend the toolbags by Jensen.

Home / Products / Cases & Tool Organizers / Tool Cases / Soft-Sided / Jensen Tools - Stanley Supply & Services

You can get them populated with or without tools and you can select the pallets you want in it. I had one years ago when I first started out in the field. You can store a lot of different kinds of tools as well as a laptop in them. When I went out on my own, it was the first thing I bought to keep with me. It now sits in my office. My boss asked me yesterday if I needed any tools, they'd buy them for me. Personally I don't like that idea, I'd rather by my own and use them on the job. That way, if I leave the company, I have my tools and I'm not without anything that I might need later.

I carry everything that Barry listed in his initial post. But I also have a lightweight cordless drill and a collection of drill bits and a 5" #2 phillips head bit. It's very handy for getting into tight places when doing rack type work.

I didn't see if anyone mentioned Fox/Hound combination or a label maker. A inductive AC voltage tester comes in handy sometimes too, as does a extending magnet. I also carry a small squeeze tube of lightweight oil for dealing with those little squeaks in printers and a small 1 gallon vacuum for cleaning dust buffalo.

[Jac01]

I carry a combination of the above posts, mostly due to budget constraints... I'm poor.

In addition to the above I would like to add-

An RJ-45 tip with pin "1" connected to pin "3" and "2" to "6" (with wires taken from inner pairs of cat-5 cable)- this allows you easily test ports, (i.e. NICs, ports on routers, switches ect...) as the transmit(s) are looped to the receive(s), without breaking out any type of device.

Mini m&m containers to store random small parts (or in my case; breast milk storage containers from my wife's "thanks for having a baby here, come back and let us financially rape you again" breast milk pumping kit given to her by the hospital).

Anti-static storage bags- Because you do not want to be carrying around a video card or a PCI NIC in a back pack with no protection!

A 1 or 2 week pill case with a small tip dry erase marker- To label/store screws and other miscellaneous junk from a particular item you are disassembling. For example- the screws and rubber anti-vibration washers from a servers hard drive.

Utility knife- Useful for everything from opening a shrink-wrapped box to breaking the thermal compounds vacuum seal between a CPU and CPU fan or cutting a trace on a circuit board.
(Especially useful for slicing your finger wide open while wearing cut resistant gloves).

Pocket Butane Torch- A quick way to strip SOLID CORE wire. Can be used to solder in a pinch. Great way to fuse together broken plastic/rubber type parts. Can braise small joints and open frozen locks.

Two bobby pins, one with tip cut off- I prefer a bobby pin with the tip cut off over a paper clip/staple to open stubborn cd/dvd drives. The one with a tip is used for making small holes in plastic/rubber parts when combined with the above pocket torch.

WD-40- never know when something is going to need lubricated.

Tin Snips- Never know when something is going to need to be modded.

[prowl3r]

...never know when something is going to need lubricated.

I know what you mean. That's what I always say

[compaq]

I know what you mean. That's what I always say

watch it its a kids forum

[streaker69]

A few other things:

Bandaids
Neosporin tube
alcohol wipes <--- Come in handy when you need to use double sided tape to stick to stuff.

In my field it's always important that if you get even a small cut you get it cleaned right away.