{"id":176,"date":"2011-11-22T22:54:55","date_gmt":"2011-11-22T22:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/?p=176"},"modified":"2011-11-22T22:56:16","modified_gmt":"2011-11-22T22:56:16","slug":"tools-useful-to-the-a-technician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/?p=176","title":{"rendered":"Tools Useful to the A+ Technician"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tool<\/td>\nDescription or Purpose<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Compact Tool Box<\/td>\nI like to have as small a toolbox as I can that can still carry my most essential tools to work on a computer onsite. Also consider a backpack for easier portability, and put your tools in a roll-up case.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ESD Kit or Wrist Strap and Antistatic Bags<\/td>\nA kit that includes the mat is usually a little overkill for the roving technician. Leave it at the workbench and take the strap. In lieu of the mat, you can bring more compact antistatic bags which are also useful for transporting ESD-sensitive devices to and from the site.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Screwdriver<\/td>\nI prefer those with interchangeable tips so that you can switch between various sizes of philips, flathead, torx, or hex heads. Common torx sizes include T-8, T-9, T-10, T-15, T-20, T-25, T-30, T-40 Some people recommend electric screwdrivers, but for A+ technicians, this is usually overkill. Most screws such as case screws only require a few revolutions, and electric screwdrivers are not usually as compact. Plus, electric screwdrivers are for wimps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jeweler\u2019s Screwdriver Set<\/td>\nReally tiny philips and flathead screwdrivers. I often use these for laptop repair.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spare screws, standoffs, jumpers, zip ties, etc.<\/td>\nThe tools.jpg file shows a small Ziploc bag of assorted parts.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Needle-nose Pliers<\/td>\nSome parts of the case are quite crowded and it\u2019s hard to fit your hand inside to plug in connectors or set jumpers. Needle-nose pliers are great for this kind of work. Some people recommend hemostats for retrieving small, loose parts inside the case, but I have found needle-nose pliers just as useful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Network Cable and RJ-45 Connectors (Cat5 for Ethernet)<\/td>\nTake one normal cable for typical network connections and one crossover for computer-to-computer connections (as in diagnostics or file transfers using a laptop).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CAT 5 Crimper<\/td>\nThe orange-handled tool in Tools.jpg. Sometimes a computer might not be properly connected because of a bad RJ-45 connection, so you might need to clip it off and crimp on a new one.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flashlight<\/td>\nI like the smallest, most compact Maglite I can find. There are also some good LED flashlights. Sometimes you\u2019re working under a desk or out-of-the-way place where the dust is heavy and the lighting is poor. If you forget your flashlight, consider using the backlit screen of your cell phone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
USB and FireWire Cables<\/td>\nConsider getting a travel case that includes retractable, self-storing cables. The one in Cases_Cables_CD.jpg shows USB and FireWire cables and adapters for nearly all conceivable connections.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CD and\/or Floppy Disks<\/td>\nDon\u2019t really need floppies except for computers without CD\/DVD drives. I use these disks to boot computers that are having startup problems. This at least gets me to a command line where I might be able to load diagnostic software or run other tools. I like to create a bootable \u201cEmergency CD\u201d that includes a variety of software tools such as antivirus scanners, file browsers, diagnostics, disk imaging, etc. If you have proper licensing, also bring OS CDs for current Windows products. They include command console tools to repair the OS. You might also need to reinstall the OS.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EIDE\/SATA Cables<\/td>\n80-pin EIDE cables can connect both IDE and EIDE, so no need for both.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Portable Hard Drive and\/or USB Flash Drive<\/td>\nIf a critical system is unrecoverable but data on the HD is important, you can boot from your Emergency CD and transfer data to the drive. I have an 80 GB Western Digital drive that\u2019s about the size of a pack of smokes. (Don\u2019t smoke though \u2013 it\u2019s bad for you.) Many USB flash drives are several GB in size and very useful and compact.<\/p>\n

WARNING: Be sure to regularly scan these drives for viruses. Sometimes, a customer\u2019s computer has failed because of a virus, and you don\u2019t want to inadvertently transfer the virus to your drive and then to other customer\u2019s.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Compressed Air<\/td>\nAs long as you\u2019ve got the computer case open, might as well blow out the dust. You\u2019ll probably have to take the system outside because this cleaning usually kicks up too much dust to be considerate in an office or home. Unfortunately, this can of compressed air takes up a LOT of space in the toolbox. Also consider a portable, antistatic vacuum.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pens, Markers, Notepad<\/td>\nComplicated systems might need labeling on cables for future reference. During extensive and tiresome troubleshooting, you might start to forget which steps you\u2019ve already tried. Use your notepad to keep notes. Be sure to keep your writing implements in a quality pocket protector. Remember, you\u2019re a geek!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Optional Tools<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tool<\/td>\nDescription or Purpose<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wire Stripper<\/td>\nMost A+ jobs don\u2019t require stripping wire unless it\u2019s network cable. Still, it looks good in the toolbox.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loopback Plugs<\/td>\nUse with diagnostic software to test the serial or parallel port. because serial and parallel ports are not used as much as in years past, I don\u2019t usually bring these in my toolbox. You are more likely to need these if you service point-of-sale or manufacturing systems because serial and parallel ports are still used there. Loopback plugs are designed with compatibility for specific diagnostic software. http:\/\/www.micro2000.com\/microscope_suite\/index.php<\/a> and www.smithmicro.com<\/a>, for example.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Digital Pocket Multimeter (DMM)<\/td>\nUseful for testing voltages on a power supply. I usually don\u2019t bring this along. Sometimes, a bad power supply begins to fail only intermittently. So even if you test it with a DMM, it might return no faults. Most of the time, bad power supplies are usually obvious \u2013 there\u2019s NO POWER! Just replace it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Outlet Tester<\/td>\nConfirms correct wiring of an electrical outlet. A key on the tester identifies several types of potential problems. You could also use the DMM to confirm proper wiring but it will provide feedback about specific problems.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cleaning Supplies<\/td>\nMonitor wipes, A\/V head cleaner, contact cleaner, appropriate MSDS.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Snacks<\/td>\nFrequently, you\u2019ll find that you\u2019re without lunch or time for a break. Keep something like a high-energy snack bar in your toolbox. This might also help prevent you from getting crabby with your customers when they do things like use the CD drive for a cup holder.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rubber Bands<\/td>\nOK, I don\u2019t actually use these for much. But it\u2019s fun to shoot them at people in nearby cubicles. Hilarious!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tylenol and Antacid<\/td>\nDoes this really need an explanation?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tool Description or Purpose Compact Tool Box I like to have as small a toolbox as I can that can still carry my most essential tools to work on a computer onsite. Also consider a backpack for easier portability, and put your tools in a roll-up case. ESD Kit or Wrist Strap and Antistatic Bags […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computer-tech-stuff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=176"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":179,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions\/179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsoftgeek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}