Computer Technician ToolBox
+ Intro +
I’ve been thinking for a while about starting my own Computer Repair business. These are my endeavors…
+ Status +
Starting your own business involves a lot of (paper)work, not to mention money. Right now, I don’t have the required paperwork yet, let alone the capital to get this started. I’m planning on keeping you guys updated :)
+ The business +
The business
First things first: starting my own business. Laws differ from state to state, but what I’ll basically have to do is this:
- Determine the legal structure of the business, and properly file the business name with the state and/or county.
- Determine the potential tax responsibilities on the federal, state, and local levels.
- Determine the necessary licenses, permits, certifications,…
- Have someone draw up decent contracts. I don’t want to end up in The People’s Court…
- Since I’m planning on using own money, I won’t need a business plan. If you’re looking into getting a loan/investors, you’ll need one.
Sounds like a job for a lawyer/accountant to me.
Estimated start-up cost for the paperwork: $1,000.
A minor problem already arises, though… technically, it’s illegal to have a business in this neighborhood…
Preparation
Since I can’t get started with the paperwork yet, I’m concentrating on getting everything else I can do ready:
- Necessary equipment, both hardware and software.
- Necessary skills and, more important in my opinion, resources. It’s nice to know by head what socket an Intel Pentium MMX requires (that would be a socket 7 321 pins) , but if there are free charts available that look nice on a wall, why bother…
Necessary skills/certification
Skills? For a computer technician? Don’t need any, sir. Well, legally you don’t. If people have the choice of bringing their car to a licensed technician or an unlicensed one, most people will choose the licensed one, though. Same goes for computers. I wouldn’t want just any nitwit to work on my box.
Most computer technicians have at least the A+ certification, so that’s what I’m going for. In this case, it does pay to know what socket a Pentium III E requires (that would be the 370), along with how to clean your mouse… Useful in the computer repair? If you don’t know how to clean a mouse, and if you can’t find out what socket an AMD K6 requires (that would socket 5 320 pins) by using your resources, you should look for a different career.
A+ is all I need… and only because it looks good.
+ The Tools of the Trade +
My hardware kit
General:
Starting out as a computer technician with a limited budget, requires me to weigh off cost vs. gain:
Available replacement parts vs. cost: it’s nice to have every imaginable replacement part in stock, but there are a few things to consider: hardware goes out of fashion faster than umm… fashion. I don’t want to end up with a bunch of obsolete hardware. Not to mention the cost of purchasing a huge stock.
Solution: get some basic replacement parts (more about that later), and get good contacts with suppliers.
Most suppliers charge you a small amount (around $100 a year) to “subscribe” to their catalog. You’re then allowed to purchase at wholesale prices.
The Hardware:
Hardware, as in tools. And as in umm… hardware.
Tools
No tools without a decent toolbox to put them in. The Home Depot, Sears,… all have a bunch of toolboxes in stock that are perfectly suited for computer technicians.
Let’s start with the basic tools: pliers, sheers, a flashlight (it can be dark even in an opened box), an anti-ESD wristband (ESD = Electrostatic Discharge - I’ve never ever used one, but I don’t think a judge would like that), screwdrivers, screws, nuts, bolts,…and a paperclip! (to open CD-drives)
Computer Hardware
Next, the computer-related basic tools: an outlet circuit tester (always handy to know if a circuit is good), an ATX power supply tester, some USB/PS2 converters, all possible computer cables (from power cable over printer cable to CD-cable), a can of compressed air,…
Basic computer components: thermal compound, CMOS batteries, some jumpers, heat-sinks, fans,…
Next, the peripherals: a mouse and a keyboard, of course. If you’ve got the spare room, a pair of speakers. Or even a monitor.
Computer parts: always handy to carry some spare hardware, not only for testing purposes, but for quick replacement as well: a video card (Radeon 8500’s for example are cheap, and still decent), a hard disk (doesn’t have to be huge), a sound card, a NIC, a power supply,…
Blank media: a couple of blank floppies, a couple of blank CD’s.
My software kit
Links to all software can be found at the bottom of this document
General:
Luckily for computer technicians, most needed software is free. There is some paying software you can’t get around, though. Illegal copies are a huge no-no for a multitude of reasons: it’s illegal, it could cost you your business, and a knowledgeable customer could take advantage of it (“you better fix my computer for free, or I’ll sue you”).
The Software:
OS’s
Let’s face it, we’ll need some Windows OS’s: 98, ME, and XP Home/Pro at a minimum. Since I’m focusing on un-savvy home users, there is no need for any *nix flavors.
Basic paying Windows applications:
Partition Magic, Norton SystemWorks, Stellar Phoenix recovery suite.
Boot disks:
There’s no excuse for not having boot disks for all Windows flavors.
Something like the Ultimate Boot Disk comes in handy as well.
On top of that, carrying a copy of Knoppix is always a good idea.
Service packs:
It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll have the time and means to download all necessary Windows service packs. Therefore: burn them on a CD, and carry them around.
Basic Windows software:
MicroSoft Java Virtual Machine
Sun Java Virtual Machine
Visual Basic Runtime Files
Acrobat Reader
WinZip / WinRAR
System Info Tools:
While SiSoft SANDRA is probably the standard, there are free tools out there that do just as much, if not more…
I stumbled upon the Belarc System Advisor, a tool promoted by Crucial to determine what kind of RAM upgrade a box needs. This tool reveals more about your box than you’ll ever need to know:
- OS info, System Model, CPU, Main Circuit Board, Drives, Memory Modules, Local Drive Volumes, Network Drives, Users, Printers, Controllers, Display, Bus Adapters, Multimedia, Communications, Other Devices, Virus Protection, Installed MS hot fixes, Software licenses, Software versions (lists EVERYTHING installed on a box).
Disk Cleaner
RegClean
System Tweaking:
X-Setup
Tweak UI
Fresh UI
Password Crackers:
You’ll run into numerous customers who forgot their passwords to their email-account, ISP, web-forms,…
Windows keys and license numbers, other software licenses:
The Belarc System Advisor is the perfect tool for this job.
Windows passwords:
L0phtCrak
John The Ripper
E-mail passwords:
People get a password to their email account from their ISP, fill it in in Outlook (Express), and then forget it. Bummer if you have to format the box, and reconfigure everything.
This is a perfect example of picking the right tool for the trade. I’ve seen people advising to install Ethereal, then sniff the (unencrypted) password while transmitting. While this is a perfectly valid solution, it’s overkill. Simply using a “what’s behind the asterisks”-tool will get you the same result:
Asterisk Key
Security:
RegistryProt
MS Baseline Security Analyzer
Anti-Virus:
Avast
AVG
BitDefender
Firewalls:
OutPost
Kerio
Sygate
ZoneAlarm
Ad-ware - Spy-ware:
SpyBot Search & Destroy
AdAware
HiJackThis
Internet:
Opera
FireFox
SmartFTP (I have all software on an FTP server, just in case. On top of that, all software is loaded on a laptop I carry around)
Media:
I carry around a bunch of freeware media applications, from IrfanView over KazaaLite to dMC convertor.
Networking:
WinPCap and Ethereal
Angry IP Scanner
International WhoIs
GFI LanGuard
NetStumbler
My Resources:
Google: nice, but not very handy without a network connection.
Therefore, I carry around some cheat charts:
Chart with all Intel and AMD CPU’s, sockets, core clock speeds,…
A bunch of hardware books.
+ And finally +
I hope to get some more insider tips and tricks out of this, and hopefully I’ll be able to post a follow-up in a couple of months…
+ Sources used / more info +
Tom’s Hardware Guide: How to assemble the ultimate toolbox
Tom’s Hardware Processor Overview Chart
MA LABS - PC Component Supplier
Tech Data - PC Component Supplier
4Tests - A+ certification test questions
A+ Glossary of Terms
+ Links to software +
Partition Magic
Norton System Works
Stellar Phoenix Recovery Suite
Ultimate Boot Disk
Knoppix
MicroSoft Java Virtual Machine
Sun Java Virtual Machine
Visual Basic Runtime Files
Acrobat Reader
WinZip
WinRAR
Belarc System Advisor
Disk Cleaner
RegClean
X-Setup
Tweak UI
Fresh UI
L0pthCrack
John The Ripper
Asterisk Key
Registry Prot
MicroSoft Baseline Security Analyzer
Avast
AVG
BitDefender
OutPost
Kerio
Sygate
ZoneAlarm
Spybot
AdAware
HiJackThis!
Opera
FireFox
Smart FTP
Irfan View
Kazaa Lite
dBpowerAMP
Ethereal and WinPCap
Angry IP Scanner
International WhoIs
GFI LanGuard
NetStumbler
