Software Every PC Technician Needs

This post will discuss software that I have found essential as a PC technician. This article is not intended as a step-by-step guide nor is it intended as a list of every app that technicians will ever need. It is simply an overview of software that I find fundamental to the PC technician.

Malware Removal

We already discussed my process for Malware Removal in a previous post. Here's a recap of the software that I use:

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware is one of the best malicious software removal tools available.

SUPERAntiSpyware is another excellent malicious software removal tool. Plus, it comes in a portable version.

ComboFix is great at root kit removal.

While CCleaner is not a malware removal tool, it is great at cleaning up junk before purging a system of malicious software. It also has an excellent portable version.

Live CDs

One of my favorite tools is Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. It is a boot CD based on Bart PE. The entire list of tools included with UBCD4Win is far too long to go into here. But, it includes anti-virus, backup, diagnostic, recovery, password, registry, and benchmarking tools. It is well worth your time to build a CD(or USB drive).

Another Live CD to add to your collection is Ubuntu. This user friendly Linux distribution includes a long list of tools as well. Plus, you can install additional software as needed.

Remote Software

I have found three way of supporting users remotely that I like.

First is Remote Assistant. It is built into Windows and works great. Also good are LogMeIn and DameWare. Try them out and see what works for you. 

Misc.

When users have their email applications remember their password for them, they often forget the password when the time comes to migrate to new hardware. Mail Pass View solves this. It can recover lost passwords for many different email apps.

Another thing that users can forget or misplace is product keys. ProduKey has this covered. It can recover product keys for both Windows and Office.

No matter how hard Microsoft tries, Windows XP just won't die. Technicians still spend a lot of time supporting it. I have found that nLite is essential for keeping my XP install CDs up-to-date with the latest Service Packs and patches. Not only that, you can customize the install disk in innumerable ways. It does take a while to download all the updates and set up the CD. But, in the long run, it saves countless hours of downloading updates for each individPC that you service.

A great companion to nLite is DriverPacks. With DriverPacks you can slipstream drivers for practically every hardware device under the sun. You can also create a stand alone disk for updating drivers.

Best for last...

Google. Okay, not really software, but it is vital for every PC technician. It is impossible to know or remember everything about all of the different versions of Windows, much less every application that one may encounter. I use Google all the time to research everything from error messages to how to install a low voltage power supply on a particular HP Laserjet model. Again, Google is indispensable.

Do you have any favorites that are not listed? Let's hear about them. Leave a comment.

Changing Forgotten Window's Passwords

Often times a user will forget their Windows login password. Of course, often times that user will be using the sole administrator account on the computer.

When I am in this situation, I use the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows to reset the password. There are other tools to accomplish this, but UBCD4win is an extremely handy multi-use tool that I think every tech should have in their arsenal. The CD's uses include repairing systems that fail to boot, malware removal, running chkdsk, and a host of others.

Point your browser to http://www.ubcd4win.com/ You'll find everything you need to know to build your own CD.

To reset a password, boot up your CD and open NTPWEdit. One can find it under Start>Programs>Password Tools>NTPWEdit.

Once the application is open, make sure that the path to the SAM(Security Accounts Manager) file is correct and press (Re)open. This is almost always, C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\SAM. If it is not correct, make the necessary changes and then press (Re)open.

A list of accounts will appear. Choose the appropriate account and press Change password. Type the new password in the dialog box that pops up and then verify it by typing it in a second time. If you want a blank password, leave the fields blank and simply hit enter.

Make sure to press Save changes before exiting. Otherwise, well, your changes won't be saved. That's it. Reboot and log into the account. This works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It probably works on NT and Windows 2000, as well.