My Digital Toolbox: Apps/Tools I Keep On-Hand
As I have been building/servicing/working with PC's, I have amassed a small collection of online tools that I've found particluarly helpful when diagnosing an issue on one of my systems, or (more often) when a friend calls and asks for help with a problem on their machine. This is not an end-all/be-all list by any means, but I would recommend these tools to anyone interested in understanding/troubleshooting issues of their own.
I keep a USB in my bag labeled Toolbox with an up-to-date copy of all of the below, since more often than not, troubleshooting a PC means likely not having access to the internet to grab copies of some of these installers.
Alternate Browsers: Firefox / Opera
Frankly, some webpages/applications just don't like Chromium-based browsers, and/or the browser installed on a PC may be the problem itself. I keep 2 alternate (non-Chromium) browswers on my Toolbox drive to troubleshoot/access the internet when using the existing browser may not be an option
Zipping/Unzipping Tool: 7zip
Windows is usually good with most .zip files out-of-the-box, but I have found myself unable to extract/decompress a folder more than once, and have since added 7zip to my 'emergency' Toolbox drive.
Hardware Scans: GPU-Z, HardwareInfo, MalwareBytes, WizTree, Wireshark Portable
This is the folder I typically open first when looking over a new PC. GPU-Z is a tool to scan for graphics processor information in a system, and will display any property/metadata available for the hardware detected. HardwareInfo is a much more robust program that reads any sensors it can find on the system, provide property/metadata for each physical component, as well as real-time graphing/tracking of any sensors on the system (voltage, wattage, temperature, clock speed, etc.). MalwareBytes is a terrific tool for virus scanning & system cleaning, and makes quick work of checking for major vulnurabilities/existing concerns. WizTree is probably my favorite tool in this box, and (*behind HardwareInfo), the one I use most often - it scans drives on the system and displays a heat-map of the detected filesystem. The data is available in list or chart format, making cleanup a fast and streamlined process. Wireshark is a network analysis tool used to inspect/monitor network traffic at the packet level: this is incredibly useful to verify the security of a network when directly connected to it.
GPU Driver Tools: AMD/NVIDIA Sites & DDU
My Toolbox drive has 2 links to the official driver downloads for AMD & NVIDIA, as these update the most frequently of all the software on the drive. As long as the machine being serviced has access to the WAN, these guarantee access to the most recent drivers for the card in question. I also have DDU installed as a portable app on the USB: it is a tool that completely wipes specified device drivers from a system (in this case, GPU drivers).
Ventoy Installation Drive: Many OS, One USB
I have another USB in my bag as well, labeled Ventoy, which replaced my half-dozen randomly (and often poorly) labeled OS installation media. Ventoy is a bootable "OS" environment that serves as a pre-boot 'bootloader-loader'. In less confusing terms, booting a PC to the Ventoy USB stick loads a menu containing *any .iso file stored on the drive*, which can be launched/installed by the user. My Ventoy drive currently has: Windows (10, 11, & XP) Windows Server, Ubuntu Desktop (Gnome), Ubuntu Server (no GUI), Debian 12, CentOS, and TrueNAS. Adding an OS to the list is as simple as saving it to the drive like any other USB, and booting to the Ventory drive from the intended machine when ready to launch the OS.
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