Recommend some Windows repair utilities
June 3, 2009 7:58 PM   Subscribe

If you were going to bring a USB drive to repair a bunch of workstations, what are some of the latest Windows XP/Vista repair utilities that you would put on it?

I used to do a lot of computer repair and recovery but my career has taken me in a somewhat different direction over the past few years. Sadly, I'm a bit rusty on the specifics.

I have a work assignment (volunteer) coming-up that involves both training another individual on standard computer maintenance and repair and assisting in getting a number of their workstations into a workable state. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the hardware information to prepare ahead of time.

I know that there have been questions in the past regarding recommended tools to solve Windows issues (viruses, rootkits, registry bloat etc.) but I can't seem to track any of them down. Also, they might be a bit dated.

Give me your best! Thanks.

A few I've come up with are:
RegMon
FileMon
ProcessMonitor
AVG (or ClamWin)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
CCleaner
posted by purephase to Computers & Internet (6 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Tune Up Utilities, AVG/Avast, Ad-Aware and Revo Uninstaller take care of almost everything I run into.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 8:07 PM on June 3, 2009


K-Lite Codec Tweak Tool and/or Filmerit for wading through DirectShow filter hell.
PowerMenu to adjust process priority and be able to set some windows on top or transparent while I work.
ImgBurn and a Linux disc image of your choosing OR an already-burned LiveCD of same.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:16 PM on June 3, 2009


Best answer: To get a whole bunch of packaged, portable apps in a kit for what you're doing, check out this lifehacker article
posted by ijoyner at 8:34 PM on June 3, 2009


Best answer: SpaceMonger is a good free utility if they need to free up hard drive space.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 8:36 PM on June 3, 2009


Best answer: deezil's mefi profile looks like it has some links to good software for dealing with infected PCs. I just ran across it by way of his post in this thread.
posted by Balonious Assault at 10:06 PM on June 3, 2009


I would suggest some sort of Linux LiveCD for scoping out the hard drive without actually booting to it or running anything.
posted by aheckler at 5:12 AM on June 4, 2009


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