Top 10 Windows tools for IT pros
No Windows geek or PC support pro should be without these must-have utilities -- and they're all free
If you can't answer these questions off the top of your head, you need a copy of HWiNFO32. A free, comprehensive hardware diagnostics and inventory tool, HWiNFO32 can tell you everything you need to know about the PC you're trying to support. CPU and chip set type/revision/stepping levels; runtime capabilities (VT, SSE, etc.); disk drive S.M.A.R.T. support/health; and myriad other details -- all are revealed when you run HWiNFO32.
To be sure, there are other hardware identification utilities. CPU-z, Everest, and SiSoftware Sandra all come to mind. However, none of them can match HWiNFO32's breadth of reporting and rock-bottom pricing (it's freeware). Next time you're in the field and need to know what's inside that flaky PC, don't just guess at the specs. Run HWINFO32 and know exactly what you're dealing with before you ever crack that case.
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3. Crap Cleaner
Windows is an untidy beast. From orphaned registry entries to long-abandoned temporary files and folders, the process of running Windows makes a mess out of your PC's file system and software configuration parameters. In fact, Windows' tendency toward sloth has spawned an entire industry of tools designed specifically for cleaning up the detritus of daily life in a Microsoft world. And by far the best of the best is the appropriately named Crap Cleaner, aka CCleaner.
A combination registry and file system cleanup tool, Crap Cleaner makes quick work of those insidious configuration inconsistencies and accumulated temporary files and folders that can bog down system performance. It includes a variety of program-specific cleaning functions for common applications and directly supports cache maintenance functions for all major Web browsers. And for the truly paranoid among us, Crap Cleaner even offers a secure erase function to ensure that those deleted temporary files are gone for good.
Another must-have freebie, Crap Cleaner can breathe new life into what may have seemed like a terminally ill Windows patient. Before you reach for the Windows installation media to conduct a clean install, give Crap Cleaner a try.
4. Recuva
It's the support call we all dread most. That guy in accounting, the one who always misplaces his data files, has accidentally deleted another critical workbook. Now he's on the phone, screaming for help and expecting you to save the day.
Fortunately, there's a red cape and tights lurking in your toolkit. With Recuva, you can recover deleted files from almost any Windows-compatible storage media, including removable disks and thumb drives. It works by scanning the disk for orphaned file data and giving you the option of recovering what it finds.