THE PC TOOL KIT
HARDWARE TOOLS
If you are a very casual PC user you can probably get by hacking around with an old screwdriver and a pocket knife when you need to work on your PC. However, if you plan to do any reasonable amount of work upgrading, building, troubleshooting or repairing PCs, a proper tool kit is a good investment. There are many different types of tool kits available for the computer enthusiast, with tools selected specifically to make the lives of those who work with PCs easier. The right tools can save you a lot of time and help you avoid damage to your equipment.  Here are the items that I would recommend you definitely have in your toolkit; note that some of these don't generally come in pre-assembled toolkits so you will want to add them yourself to a carrying case. Every item is assigned as one of two categories:

Items categorize as "LAB" are tools that are used less frequently, but are necessity in certain circumstances. They are more for someone who does a fair bit of tinkering or who maintains a number of machines.  These are the majority of number of tools that are in the lab once you determine it can't be fixed on the spot. 

The other tools you always want to carry are for “FIELD” repairs, these are tools that are used most often and should be on you when you do a house call.  Field tools are just used to determine if the problem can quickly be fixed on the spot, or when you run in a "something wrong with my computer" scenario.  Note that Field tools are also Lab tools, and that all Software Tools are Field Tools also.

It should also be noted that during you computer tech career, you will take notice that fixing your computer is more software (about 85%) than hardware.  Back in the golden age the opposite was true, but these days more and more people use a computer which translates to more and more software.
Screwdriver (field) - You want a good screwdriver with magnetic (the magnetic tip will prevent screws falling into the PC and let you get into deep areas), interchangeable bits and a comfortable handle. At a minimum you should have two different sizes each of Phillips (star) and flat bits. A full set of multiple bits are needed for the lab, not every manufacture uses standard flat and Phillip screws. 

Magnetic tools should not be used around other magnetic items as this could destroy or corrupt data.

 Needle-Nose Pliers (lab)- These are useful for grasping small items and for removing and replacing jumpers on circuit boards.  Other type of pliers are cutting pliers for wires and wide mouth pliers for hold small components.

Flashlight (lab) - Very useful; the insides of PC boxes are quite dark and there are lots of very small things you will need to see, such as the "pin 1" marking on a connector for example and the stencils on boards will be allot easier to read.  When used in conjunction with a mirror, it will allow you to see hidden areas.

ESD Device (field) - This is more of a safety device than a tool; it is used to greatly reduce the chances of static damage to components.  The more ESD devices the better, but all field repairs must include at least an wrist strap while your lab should contain the rest.

Soldering Iron (lab) - Essential if you are going to try to do repair of circuit boards, or replace a fuse.  This tool is essential not used as it used to but comes in handy.

Extra Components (lab) - Having  a bag of screws of all shapes and sizes comes in handy when working on various machines.  This includes other various components like jumpers, standoffs and miscellaneous cables.

 
Compressed Air (lab) - One of the very first things when you open a computer is to clean it free of dust and other nasties.  Dust can overheat or suffocate your computer, and settle in connector areas preventing contact.

 Multi-Meter (lab) - Multi-meters can measure resistance, voltage and current. Multi-meters can also be used for testing cables and checking for tools that are not insulated. 

Paper Clip (lab) - A technicians universal tool!, the paperclip comes in handy in so many ways you would buy if someone sold it to you. This guy is handy when ejecting a CD-ROM manually, resetting a laptop and the best use of is when you pair it with the multi-meter to get to those tiny or hard to reach places where you need to test voltage.


 Pen(cil) (field) - Taking notes is not only part of class, but the old saying goes with computers to; "The pen is mightier than the processor".  Writing down the settings before you change them, and drawing out layouts and positions is vital.  Writing absolutely everything down starts with the customer.
Test Computer (lab) - The most important and best tool by far is another computer.  You can quickly decide if a part is bad by swapping it with your working “tool” computer. For example, if you suspect a hard drive is bad and swap it to your test computer and it doesn’t work there also, there is a good chance that it’s the problem. If not and the good hard doesn’t work on the machine being worked on – move on to the next component.  This goes both for hardware and software diagnostics and troubleshooting.
Software Tools
Boot Disk - You ever catch yourself in a catch 22 situation?  Well if you have the weapons ready with repair and troubleshooting diagnostics and windows fails, what then?  How can you repair windows if you can't get into windows?  Fortunately, the old DOS operating system fits inside a diskette and will allow you to boot from it.  Its important to have DOS versions of your troubleshooting and repair diagnostics.

 

 Anti-Virus - Before you even ATTEMPT to determine the problem on a computer and spend hours trying to figure out what going on, you might want to check for viruses.  Viruses are designed to do many thing not just erase and destroy your computer.  Some viruses prevent diagnostics software from working properly and also make the system behave like its on crack.
Trouble Shooting - So how do you tell if something is broken if it isn't as obvious as a trail of smoke coming from your computer?  Software diagnostics will let you test individual components and see if they are sick.  Not all software diagnostics are created equal, and there seems to be many out there.

 

 Repair - So lets say your troubleshooting diagnostics found an error or something went wrong (what a computer go bad?), repair diagnostics will come in handy for software repairs but unfortunately cannot resurrect physical components.

 
Research
If anything you will learn from this class is effective Research.  No one is a super tech that knows it all, every technician you run to has a general or good knowledge overall while specializing in areas.  This is almost like doctors, there are heart doctors and foot doctors - which would you have operate for open heart surgery?  Research goes beyond "Yahoo", it involves the full use of the Internet to look for the abundance of information already there.

Computers are made up of hundreds of components and software, all made by a different company.  How many times have you seen someone that keeps their manuals?  Research will allow you to find information when you don't know the answer, research will allow you to interact with other techs which is almost as though they work for you.  Research is the #1 tool, and we will spend a great amount of time teaching you the secrets.