Software Troubleshooting - Part 0

One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Kelly's Heroes, in which "Big Joe" asks "Oddball" why he is drinking wine and eating cheese instead of assisting with the repair of a disabled tank. Oddball replies, "I only ride 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work." Similarly, most people cannot describe the inner workings of their computer and are at a loss as to how to repair them. I think this demonstrates the maturity of computers as a tool. Early adopters are the ones that tinker with the guts of a tool, cajoling and bullying them into an acceptable level of operation. Later come the users who for them, a piece of technology is just a tool they use to get a job done.

Being the tinkering type, when I visit friends and family (and clients) I carry along a flash drive with a number of software tools. I know there is a good chance that I'll be asked to take a "quick look" at an ailing computer, so its good to be prepared. I'll share the contents of my tool box over the next few postings.

Oh, and this is Part 0 because computers usually starting counting from zero and not one.

1. CCleaner
2. WinDirStat

Tags: troubleshooting, software, tools

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