Over the years I have collected tools to work on computers, switches, and gadgets (yes, we “Frankenstein” iPhones and the like).
What I find interesting is, most of the tools I have paid good money for often sit on my desk like trophies. This means I spend a lot more time looking at them than actually using them (like my awesome Fluke Networks testing kit…).
This lead me to start thinking of what my ideal IT Tool Kit would look like. Some of the items would be legit, like screw drivers. Others are a little unorthodox but get the job done.
The best part is, most of my “unorthodox” tools are cheap or free. This is especially good for poor IT departments. Here’s what’s up:
Inexpensive and Indispensable Items
Here are the items I carry with me everyday on the job.
Firewire 400 to 800 Adapter ($5) – This is a must if you work in an environment with Macs that spawn several years and you plan on hooking up a Firewire 400 drive to someone’s newer Macbook Pro.
Plastic card (like an old library card) (Free) – Ever have to tear down a late-model iMac? How about a laptop? You would be surprised how many uses a plastic card has. They can separate seems on hardware, push small cables into guides or channels, oh, and jimmy locks (think I’m kidding? See my point on carrying a pocket knife below).
Precision screw driver with interchangeable head ($8 at Harbor Freight) – Computer and networking gear all contains screws of microscopic proportions. a good precision kit is worth the investment. Just make sure it has TORX, Phillips, and flat head bits included.
Magnetizer ($4) – Sometimes you will want your screwdriver to be magnetized, sometimes you will not. This handy little device allows you to change the magnetic properties of any piece of metal with just a couple of swipes. Works great with your precision kit.
Pocket knife ($6 on Amazon) – When I was first hired at my current job, a co-worker informed me I should buy a pocket knife. At first I thought it was because I would be working in the inner-city and was under constant threat of being attacked by cast members of West Side Story. He later explained the knives work great when you need to jimmy a lock on the doors in our building. In reality, I have used my knife to cut zip ties, open boxes, fish out screws dropped in CISCO switches, and much, much more. That and my oldest son now thinks I’m cool because I carry a knife 🙂
Utility knife ($5) – The utility knife is much like the pocket knife in its versatility and much like the precision screwdriver kit in its ability to do the fine work sometimes needed in IT. It works on packing tape, scraping off asset tags and serial numbers, as well as separating the top cover from the bottom chassis on first gen Macbooks.
Microfiber cloth (pack of four cost me $3) – Cleaning screens, eyeglasses, shiny laptop plastic, and smart phone screens. These little cloths do a great job and cost virtually nothing.
Flash drive containing images (Free for me, maybe $10 for you) – I have a drawer full of these things. I have found it is great to carry around an 8gb drive with a known good operating system image on it (pick your flavor) for on-the-fly imaging.
Book Bag (clearance at Target, $4) – You gotta carry all this stuff, right?
What about you? What do you carry with you that you cannot live without?
Coach Spoon says
What software do you use to create OS images to put on a flashdrive? And, how do you then image a machine from that flashdrive? Thanks and cool post!
John Wilkerson says
A mini flashlight is indispensable. If you ever need to crawl under a desk or get to the back of a wiring closet to read the labels on a network jack you’ll be glad you have one. ($1-$5)
Instant hand sanitizer. Let’s face it, people’s keyboards are nasty and unless you want to join the virus of the week club you’ll keep a small bottle of sanitizer handy. ($1)
Some kind of boot CD with diagnostics tools on it. No matter what flavor of OS you have, problems are inevitable and having a CD you can boot up and use to run diagnostics on hardware is must-have (free)
Paperclip for ejecting stuck CDs or DVDs. I don’t think I need to explain this one. (virtually free)
Fine tip permanent marker. You never know when you may need to label something. Besides, they smell funky! ($1)
Retractable Ethernet cable. Since it’s retractable it won’t bulk-up your bag and you won’t have to go hunting around for one when you need it because, you know, there’s never one around when you need one. (free from a vendor or trade show, $5)
A mini wireless mouse. Yup, you get to a laptop with a broken touchpad or desktop with a broken mouse and suddenly realize that you don’t have a mouse with you. Rather than cabbage one from the neighbor’s computer, hook up yours! ($10)
I could go on but I’m tired of rifling through my bag and desk drawers.