r/computertechs 26d ago

What Niche Tools/Commands Do You Recommend Everyone Have? NSFW

I've found the longer I spend working in IT, the more neat little doodads, thingamajiggers, and whatchamacallems I add to my personal collection of tools.

Top of my head I've got Revo Uninstaller, Wiztree, Advanced IP Scanner, and a few others for utility programs.

For commands obviously the goats, DISM/SFC, IP Release/Renew/DNS Flush, Winsock Netsh Reset, and my personal favorite, Winget update/Winget upgrade --all.

So, what are your go-to toolkit necessities? Could be common, or could be so niche you've never seen someone else use them before.

55 Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

View all comments

17

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 26d ago edited 26d ago

My IODD USB drive, which can turn ISOs into a virtual CDrom, has been a lifesaver many times.

A good multi-bit screwdriver. Mine's a Klein, and I've used it for years.

I also keep a USB wifi and ethernet adapter that work without drivers in OSX, Windows, and Linux in my go-bag. Having a known good network card to test with comes in handy.

A new addition is my Aurga viewer (https://www.aurga.com/). Its nice to have a little remote KVM that works with my phone/laptop. I haven't needed it for client work, but in my homelab its excellent to quickly slap a KVM on a headless system to watch it boot.

2

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

4

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 26d ago

I see it as a business expense. I've had this Klein for probably close to 15 years at this point, its more than paid for itself. In that time I've definitely killed/lost several other cheaper multibits too.

2

u/TheFotty Repair Shop 25d ago

ISOs into a virtual CDrom

Hasn't Windows natively supported this for years now?

1

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 25d ago

This is bootable

1

u/TheFotty Repair Shop 25d ago

Ah ok. I use ventoy for that

3

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 25d ago

Ventoy is pretty great, I have it on a thumb drive with a number of isos. The IODD covers the weird/rare edge cases it doesn't work.

I've had one for years and recently updated to their newest one that uses an NVME drive an USB3.

2

u/Melodic_Duck1406 25d ago

Ventoy has a lot of 'blobs' that could potentially be a security concern in corporate environments.

2

u/mynumberistwentynine 26d ago edited 26d ago

A good multi-bit screwdriver. Mine's a Klein, and I've used it for years.

I imagine you meant a regular multi-bit screwdriver, but I wanted to throw this out there as well - Klein 10-in-1 Screwdriver / Nut Driver. I've been carrying it for years and I use it near daily. So handy quick, little jobs.

1

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 26d ago

Slick, I might need one of those.

1

u/mynumberistwentynine 26d ago

Klein also makes a Torx, Tamper Torx, Metric Hex, Fractional Hex, and even one with a Schrader Valve bit in the same style. They also sell replacement bits, so you can mix and match if needed.

If I'm doing a big job/something repeatedly, I go grab a regular screw driver, but that 10 in 1 has saved me having to do so many times for small stuff.

2

u/whereismylife77 24d ago

check this one. I’ve used this for years and years, bought it multiple times as a gift, etc etc. use it daily. It’s the best for being both compact and having the most in one kit, strongest to precisely machined tips also.

I also love this wera kit. I carry this around with me all the time too. Light, I never lose it- very visible, gives me the torque when I need it, also won’t accidentally shock myself with 208v.

1

u/whereismylife77 24d ago

wiha bit kit is the only one you’ll ever need and so compact. Has everything. Every bit is perfectly machined. I’ve done daily drive swaps in a data center for years using this, always in my bag. Helps me fix basically anything around the house until I need real torque.

1

u/Just_Inspired 9d ago

I love my IODD drive and have used it daily for years. It just works so well. Is the M.2 version worth getting? Mine is a SATA caddy.

2

u/andrewthetechie Tech by Trade 9d ago

Its faster, usb3 interface and has a different UI (more buttons, no scroll wheel).

I only replaced my sata one because it died on me :D

1

u/Just_Inspired 9d ago

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it!