Useful Tools for PC Diagnostics

Computers have gone a long way from being glorified calculators. Most of us these days (including casual users) can't live without our computers, be it a PC, a laptop or even a tablet. And even though many have shifted to mobile forms of computer technologies, some of still remain loyal to our good old desktops.

As technologies develop and computers become much more reliable with each passing generation, we get the sense that we don't need to put so much energy and effort into the hardware and software maintenance of our beloved machines. Even though that's true to some degree, it's still a good idea to have diagnostics tools at your disposal at all times so you can always know what's going on inside your box. Sometimes things break down unexpectedly and you want to be prepared for such dire occasions. If you don't want to leave anything to chance, then I have some suggestions.

SIW

SIW gives you an incredibly detailed description of what's going on inside your computer. You can check your timings, how well your memory is running, what applications are loading at start-up and how long it takes for them launch the .dll files at autorun and much more. If you want to know exactly what's going on inside your PC, then this is the perfect program for you. It's very intuitive and easy to use, so even if you're not the biggest enthusiast, you should have no problem taking a sneak peak behind the curtains of your computer.

Hiren's BootCD

If you have to use LiveCD to resolve a situation, you know that you have a serious problem. Hiren's BootCD can help you with that, though, because it's an excellent tool with lots of functions and different diagnostics. One of the things that might scare newer users is the text-based interface, but you shouldn't worry about it because it's really easy to use, even though it's DOS-based. It's a Swiss-army knife of diagnostics so if you can't find the solutions using Hiren's BootCD then it might be a time to throw in the towel, cough up the big bucks and get a new one.

A note: Even though it's a great tool, Hiren's BootCD is compiled using older versions of paid software so the legal status isn't exactly clear. That's not to say that you will be arrested for using it, but you should be warned that the software doesn't use free-ware alone.

Ubuntu Live CD

When we talk about diagnostics, we rarely think about a Linux Live CD but it is rather effective when the situation demands it. Ubuntu's user-friendly interface will help you tackle many challenges in the terms of computer malfunction. You can save some of your data if the situation is really bad; you can test your memory; check for viruses and other useful tasks along the way. The best part is that your data will not be in any danger while you're using the Live CD. You can even check the operating system out and see if you like it.

UBCD4Win

Well, let's be fair – Linux isn't for everyone. If you're a long-term Windows user, you probably won't feel comfortable using Ubuntu. This is where UBCD4Win comes in. It's Windows based, doesn't require you to know your way around DOS and enables you to perform a wide plethora of diagnostics without a hitch.

Those are your main go-to diagnostic tools you can use. Each of them has its merits and downside but they are all convenient and will all do a great job in helping you solve your problems.