What are the best Tools to Have

[DrewMcV]

Always need a paper clip
It is THE tool.

[jaskeyjk]

Boot floppies and CDs of every M$ OS since 1990, Ball-peen hammer for booting Compaqs, claw-hammer for booting Gateway 2000s, jigsaw for formatting HDDs the "proper" way, knapsack full of food and snacks for me, bong for tension relief, and a vast vocabulary of curse words/threats for deadbeat/non-paying customers!!!

[Outcoded]

I do call-outs all day long, the short answer is

EVERYTHING

Seeing as I can be 40+ miles from base, I just keep all my kit in the car.

Otherwise, I often go in with just a stack of speccially prepared floppies, a my wrist-strap, stop-watch and of course Leatherman Tool, if I need anything else, its just a trip to the car.

And never forget the most important thing...

Lunch.

[cyberhh]

Why has no one mentioned the BFH? Am I the only tech that still caries one?

Honestly:

Toolkit:
Screwdrivers with torque, flat and philips head
Spare screws
Small Screwdrivers
Needlenose and Dikes

Software Kit:
95OSR2.5
Winnt4.0
Win2k
Office 97,2k,XP
NT 4.0 Server
NetWare 4.11 and 5.1 cd's
Utility Cd

Minor in comparison to most but hey - I am a net tech for a large company - controlled environment.

[MacGyver]

Torx screwdrivers or Torx bits are highly recommended. I worked on our HP server late one night, and if it weren't for my Torx screwdriver, the night would have been a lot longer.

[WebHead]

[quote]Originally posted by MacGyver:
<strong>Torx screwdrivers or Torx bits are highly recommended. I worked on our HP server late one night, and if it weren't for my Torx screwdriver, the night would have been a lot longer.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I thought for sure you'd say a paperclip, some chewing gum, and a roll of duct tape.

[Imagenatas]

You may want to add a Voltmeter to the kit to test cmos battery strength and power supply output.

[Great White North]

A Sledge hammer and rope. The sledge for computers and people that give you problems. A rope for the people who ask you to upgrade there 386 to tie to their computer for a boat anchor.

[Matridom]

[quote]Originally posted by Great White North:
<strong>A Sledge hammer and rope. The sledge for computers and people that give you problems. A rope for the people who ask you to upgrade there 386 to tie to their computer for a boat anchor.</strong><hr></blockquote>

At one tech shop i worked at, the boss was a prankster, so he made the wood box with a plexy glass front, inside was a 5 pound sledge hammer. The writing on the glass said has follows "In case of frustration, break glass, smash computer." To emphasize the point, we had an old 286 that we went at with the hammer. Now the tech shop was in full view of customers.. The looks they gave still makes me laugh.

[dreamer37]

virus scan bootable disk

[Antimatter]

Static dissipative mat.