WASHINGTON: Veteran PC users know that it's just a matter of time before some computer glitch – or complete meltdown – will cause you to reach for your troubleshooting toolkit. When that happens, will you be prepared in a way that will allow you to minimize downtime? You will be if you carry around a PC toolkit in your pocket.
Thanks to the affordability and growing data storage capacities of USB-based flash drives today, you can easily carry around with you enough digital first aid to get your PC back up and running in a snap. Here's how.
Choose your flash drive
Not all USB flash drives are created equal, so before you run out and buy a new one to hold your PC toolkit, think about the features you'll need in the drive and how you'll carry it. Your first consideration should be storage capacity. Knowing approximately how much storage space you'll need or want will help you to limit the number of flash drives from which you have to choose.
Since you'll probably be storing a fair amount of data on your toolkit drive, you'll want to start with models of no less than 16 gigabytes (GB). These tend to run in the 25 to 35 dollar range. Beyond that, you'll find models in 32, 64, 128, and even 256 GB, with prices generally doubling along with capacity.
Capacity isn't all that matters, though. Size and design do as well. Generally, smaller and thinner are better – and if you'll be carrying your drive on a key ring, which is very convenient, look for a drive that has a key ring hole large enough to fit on the key chain you carry.
Some drives – like the LaCie iamaKey, WhizKey, or CooKey – are even designed to look exactly like a key. Key-like or not, thin drives are important because with them, you can be sure that they'll be able to squeeze them in almost anywhere. Speed and durability are also important. To determine how fast a drive is, you can start by comparing drive speed statistics.
USB flash drives tout read and write speeds ranging from 10 megabytes per second (MB/s) up to 32 MB/s and higher.
Supplement this research, though, by reading user reviews on such sites as Amazon.com or Newegg.com.
Stock it with software
There are several categories of software you should store on your toolkit drive: drivers, your essential data files, and, if space allows, program installation ISO files and system backups or images. Drivers are essential if you have to reinstall your operating system from scratch. Most operating systems will install only essential system device drivers needed to operate your computer, such as drivers for USB ports.
Other device drivers – such as those for your LAN port, wireless card, sound card, chipset, printer, scanner, tablet, or webcam – will usually have to be installed after your operating system. Many people want to seek out these drivers online after installing the operating system.
However, if you don't already have a driver for your wireless card or LAN port, you won't be able to get online to download the drivers. So store them on your USB toolkit drive and be done with that worry. Your essential data files should also have a place on your toolkit drive.
Be sure the data is encrypted or password-protected, of course. You can do this by using a conventional Zip tool such as the free 7- zip and creating a password-protected archive of all of your critical data files. Also include on your toolkit drive any other personal files you would need in order to become productive again quickly. Such files might include your browser favourites or bookmarks, as well as any password manager or form filler you rely upon, with its password vault encrypted.
If you get a spacious flash drive, consider storing ISO images of any software programs you can't live without. An ISO image is a single archive file that contains the entire contents of a CD or DVD. With an application like UltraISO, you can both create an ISO image from an installation disk and then 'mount' the ISO image on your computer so that it appears and works just like a hardware-based drive. Installations from ISO files occur much more quickly, though, than from CDs.
Also, space allowing, create or save an image of your entire C drive on the flash drive. Remember that you'll also need a bootable rescue CD to be able to access the image file. Every program that creates system images – such as Windows 7 or Acronis True Image – will also create a rescue disk in a couple of clicks.
You can certainly create a portable PC toolkit of your own by using an external hard drive rather than a USB flash device. But a larger drive may not be around when you need it. Either way, though, create that repair toolkit now and then rest easy, knowing that if disaster strikes, you're prepared.