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Have you ever wondered how secure a network that you set up actually is? Today I would like to share a tool with you that will allow you to easily scan a network for external port vulnerabilities. This tool is called ShieldsUp! and is web based which allows your scan to take place outside of your firewall. Just follow these steps to begin. photo credit: br1dotcom Other Posts You Might Like: Create a Batch File to Easily Refresh Network Settings How to Audit Your Microsoft Software Licenses How to Set Up an IT Helpdesk for Free
People often wonder what tools I use to do my job. So starting with this article, I would like to share with you what I keep in my immediate tech toolkit. These are the items that I use most frequently and are carried with me whenever I walk in the door at a customer location. In part two of this series I will highlight what I keep in my extended tech toolkit which is kept in my car at all times. photo credit: skistz Other Posts You Might Like: How to Permanently Wipe All Data from a Hard Drive How to Recover Data ...
Morris Rosenthal has written a book that includes 17 flowcharts to help walk you through the process of troubleshooting computer related hardware issues. He is offering eight of these flowcharts for free on the Foner Books website including a boot failure troubleshooting poster. Whether you are training new techs or are a new tech yourself these are great tools to help teach and learn the process of troubleshooting computer problems.
Back when I had a forum on this site someone posted a utility that allows you to back up printer drivers on one computer and restore them on another. This utility has saved me countless amounts of time, especially when setting up new computers. And since I don't have the forum anymore, I felt like I needed to re-share it. So in the following article I would like to show you how to use this great tool.Other Posts You Might Like: How to Copy Windows Drivers from One Computer to Another How to Restore Deleted Files After Emptying the Recycle Bin Easily Repair ...
As Macs continue to gain market share, there is an increased likelihood that you will have to support them if you are a tech. And even if you aren't a tech, it's good to know which tools are the best to use when it comes time to repair your own. I have put together a list of what are, in my opinion, the ten best repair tools for troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing a Mac.Other Posts You Might Like: How to Become a Certified Mac OS X Leopard Technician 10 Great Tech Tools That Boot from a CD Easily Repair a Corrupt Internet Connection
For most computer techs, installing Windows seems pretty straight forward. That’s because, if you are like me, then you have probably done it a thousand times. However, for those just getting into IT, this may not be the case. If you have no experience with installing Windows then you can now familiarize yourself with this process by using the free Windows XP Setup Simulator. More »
If you are an emerging computer tech and you haven’t already become accustom to using the ipconfig command, you soon will. This command is most commonly used at the DOS prompt to see a computer’s current IP configuration. Using this command with three different switches also allows you to refresh a computer’s network settings which can be very useful when troubleshooting network issues. In the following tutorial, I would like to show you how you can create a batch file that will run this command along with its switches to quickly refresh a computer’s network settings. More »
Getting your first job as an entry level computer technician can be difficult. This is especially true for someone with no experience. The job market for computer techs is very crowded and there are lots of new people trying to get in. Before you decide to enter the market yourself, you need to gain a competitive edge. In this article, I would like to share with you 9 tips that will help you gain some experience and set yourself apart from the crowd. More »
Many new tech deals appear on the web daily. Finding them, however, can be a daunting task. Lucky for you there are sites dedicated to this very purpose. I would like to share with you, in my opinion, 10 of the best bargain hunting sites to use when searching for tech deals. More »
Yesterday I reinstalled Windows on a laptop for one of our users at work. When the installation was complete, I popped in the driver CD to begin the process of installing the drivers that Windows didn’t install. For some reason the CD only contained two of the eight drivers that I needed. Normally, tracking down the right driver can be a huge annoyance, especially when your devices are showing up with generic names like PCI Device, Video Controller, System Device, or Unknown Device. But with the help of a little utility, I was able to find all of the drivers that I needed saving me lots of time and frustration. More »
Apple certifications are some of the fastest growing certifications in the industry and becoming an Apple certified tech is a great way to make your resume stand out from the crowd. With the release of Leopard, Apple has been updating their certification program to support their new operating system. I would like explain these newly updated certifications and show you what is required for each one so you can be on your way to becoming a certified Mac OS X Leopard technician. More »
When working on a computer, certain tasks can be made much easier by using tools that boot from a CD. Some of these tasks include restoring files from a computer with a corrupt operating system, testing hardware, reseting a lost password, or partitioning a hard drive. I would like to share with you 10 great bootable tools that will do all of these things and much more. More »
Recently I was faced with a situation where I had an automatic update that wouldn’t install. To try and troubleshoot this issue, I needed a way to download the update so I could install it manually. Since Microsoft doesn’t offer such an option, I had to look elsewhere for help. Luckily, there is a program that was created to do just this. More »
Over a year ago I wrote an article called 18 Portable Apps Every Tech Needs. Since then a lot has changed. I have compiled a new, more exhaustive list of 35 portable applications specifically for techs. All of these apps run directly from your USB flash drive and require no installation. More »
Creating an offline update CD is a great way to update a Windows computer without having to connect it to the Internet and risk the chance of it being compromised. It is also a great way to update a computer that either has no Internet connection or is still connected to the Internet through dial-up. Since Microsoft offers no easy way of doing this other than ordering one of their update CD, I would like to show you how to create one yourself. More »
