Build a First Aid USB kit

I’m sure you’ll find this situation familiar: last Saturday I met a group of friends to have dinner and watch the Eurovision contest together. But as soon as I walked through their flat’s door, one of my friends grabbed me by the arm and begged me to fix his computer.

Yes, it happens: once your friends find out you work with computers, they presume you can fix whatever problem they have with it, from an unimportant spyware element to a serious Windows Registry issue. And as you can’t really do anything about it without being rude, you’d better adapt to the situation. How? Easy: creating a First Aid kit for computers you can carry anywhere with you.

All you need is a large-sized USB memory device (you can buy a 4 or 8 GB memory key for a pretty decent price these days) and load it up with a collection of portable tools you can use to analyze, optimize and fix any computer your friends ask you to. Here are the tools I’d include in that First Aid USB:

• HWiNFO32 – Performs a highly detailed hardware configuration analysis
• Revo Uninstaller – Removes any unwanted applications from the computer
• ClamWin – A handy portable antivirus tool
• Recuva – Recovers accidentally deleted files
• CCleaner – Powerful system cleaner and optimizer
• Registry Defrag – Portable Windows Registry defragmenter
• Comodo System Cleaner -Complete suite with cleaning and repairing tools
• Glary Utilities – Pocket-sized toolkit for PC maintenance
• Defraggler – Portable defragmenter with support for single files and folders