15 Portable Apps to Help Troubleshoot PC’s

1. Avira UnErase (file recovery)

   

   File Recovery tool for Windows 2000 and XP. Install on a PC, then copy the installation folder to your USB thumb drive. Though it’s no longer officially supported, it’s still available for download, and it still works. Download here.

2. CCleaner (PC optimization)

   

   The popular PC optimization and privacy tool has a Portable Edition that you can download and install on your USB thumb drive. Related tutorial: How to use CCleaner to free up disk space on your Windows PC

3. ClamWin (anti-virus)

   

   Following the instructions found here, you can carry the open-source anti-virus software ClamWin on your USB pen drive. Great for removing viruses when you’re unable to install anti-virus software on the host PC.

4. DBAN (secure disk eraser)

   DBAN is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. Download the USB flash drive version from http://dban.sourceforge.net. Related tutorial: How to completely wipe all the data from your hard drive

5. JkDefrag (disk defrag)

   

   JkDefrag is a portable disk defragmenter and optimizer for Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/2008/X64. Completely automatic and very easy to use, fast, low overhead, with several optimization strategies, and can handle floppies, USB disks, memory sticks, and anything else that looks like a disk to Windows. And it’s open source.

6. K-MAC (MAC address changer)

   Useful for network troubleshooting. Download here.

7. On-Screen Keyboard (virtual keyboard)

   

   Working on a PC with a broken keyboard? Or one that has keys remapped to the strangest of places? On-Screen Keyboard will come in handy. Note: part of the PortableApps suite.

8. Portable MV RegClean (registery cleaner)

   Registry cleaner for 32 and 64bit Windows. Also allows you to make backups of any registry change made by MV RegClean. Download here.

9. Portable UnInstall Cleaner (software uninstaller/cleaner)

   

   When a program does not properly uninstall or problems occur in the uninstallation, there will be excess entries in the registry. UnInstall Cleaner can delete these entries so that you don’t take the painstaking job of cleaning the the registry manually. Download here.

10. Process Explorer (advanced task manager)

    Hugely improved version of Windows Task Manager. Download here. Related tutorial: How to get detailed information on each running process in Windows

11. Restoration (file recovery)

    Restoration is another file recovery tool, but this one works on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. If you’re trying to recover files in 2K or XP, try Avira UnErase (see above) first.

12. Roadkil’s Boot Builder (create custom boot sectors)

    Boot Builder allows you to create your own custom boot sector from scratch. This utility allows you to recreate or restore boot sectors lost due to virus or other damage to a drive. Boot sectors can be imported/exported to a disk or created from a template. This program supports FAT and NTFS boot sector types.

13. SpyBot Search and Destroy (spyware removal)

    

    Download SpyBot Search and Destroy, install it on your PC and then follow the instructions found here to make it portable. Related tutorial: How to remove spyware from your PC

14. System Spec (System Information Utility)

    Find detailed information on the PC you’re troubleshooting. Works in Windows 2000 and XP completely, some info won’t be displayed (though it does work) on Windows 98 and ME. Download here.

15. What Is Transferring (TCP packet sniffer)

    What Is Transferring is a portable packet sniffer for Windows 2000/XP. It can capture and display the TCP/IP packets that pass through a network adapte. Very helpful for determining unwanted connections and then viewing what those connections have sent/recieved.

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Build Microsoft’s Windows Xp SP3 Recovery Disc

Think you can use your original Windows XP disc to restore your PC? Think again.
Odds are your computer came with a recovery disc, a CD with all the programs and drivers that were installed on your PC's hard drive when it was new. And odds are you have absolutely no idea where that disc is.
The good news is that it probably doesn't matter. First of all, the recovery media most PC manufacturers provide is designed for a singular purpose: to restore your computer to the state it was in when you bought it. This process typically involves wiping your hard drive (say bye-bye to your spreadsheets and vacation photos) and then reinstalling Windows and the handful of programs originally included with your system. Unless you're simply preparing the whole kit and caboodle to sell on eBay, this is probably not something you will ever need.
Second, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD are almost certainly out of date, either made obsolete by newer and better versions available online, or simply irrelevant to new hardware you've subsequently installed.
nstead of fretting about the old recovery CD you lost (or perhaps never got), why not take a few minutes and make one of your own?
Ideally, a recovery disc should act as a safety net should anything disagreeable happen to your PC's hard drive or its data. (Think crash, virus, spyware attack, driver corruption, and so on.) A good recovery disc allows you to reinstall Windows to fix a minor problem or rebuild your PC from scratch to recover from a major one.

Here's the problem: Once you upgrade your XP installation to Service Pack 3, Windows won't ever allow you to install an older version (including earlier editions of XP) without either wiping the hard drive clean or installing to a different drive. Even if you do install "fresh," you'll still have to then endure a separate SP3 upgrade. The solution is to create a new hybrid installation disc from whatever installer CD you have and a special version of SP3, using a process known as slipstreaming (etymology: fluid mechanics, or the "Hope and Fear" episode of Star Trek: Voyager.)

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