PC Diagnostic Tool

[Google [Bot]]

Guys I need PC Diagnostic Tool on floppy or CD that to boot PC with it and troubleshoot Hardware issues.

anyone has it

thx
guinn

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

Well crap.. I don't have it but for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the software they sell at the computer expo. As a matter of fact there is another expo in Memphis this Saturday and I'm going to it. Usually they sell a PCI card that goes into the mobo.. you insert the floppy/CD with the program on it and it auto loads the program.. and it checks all the hardware hooked up. On the PCI (they might still make the EISA card too but the EISA is about gone from mobos these days) is a self contained BIOS with several LCDs. Mostly the main LCD will give you a number read out that you look up to identify the hardware issue. Sometimes it can even fix the issues itself by turning off/enabling things in your BIOS for you so the PC will at least boot.

Personally.. I've seen the combo work in demos.. but they generally sell the whole package for more than $100. Rarely have I come across any error that wasn't fixable by replacing something. Considering that most parts these days are cheaper than the diagonostic setup I've described above I think you're better off replacing it. If you need the name of the software/hardware combo I'll keep my eye out for it when I go Saturday. I'm thinking it's called the PC Tester or PC Diagnostic Dr. I'm sure they'll have a website.. and you might find the software in demo form on the web or via P2P. However, what I'm thinking about you probalby need the card for more detail. I think the software works alone.. but the card has the read outs built into it if you cannot get the system to boot up w/ a display.

-EIN

If I see the stuff Saturday I'll post you again. Sometimes the vendors are there.. sometimes not. What I cannot figure out (100%) is why they always have some over-baked Flordia woman (usually wearing something you'd see a woman going to a dinner party in) demonstrating the product. Perhaps that's why I don't think the stuff is humm.. how to say.. useful for my application. As I see it.. she's useless so I figure the product must not stand too well on it's own without a woman to sell it to computer nerds.

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

At the computer show they had what I was talking about above. Of course buying online is 30% higher (supposedly) than at the show. The woman also told me (not the tanned one this time) that you can run the software without the PCI card. Paying more attention this time I highly doubt she knew what she was talking about. My gut tells me that you'll need the PCI card & the software.

http://www.shopctc.com

email is: scott@shopctc.com

phone: 800-798-3930

I forgot the price but I think the show's special was about $130-180 for the card/software setup.

Computer Technology Consultants, Inc.
1739 Drew St.
Clearwater, FL. 33755

Let me know if this is something that you decide to use Guinness.
-EIN

[FAST Enterprise [Crawler]]

Sorry, just read your question about a PCI card. They're commonly called 'post-cards' because they check the computers hardware during POST. I've used them during my A+ training and can personally tell you that they DO work. Like Ein said, they run about 130 dollars, and come with the software and usually a pretty fancy carrying case, because they're made to be taken on troubleshooting jobs. Also, if you are having trouble booting up, there's a floppy called the 'Ultimate Boot Disk', or 'UBD'. It can still be downloaded for free on the internet I think. You download the contents, then unzip it to a floppy to create a self booting disk, which gives you a lot of options. I've used one for years, and always wondered why Microsoft never had anything better than the standard system disk.

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

Yeah.. I wondered why MS didn't assimilate the UBD myself.

Thanks for the testimonial on the card working as needed. It's one thing to see the demo work and they test various things.. but the problem with demos generally is that they *know* what the problem is before the show so that's not very reliable for a demo. Even if they jerk out some memory or put in something defective.. it's a routine they know well. Still leery about the women selling products though..

Guinness? Planning to buy or what?