The PC Doctor's Fix-it-Yourself Guide- P44: A technical director for a UK-based computer company who teaches such courses as Caring for Your PC has developed prescriptions for treating sick PCs. Arguing the benefits of fixing it yourself rather than relying on experts, his mission is to empower users with trouble- shooting and safe repair skills. | APPENDIX C Tools 429 Needle-nosed pliers Again these are useful for small fiddly jobs. They can also be useful for working with wires and connectors. Container for screws and little bits Screws and fittings have a nasty habit of wandering when you are working on a PC. A missing bit can cause problems and even hold up a job so take good care of them. Also keep any spares you might have. You never know when you might need a spare. In addition to the tools I ve listed above for complete peace of mind and the ability to deal with pretty much everything you come across you might also want to invest in the following optional tools. Wire cutters stripper These are not often needed but handy if you have to fit a power plug or add a phone extension. Torx screwdrivers bits As noted earlier these are becoming more popular. You might never need them but if you do you ll be thankful you ve got them. You ll want the following sizes T-6 T-8 T-10 T-15 T-20 and T-25 Small socket set Some cases you come across can be held together with small nuts and bolts and having the right tools can make the job go much smoother. You ll want the following sizes 1 4 5 16 11 32 and 3 8 Allen keys Allen bolts are another fitting you might come across in some systems in the following sizes 3 32 7 64 1 8 9 64 5 32 3 16 7 32 and 1 4 Multimeter Whether you want or need a multimeter really depends on whether you think it would be useful to you. Don t worry if you don t know how they work or how to use them most are quite easy to use There are a lot of things you can do with even the most basic multimeter such as check voltages check the continuity of cables check battery levels and whether electrical fuses have blown. 430 The PC Doctor s Fix-It-Yourself Guide If you want to spend a little more on a multimeter you can get some that have really handy features thermometer function backlit LCD screens for easy reading and much more. Multimeters are handy for more than just PC repair so other things that you
