10 Free, Essential Computer Fix-It Tools

The ever-useful Lifehacker comes through with a collection of utilities, all of which are free, perfect for setting up a handful of recovery CDs and USB drives for use in case of emergency. And when it comes to PCs, there's always some emergency or another looming in the not-too-distant future.

The site mentions a total of 10 utilities, and I've written about a few of them before (GParted, Windows/Office Key Recovery). But some are entirely new to me, and I've gobbled them up. Here are some of my favorites:

The USB PC Repair Kit is a great idea: A collection of 37 utilities for fixing common Windows and other PC problems all designed to fit on a 32MB USB thumbdrive. If you've been using computers for any length of time, you probably have dozens of these nearly useless, tiny thumbdrives lying unused in drawers.  They're too small to use for data storage, so why not find a good use for them as emergency gadgets?

System Information for Windows provides all sorts of data about your PC that would be difficult to come by in other ways. It doesn't really fix anything, but it does provide a wealth of useful information about your computer.

Judging from the emails I get, many of you lose your passwords more often than you ought to. If you're locked out of your computer because you lost the Administrator password, Ophcrack Live CD can help you out. Use with caution, as it's not for the timid. And be warned: It's over 400MB to download.

Ultimate Boot CD is a monster utility I've used for years. It's an essential tool with a huge range of features that every PC owner should keep a copy of. Also a big download, about 107MB.

Mac users aren't left out either, as a couple of utilities are available for the taking. (I haven't tried them out as I don't have a Mac on my desk right now, but they certainly look useful.)

Give them a try today before you start having computer problems.

LINK: Free Computer System Recovery Tools