Here is a list of the stuff that keeps LargeGeek geeky…
Hardware & Gear
Dell XPS 12 — proving to be a fantastic mobile machine and suites my troubleshooting needs perfectly. Still have issues connecting to Dell’s own SonicWall devices via WiFi; which we use at my workplace.- Windows 10 Pro
- Intel Core i5-3317U @ 2.6 GHz
- Intel HD 4000 graphics
- 4 GB RAM
- 128 GB mSATA SSD
- XPS 12 & Slim Power brick
- HooToo USB 3.0 Hub & Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
- Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
- Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter
- A couple ethernet cables
- A micro-USB cable for emergency device charging
- Zalman ZM-VE300
- 500 GB USB 3.0 WD MyPassport HDD
- 2x Kinston DTSE9 8GB FlashDrives (one for sneaker-netting and the other for YUMI Multiboot tools)
Moto X Pure Edition (2014) — Modern power in not too large a package. And has the promise of staying up to date if Lenovo doesn’t screw us over. Running and loving Microsoft’s Arrow Launcher Beta lately.
Nexus 7 (2013) — Sees more use than my phone nowadays. Is my goto device any random tech need. Have never had a device that I can say nothing negative about. Current Main Rig — Was built on a whim when I randomly came into possession of a new mobo and gets over some of the oddities that my old rig experienced.- Windows 10 Pro
- Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.8 GHz
- CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO cooler
- MSI Z77A-G41 motherboard
- 16 GB DDR3 RAM @ 1866MHz
- Asus DCUII R9-290X
- Boot Drive: Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB SSD
- Storage Drive: 2TB WD Black
- Optical: TSSTC DVD Burner
- Antec TPQ 850W PSU
- Corsair Obsidian 650D Case (2x CoolerMaster Blue LED 200mm fans, bypassed fan controller)
- Ducky DK9008G2 Mechanical Keyboard w/ Black Cherry MX Switches (PBT)
- A4Tech V7 Mouse ($25 mouse that performs like the $80 ones, just a tad too light)
- Windows 10 Pro
- Intel Core i7 920 (Quad-core HT @ 2.66 GHz)
- CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO w/ Noctua NF-F12 PWM
- Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (USB 3.0, SATA III)
- 8 GB RAM @ 1333 MHz
- AMD Radeon 6850 (bro’s old card)
- 128GB Crucial M500 SSD
- WD 1TB Caviar Black HDD
- Some random DVD burner
- Corsair 650W PSU
- Corsair 200R
Security & Maintenance Software –
Windows Defender/Microsoft Security Essentials Malwarebytes CCleaner – Not that needed in the latest OSes but it still comes in very handy from time to time Defragler – Not that needed in the latest OSes (and SSDs of course) but it still comes in very handy from time to timeTools & Utilities –
7zip GIMP for Windows InkScape Filezilla – Is there any other FTP client woth bothering with? IDTS Foxit Reader TeamViewer – I wish they would let me pay them…in a reasonable way. SyncToy – Only using to automate back-up of my Minecraft server since it runs in a RAM-Disk and I dont want to depend on the image if things fail NetworkLatencyView – good for monitoring access to game, VOIP, & other ping sensitive servers. PingInfoView – I use it at work to monitor our VPNs. First one that doesn’t over complicate a very simple task.Troubleshooting & Repair –
YUMI Multiboot Utility Highjack This Puppy Linux – A whole lot of my friends and family owe their data to this Ultimate Boot CD – Hands down best tool ever Trinity Rescue Kit – stupid simple machine recovery Clonszilla or Acronis Kaspersky Bootable Anti-Virus – A little heavy for what it does, but it is worth it when you need to clean things up before scanning. SpinRite – Controversial…and I don’t see why. Yeah similar results can be garnered with a live CD and a handful of other tools and hovering over the machine. Or you can set it and forget it with SpinRite.Favorite Online Tools & Services
Chrome – for majority of web browsing Firefox – still need it for some web gui’s OneNote – synced via OneDrive JungleDisk – OneDrive/SkyDrive kept breaking for me, so I decided to go with a real, robust back-up service. And they have a Sync feature as well…and it actually works. DropBox – Mostly auto photo uploading and easy sharing Feedly – Android & Chrome – I probably spend the majority of my ‘device’ time in Feedly.Home Network
The Network Closet (i.e. my utility closet)
- Sagemcom F@st 1704 ADSL2 Modem in Bridge mode (12 Gbps/768 Mbps Windstream DSL)
- PFSense running on Atom D525 BlackBox (previously featured in my virtualized Smoothwall article)
- 16-Port Gigabit Switch (TRENDNet TEG-S16Dg)
- 12-Port Mini CAT6 Patch panel (from Monoprice)
- Bulk cable through cieling to Living Room and both bedrooms
- Terminates at 2-port CAT6 surface mount wallboxes
- Living room drops from ceiling in front corner, sounds ugly but grey cable blends well into wall trim
- Bedrooms drop in corner of closet and come out under corner of door and along carpet, ends up hidden well by furniture
- 8-port Gigabit Switch in Living room (TRENDnet TEG-S80G)