You don't need many tools for routine PC upgrades and repairs. We've successfully repaired PCs using only a Swiss Army Knife, but a more complete set of tools makes jobs easier. Putting together a dedicated PC toolkit and keeping it in a fixed location avoids the hassle of looking for a tool when what you really want to do is work on your PC.

Your first thought may be to buy one of those PC toolkits available from various sources, but we suggest you avoid them. Inexpensive kits available from most mail-order vendors contain shoddy tools and are not worth even their low price. Kits available from specialty catalogs such as Specialized Products (www.specializedproducts.com) and Jensen (www.jensentools.com) are fine if you fix PCs for a living (or if your company buys the kit). Otherwise, they're overkill and much too expensive.

Instead of buying any of the prepackaged kits, head for Sears and assemble your own PC toolkit. The basic tools you need for routine PC work cost less than $50. Store these tools together, using a tool wrapper (available from auto parts stores) or a zipper case (available from specialty tool vendors or a home improvement warehouse). You can often buy sets of pliers, screwdrivers, and so forth for less than what you'd pay for each individually. We carry only the tools we need, so we usually buy the set, remove the ones we really wanted for our toolkit, and contribute the remainder to the general stock of tools around the house.The table below lists what we carry and recommend as a basic kit, with Sears part numbers in parentheses.

Even when we're not working on PCs, we always carry a Swiss Army Knife (we like the Victorinox CyberTool). If you don't routinely carry a knife, add a disposable snap-off razor blade, which is useful for opening blister-wrap packages, cutting cable ties, and so on. Also, although we prefer drivers with individual handles, you may prefer a handle with interchangeable bits. If so, get the Sears Craftsman 11-in-1 Screwdriver (41478), which includes five double-end bits and also serves as a 1/4-inch nutdriver.

If you work on PCs frequently or have special requirements, you may find useful the additions to the basic kit listed below. Depending on the types of PCs you work on, some of these tools may also be needed in the basic kit. For example, Compaq PCs use a lot of Torx fasteners

If you work on a PC in place—under a desk or wherever—you often need a third hand to hold the flashlight.

In addition to the tools themselves, a good toolkit contains several consumable items, including:

Alcohol

PC components accumulate greasy brown residue, particularly if you smoke or if you heat with gas or oil. This residue attracts and holds dust, but can be removed with rubbing alcohol. Buy isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol), which removes grease better than ethanol (ethyl alcohol), and carry a small screw-top bottle of it in your kit.

Swabs

Keep half a dozen Q-Tips or foam swabs for cleaning mouse rollers, tape drive heads, and similar difficult-to-reach places. We prefer the foam swabs, which do not deposit stray bits of cotton.

Cotton balls

Carry a few of these as disposable cleaning aids. Moisten one with rubbing alcohol so that it is wet, but not dripping, and use it to clean larger components such as disk drives. Cotton balls come in at least two varieties. In our experience, the ones intended for medical use (which are really cotton) leave fibers all over the place. The ones Barbara uses with her nail polish remover (which appear to be a man-made fiber) don't shed nearly as much.

Freon

You can't get real Freon now because of the damage it supposedly does to the ozone layer, but everyone still calls the stuff you can buy Freon. We use Zero Residue Cleaner from Radio Shack. It comes in a pressurized spray can with a small tube that attaches to the nozzle and allows you to direct the spray. The stuff evaporates almost instantly, and does a good job of cleaning really dirty components. It's particularly useful for cleaning inaccessible things such as the fan blades inside the power supply enclosure, which tend to get really filthy and are almost impossible to clean otherwise. It's also useful for cleaning the heads on floppy and tape drives. Just stick in the tube and give them a good squirt.

Canned air

Many technicians carry a can of compressed clean, dry air to blow out dust bunnies, to evaporate cleaner residue quickly, and so on. We've never felt that air was worth paying for, so we simply blow gently to accomplish the same thing. You can use an ordinary drinking straw to direct and strengthen the airflow. Try not to spray saliva on the components.

Many PC toolkits include a DIP chip puller and a DIP chip inserter, two tools that should never be used. The ubiquity of SIMM and DIMM modules means there aren't many socketed DIP chips in modern PCs. Your system may still have a few, however, and it's a good idea to reseat them every time you pop the cover. Do a quick scan of the motherboard and expansion cards, and just press down firmly with your thumb on each socketed chip you see. If the chip has begun to walk out of its socket, you'll feel it snap back into position as you press. For more about working with DIP chips, see http://www.hardwareguys.com/dipchip.html