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Tools and Utilities

This page displays various lists of tools and Utilities that I often use for troubleshooting.
Each tools has a direct link to where it can be downloaded as well as a category and a brief explanation.

Windows Utilities

Name	Category	Explanation
Process Explorer	System Information and Monitoring	Process Explorer is an advanced task manager for Windows that shows detailed information about running processes, their resource usage, DLLs, and handles. It helps diagnose issues, monitor performance, and identify which processes are using files or system resources.
KiTTY Portable	Network	A lightweight, Windows-based fork of PuTTY that provides secure SSH, Telnet, and serial connections.
7-Zip	Disk and File Utilities	A file compression and extraction utility that reduces file sizes for storage or sharing and unpacks compressed archives.
AppCrashView	Crash and Error and Log Analysis	Utility that displays detailed reports of application crashes collected by the operating system. It shows crash time, error codes, faulting modules, and other technical data to help diagnose software failures.
BlueScreenView	Crash and Error and Log Analysis	A diagnostic utility that scans Windows crash dump (minidump) files created after a system crash (Blue Screen of Death). It lists the drivers and modules involved, helping identify the cause of system errors.
Autoruns	System Information and Monitoring	A Sysinternals tool that shows all programs configured to run automatically at startup or login. It provides detailed visibility into startup items, drivers, services, and scheduled tasks, helping identify unwanted or malicious entries.
BleachBit	Disk and File Utilities	A system cleaner tool that allows you to free disk space by deleting unnecessary files, caches, logs, and temporary data from various locations. It also supports secure file shredding.
CPU-Z Portable	System Information and Monitoring	A lightweight, no-install utility that provides detailed information about a computer’s hardware. It reports CPU name, speed, core details, motherboard, memory type, and other system specifications in real time.
DHCP Server for Windows	Network	A standalone, lightweight DHCP server that assigns IP addresses and network configurations to devices on a local network. Useful for testing, labs, or small networks without a dedicated DHCP service.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro	Data Recovery	commercial data recovery tool that restores deleted, formatted, or lost files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and other storage devices.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro with Bootable Media	Data Recovery	commercial data recovery tool that restores deleted, formatted, or lost files from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and other storage devices.
VeryaCrypt	Encryption & Security	An open-source disk encryption tool that secures files, partitions, or entire drives with strong encryption. It creates encrypted containers or volumes that can only be accessed with the correct password or keyfile, protecting data from unauthorized access.
ShadowCopyView	Data Recovery	A portable utility that displays all shadow copies (Volume Shadow Copy snapshots) stored on a Windows system. It lets you browse and extract older versions of files and folders for recovery without restoring the entire backup.
Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition	Web Browser	A portable version of the Firefox web browser that runs from a USB drive or local folder without installation.
Foxit Reader Portable	Viewing and Document Tools	A lightweight, portable PDF reader that runs without installation. It allows viewing, annotating, filling forms, and digitally signing PDF documents.
ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C (Windows God Mode)	System Information and Monitoring	A hidden Windows feature that provides a single folder view of nearly all Control Panel settings. By creating a special folder with this identifier, users can quickly access hundreds of administrative tools and configuration options in one place.
Emsisoft Emergency Kit	Malware and Threat Removal	A portable malware removal tool that scans and cleans infected Windows systems. It includes a dual-engine scanner for detecting viruses, trojans, spyware, and other threats, and can be run directly from a USB drive without installation.
GPU-Z	System Information and Monitoring	A lightweight utility that provides detailed information about a computer’s graphics card and GPU. It displays specs such as GPU model, memory type, clock speeds, temperature, and driver details, with real-time monitoring for diagnostics and performance analysis.
HxD Hex Editor	File Editor	A fast and lightweight hex editor for Windows that allows direct editing of raw binary data on files, disks, and memory.
Metageek Chanalyzer with Report Builder	Network	A Wi-Fi spectrum analysis tool that visualizes wireless activity to help diagnose interference, channel congestion, and coverage issues.
MetaGeek App	Network	A wireless network analysis tool that scans Wi-Fi environments to identify nearby networks, channel usage, and signal strength. It helps troubleshoot connectivity issues, optimize channel selection, and improve overall Wi-Fi performance.
IrfanView Portable	Viewing and Document Tools	A lightweight, no-install image viewer and editor that supports a wide range of formats.
Open-Shell	User Interface	An open-source utility that restores the classic Windows Start Menu experience, originally known as Classic Shell. It provides customizable start menus, toolbars, and Explorer enhancements for users who prefer a traditional interface over newer Windows layouts.
Apache OpenOffice Portable	Viewing and Document Tools	A free, open-source office suite that includes applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. It supports the OpenDocument format and is an alternative to Microsoft Office for creating and editing documents.
Defraggler Portable	Disk and File Utilities	A Hard Disk Drive disk defragmentation tool from CCleaner that optimizes file placement on hard drives to improve performance. Unlike the built-in Windows defrag utility, it allows defragmenting entire drives, individual files, or free space for more targeted control. DO NOT USE WITH Solid State Drives.
kon-boot	Password & Authentication Utilities	A security and penetration testing tool that allows bypassing or resetting Windows and macOS login passwords without knowing the original credentials. It is commonly used by IT professionals for system recovery.
PuTTY	Network	A free and lightweight terminal emulator for Windows that supports SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and serial connections. It is widely used for securely connecting to remote servers, managing network devices, and performing command-line administration.
regshot	Windows Registry	A lightweight registry and file system snapshot tool for Windows. It compares before-and-after states to show changes made by software installations, system tweaks, or malware activity, making it useful for troubleshooting and analysis.
ResizeEnable	User Interface	A small Windows utility that forces normally fixed-size application windows to become resizable. It runs in the background and allows users to adjust windows that don’t natively support resizing.
Revo Uninstaller Pro Portable	Disk and File Utilities	A no-install version of Revo Uninstaller that removes unwanted programs and traces left behind after standard uninstalls. It scans for leftover files, folders, and registry entries, and includes additional tools for cleaning and system maintenance.
Malware Removal Search Page	Malware and Threat Removal - Web Based	An online resource that lets users search trusted malware removal guides and support forum posts. It provides instructions, tools, and community-driven help for identifying and eliminating malicious software from Windows systems.
Threat Encyclopedia	Malware and Threat Removal - Web Based	An online database by Trend Micro that catalogs viruses, malware, ransomware, phishing scams, and other digital threats.
SIW (System Information for Windows)	System Information and Monitoring	A diagnostic utility that provides detailed information about a computer’s hardware, software, network, and system settings. It offers real-time monitoring, password recovery tools, and reporting features for troubleshooting and system auditing.
Speccy	System Information and Monitoring	A lightweight system information tool from CCleaner that displays detailed hardware and software specs. It provides real-time data on CPU, RAM, motherboard, storage, graphics, and temperatures.
Fan Control	System Information and Monitoring	An open-source Windows application that monitors and customizes PC fan speeds. It allows creating automatic profiles based on temperature sensors, helping balance cooling performance with noise reduction.
TCPView	Network	A Sysinternals utility that shows detailed listings of all active TCP and UDP network connections on a Windows system. It provides real-time information on local/remote addresses, ports, and process ownership.
Everything	Disk and File Utilities	A fast file search engine for Windows that indexes all files and folders on a system to provide instant search results. Unlike Windows Search, it delivers real-time results as you type and uses minimal system resources.
Tweaking Registry Backup	Windows Registry	A Windows utility that creates and restores full registry backups using the built-in Volume Shadow Copy service. It provides a safer alternative to System Restore by allowing precise recovery of registry settings in case of corruption or system issues.
Sitemap Generator	Web & SEO Tools	An online tool that automatically creates XML sitemaps for websites. It helps search engines like Google and Bing crawl and index site pages more effectively, improving SEO and visibility.
WinDirStat	Disk and File Utilities	A disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Windows. It analyzes drives and displays a visual treemap of file sizes and types, helping identify space hogs and manage storage more efficiently.
Windows Error Lookup Tool	System Information and Monitoring	A small Windows utility that translates error codes (HRESULT, Win32, NTSTATUS, STOP) into readable messages. It helps developers and technicians quickly identify the meaning of system error codes for troubleshooting.
The Microsoft Error Lookup Tool	System Information and Monitoring	An official command-line utility from Microsoft that converts system error codes into plain-text descriptions. It supports Win32, HRESULT, and NTSTATUS codes, helping developers and IT professionals diagnose Windows errors.
WinMTR	Network	A network diagnostic tool that combines traceroute and ping in a single utility. It continuously tests the path to a destination host, showing packet loss and latency at each hop.
ZoomIt	Presentation	A presentation tool that lets users zoom into the screen, draw annotations, and create on-screen timers. It’s commonly used during live demos, training, or technical presentations to highlight details.
Guru 3D Display Driver Uninstaller	Disk and File Utilities	A specialized utility that completely removes graphics card drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) and related files from Windows. It’s often used to fix driver conflicts or prepare for a clean installation of new GPU drivers.
Advanced IP Scanner	Network	A free network scanner for Windows that quickly detects all devices on a local network. It provides information such as IP and MAC addresses, allows remote control via RDP or Radmin, and supports network management tasks.
ShieldsUP! - Gibson Research Corporation	Network - Web Based	An online security test by Gibson Research Corporation that scans a computer’s internet connection for open ports and vulnerabilities. It helps users verify firewall effectiveness and identify potential exposure to external threats.
(FRST) Farbar Recovery Scan Tool Download	Malware and Threat Removal	A portable diagnostic utility used to scan Windows systems for malware, startup entries, services, and registry issues. It generates detailed text logs for advanced troubleshooting and allows scripted fixes to remove persistent infections.
Hercules	Network	A Windows serial port, TCP/IP, and UDP terminal program widely used for testing and debugging network-connected devices. It provides features like virtual terminals, UDP/TCP clients and servers, and serial port monitoring for developers and system integrators.
Angry IP Scanner	Network	A fast, open-source network scanner that pings IP addresses and ports to detect active devices. It works across Windows, macOS, and Linux, exporting results for further analysis, and is commonly used for quick network inventory and troubleshooting.
EaseUS Partition Master Professional	Disk and File Utilities	A commercial disk management tool that allows creating, resizing, moving, merging, and cloning partitions without data loss. It also includes features for disk conversion, migration to SSDs, and partition recovery.
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free	Disk and File Utilities	A free disk partition management tool that supports creating, resizing, moving, merging, and formatting partitions. It also includes basic features for disk health checks, file system conversions, and partition recovery.
FileZilla	Network	A free, open-source FTP, FTPS, and SFTP client for transferring files between local computers and remote servers. It features drag-and-drop support, site management, and transfer queuing.
Rufus	Disk and File Utilities	Free, lightweight utility that creates bootable USB drives from ISO files. It’s commonly used to install or repair operating systems such as Windows or Linux, offering fast performance, easy setup, and compatibility with both BIOS and UEFI systems.
UUP Dump (Windows ISOs)	ISO	UUP Dump is a safe tool for downloading and creating Windows ISO images directly from Microsoft’s update servers.

Mac OS Utilities

Name	Category	Explanation
Taccy	Security & Permissions	Used to view all security permissions of a single App, in one place.
Disk Inventory X	Disk and File Utilities	Disk usage utility for Mac OS X that shows the sizes of files and folders in a special graphical way called "treemaps". Warning: Does not have an up to date signature therefore requires special permissions to run.
OmniDiskSweeper	Disk and File Utilities	A utility that scans selected locations, lists files from largest to smallest, and helps identify space hogs. It allows you to open file locations or send items directly to the trash for cleanup.
Angry IP Scanner	Network	A fast, open-source network scanner that pings IP addresses and ports to detect active devices. It works across Windows, macOS, and Linux, exporting results for further analysis, and is commonly used for quick network inventory and troubleshooting.
FileZilla	Network	A free, open-source FTP, FTPS, and SFTP client for transferring files between local computers and remote servers. It features drag-and-drop support, site management, and transfer queuing.
HEIC Converter	Viewing and Document Tools	A macOS app that converts Apple’s HEIC image format into more widely supported formats such as JPG or PNG.

Linux Utilities

Name	Category	Explanation
BleachBit	Disk and File Utilities	A system cleaner tool that allows you to free disk space by deleting unnecessary files, caches, logs, and temporary data from various locations. It also supports secure file shredding.
Network Security Toolkit	Network	A Linux-based live distribution that bundles hundreds of open-source network monitoring, security, and analysis tools. It provides a ready-to-use environment for tasks like packet capture, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, and forensic analysis.
Angry IP Scanner	Network	A fast, open-source network scanner that pings IP addresses and ports to detect active devices. It works across Windows, macOS, and Linux, exporting results for further analysis, and is commonly used for quick network inventory and troubleshooting.

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