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Have you used any Micro2000 diagnostic tools? Tell us about it in the "Reviews Discussion" conference.
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| Product: Universal Diagnostic Toolkit |
Company: Micro2000 |
| Web: www.micro2000.com |
Phone: 800-864-8008 |
| Platform: Any Intel-compatible computer |
SRP: US$900 (Tookit)
US$500 (Micro-Scope only)
Street Price: same |
Cred Rating: | Special Award: |
Three years ago, I read an article about Micro2000's Micro-Scope PC diagnostic toolkit and how it could greatly reduce PC hardware repair time. My initial thought was that I could troubleshoot just as fast, if not faster, than any diagnosing software. Many of the PC technicians in my area seemed to share this view. Last year, I overheard a tech talking about his success with using Micro-Scope and how he now spends a fraction of the time diagnosing hardware problems. I decided that I needed to try this kit out to see if it would do the same for me. To date, I've used the Universal Diagnostic Toolkit for almost two months on several PCs with unknown hardware issues. Micro-Scope has diagnosed problems such as bad system memory, cache, hard drives, video cards and network cards. Micro-Scope saves a lot of time by allowing me to get other work done while the software hunts down the problem. The batch testing in Micro-Scope is a handy feature when building and testing new computers. You tell it which tests you'd like it to perform (or you can simply choose "Run All Tests") and how many passes you'd like it to make. When Micro-Scope is finished, an error log lets you know if it has encountered any hardware failures or other errors during testing.
Along with troubleshooting, Micro-Scope lets you print a spec list of all of the components in the computer that you're testing. It will also print errors or problems that it encounters while testing. The print out can also include customer information (for PC repair guys/gals) and even information about your repair shop.
Along with the Micro-Scope software included in the Universal Diagnostic Toolkit, I tried the Post-Probe "boot troubleshooter." The Post-Probe is a circuit board that slides into a PCI or ISA slot. Using the technical manual that's included, the Post-Probe helps you to quickly identify hardware failures. So far, I've only used the Probe once, since most of the non-booting problems I encounter are due to bad power supplies. The one time I did use it, I was able to quickly identify that the non-POSTing problem was caused by a faulty video card. Micro-Scope also runs off of its own proprietary OS (built in Assembler and C), not DOS, overcoming any limitations or problems that DOS might introduce. The Universal Diagnostic Toolkit also comes with a set of loop back plugs for external port testing and has a large leather zipper case that stores the Probe, the plugs, the manuals and the software.
I have yet to run into a problem while using the software or toolkit, that required access to the ("free," lifetime) tech support, but I've heard from other PC technicians that Micro2000's expert support staff is first-rate. I've found the Universal Diagnostic Toolkit to be a very good investment for my repair business and would recommend it to both serious techies and non-techies alike.
- Matt Kendall [7/3/02]
Matt Kendall runs Kendall Technologies, a full-service PC shop in Chandler, Arizona.
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