Every PC builder should have:

[Zak33]

OK...each of you put one essential thing down that you think an Amateur PC builder should have.....forget the bleeding obvious like a keyboard.

I'm talking good stuff.....

For example.....I'll start...

I thnik everyone who fiddles with PC's , either their own or their friends and family's....should have a KVM switch.

BECAUSE to be able to have 2 PC's running on just one keyboard, mouse and monitor is just such a good way of saving time. Was setting up, transfering files and generally organising Sair's parents PC yesterday.....from 98 on the old one to XP on the new. Lots of files to be moved, burned to disk and swapped over etc....some Microsoft Works files on the old to be converted to Office (spread sheets that they've always saved in a different format) and also Dial Up details, and all the Favourites and Pictures...

A KVM SWITCH IS MY FRIEND

[oshta]

JUNK - you need at least enough to make finding what your looking for take a while

[skattrd]

Crossover cable - and a copy of vnc on floppy

[Bindibadgi]

JUNK - you need at least enough to make finding what your looking for take a while

Hell yea. A mass of spares and random crap that you may need for something in the future. /me taps spares kit.

Win 98se boot CD/Disk so you can get to DOS with the CD working.

Reliable philips head screwdriver - i wore the head out on 1, and broke another

Time.

[Skeps]

Errrrrrr...............arctic silver 5 here...............maybe a spare AMD heatsink fan..........oh yeah, and a big bro that comes to the rescue when needed

[Bindibadgi]

Errrrrrr...............arctic silver 5 here...............maybe a spare AMD heatsink fan..........oh yeah, and a big bro that comes to the rescue when needed

Doesnt help if you're an intel user

I *am* that big brother (well to my brother... and family.. and their friends *sigh*)

Another: Spare PSU - to test stuff on, run cathodes off etc Not talking inside a case, just elsewhere.

[Byatt]

pair of tweezers for changing hard drive/optical drive jumpers

needlenose pliers are quite useful on occasion too

[oshta]

i know this i my second, but..

Hot Glue Gun

- great for everything, fan mounting, cable mangament etc

[rox0r]

Plenty of blood to spare, for those inevitable moments with cheap cases.

[unrealrocks]

Paint brush - I can't live without it when servicing old dusty PCs. It'll clean dust off much better than even compressed air in my experience.

[Steve]

A bootable CD with the diagnostic tools you like. If you can't be bothered to make a custom disk up, just have the windows 98 CD handy - let's you boot and read from CD so getting DOS tools onto the system is pretty easy.

Great for fixing problems.

[Skii]

Cable ties

can't have enough cable ties

[SilentDeath]

I prefer my dual input monitor to a kvm switch

Id say a gas powered soldering iron. Mine arrived in post today and so much easyer it is to use than mains ones... maybe not as pc related, though usefull for doing vmods and other electronics stuff... but atleast you can use the blowtorch attachment to fry any spiders attemping to find there way into your case...

A more pc related item would be thumbscrews. Screwdrivers I always seem to lose or forget to bring when I goto fix a pc.
However the soldering iron still wins, as most pc screws are aluminuim, which melts at 600-700c, where as my soldering iron seems to goto 1300 with blow torch thingy on the end so I oculd just melt them off..

[r1zeek]

Thousands of different screws and other screw sized junk that makes finding the right size ones exceedingly difficult!

[0iD]

4 way kvm, 8 port switch, a pair of long neck forceps, magnetic screwdriver with every conceivable head & a CD with every useful utility you can think of.
And junk, boxes of it, spares, screws, fans etc Hoard EVERYTHING!

[oshta]

And junk, boxes of it, spares, screws, fans etc Hoard EVERYTHING!

- a man after my own heart

(for my Design Tech project at collage im making a large, 2000*1000*175mm, cupboard/shelf unit - for all my PC hoard)