Table of Contents
Why you need this article
All Puget Systems builds come with an accessories binder and in the back of that binder you will find our 'Puget Tools' USB. Packed on this USB is a plethora of useful tools. These tools are bundled into a custom program we created called Diagnostics. You may find a use for these on your own or your Puget Systems Support Technician may ask that you access them, either way, this guide will provide the details you need.
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Plug the device into any USB 3.0 (blue) port on your system then use file explorer to navigate to the window below. Double click the 'Diagnostics' application.
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The many tools
You should see the following screen. This is an interface that helps launch each of the tools on the USB along with that applications corresponding website if additional information/instructions is needed.
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Remote Support
This allows quick access to our remote support interface which requires a session key to connect. Your Puget Systems Support Technician will provide the session key during communications then we can connect remotely and help find a solution to whatever problem you're experiencing.
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Both options bring you to the same page. 'Launch application' will open your default web browser whereas 'Launch Website' will open in Edge in case you are experiencing issues with your default browser.
CoreTemp
Core Temp is a compact, no fuss, small footprint, yet powerful program to monitor processor temperature and other vital information. Your Puget Systems Support Technician may ask you to run this for a variety of reasons including:
- Temperature concerns
- Random rebooting or abrupt shutdowns
- Applications crashing
- Error messages or BSODs
- Fans spinning irratically
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GPU-Z
GPU-Z is a lightweight system utility designed to provide vital information about your video card and graphics processor. This application can help diagnose display issues or allow you to monitor a GPU's usage when diagnosing software issues.
We recommend running the portable version, but if you wish to install and access more regularly you are welcome to. To use the portable/standalone version simply select 'No' after you click 'Launch Application'.
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Once GPU-Z is running you will be able to view all the details about your graphics hardware. Navigate between the tabs for additional functionality and information (including temperature monitoring!)
CPU-Z
CPU-Z is a freeware utility that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system:
- Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels.
- Mainboard and chipset.
- Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD).
- Real time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.
CrystalDiskInfo
A HDD/SSD utility software which supports standard SATA, USB, Intel/AMD RAID and NVMe. Very robust and useful! It also provides an at-a-glance view of health and temperatures of each detected device. Navigate between the different drives by clicking them in the top left corner.
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark is a simple disk benchmark software. Select the appropriate disk from the dropdown then click "All". This will begin full benchmark on that device then report the average speeds.
It may look frozen but it's working, give it time.
FurMark
FurMark is a lightweight but very intensive graphics card / GPU stress test on Windows platform. FurMark is simple to use and is free.
We recommend using the default settings for installation. Once installed FurMark will attempt to update, but we recommend using the version we provided as it seems to be the most stable and functional.
Prime95
Prime95 is a benchmarking/burn-in software designed to heavily stress a system. This can help identify issues with RAM, CPUs and power delivery and other components. In a stable system, running Prime95 would not result in crashes or incorrect results. Your Support Technician may advise a different selection, but we generally recommend using the 'blend' test if you are experiencing system instability as it will stress numerous components in an effort to identify a culprit.
DriveControllerInfo
DriveControllerInfo provides an overview of which drive is attached to which controller driver. It can be helpful when attempting to recognize SSDs and identify HDDs. It also provides serial numbers if needed.
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Scanner
This tool uses a sunburst chart to display the usage of your hard disk or other media. The chart shows all major files and folders from all directory levels at once.
WhoCrashed
Whenever a computer running Windows suddenly reboots without displaying any notice or blue or black screen of death, the first thing that is often thought about is a hardware failure. In reality, crashes are often caused by malfunctioning device drivers and kernel modules. In case of a kernel error, computers running Windows do not show a blue or black screen unless they are configured to do so. Instead, these systems suddenly reboot without any notice.
WhoCrashed shows the drivers that have been crashing your computer with a single click. In most cases it can pinpoint the offending drivers that have been causing misery on your computer system in the past. It does post-mortem crashdump analysis and presents all gathered information in a comprehensible way. In case your system has been crashing because of a hardware failure, WhoCrashed will provide you with guidance to trace the root cause of the problem.
Install WhoCrashed using the default options then select the 'Analyze' button. If your system has recorded a crash log, all will be revealed here!
Bluescreen View
BlueScreenView scans all your minidump files created during 'blue screen of death' crashes, and displays the information about all crashes in one table. For each crash, BlueScreenView displays the minidump filename, the date/time of the crash, the basic crash information displayed in the blue screen (Bug Check Code and 4 parameters), and the details of the driver or module that possibly caused the crash (filename, product name, file description, and file version).
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This system has not had any recent crashes so no dump files were found. After my next crash, I will run again and update the image.
Complete Internet Repair
Complete Internet Repair does exactly what it says. It attempts to repair everything internet related, including networking problems. Rely on your Puget Technicians recommendation for which checkboxes to select, depending on your current issue.
WinDirStat Portable
WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for various versions of Microsoft Windows.
Conclusion
These tools are extremely useful so having easy access to them will help you diagnose any issues quickly and efficiently. Generally, our Puget Support Technicians will provide all the information needed in order to fully utilize each of these tools so this article is designed as an educational piece. If you end up needing any additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Need help with your Puget Systems PC?
If something is wrong with your Puget Systems PC, we are readily accessible, and our support team comes from a wide range of technological backgrounds to better assist you!
Looking for more support guides?
If you are looking for a solution to a problem you are having with your PC, we also have a number of other support guides that may be able to assist you with other issues.