Best free all-in-one hardware health diagnostics software?

[HiTech_32]

g

This sound like old hardware being slow rather then dying
check tsk mng
as for ocing that would not be the motherboard

What should I check in Task Manager?

Experience and trial and error testing mostly

How to test for errors? With which software?

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

What should I check in Task Manager?

usage of cpu ram gpu ect

 

[HiTech_32]

usage of cpu ram gpu ect

What would that indicate in my case?

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

if there are any errors to report you would look at the Event Viewer

I'm gonna ask, again, what kind of problems do you think you are having?

I've heard about PC Doctor Toolbox and Eurosoft PC-Check ,that they are both being used as diagnostics softwares.

I would do some research into these kinds of software programs because often times they do more harm than good.

There is no one single software that does everything, if it claimed it did, I would be very skeptical about it. If you dont have the aptitude for diagnosing problems with a PC, no amount of software will help you if you dont understand whats happening. You are better off trying to learn how to decipher the event viewer, and its not easy, as a first step in diagnosing a hardware problem.

 

[robot zombie]

Besides the fact I totally disagree with robot zombies assessment of CCleaner (I've used it for nearly 2 decades on 100s of computers and never, not once, ever had it ever "bork" a computer beyond what a simple reboot didn't fix - and even that was an extremely rare issue), CCleaner is not "health diagnostics program" so it should never have been mentioned in the first place.

That's funny, because I don't actually doubt or disagree with you. I think used as intended, it's fine. But if you're more of a casual user trying to 'fix up' your PC, caveat emptor.

There is a reason Microsoft advises against using applications that mess with registry entries like that. For all I know, it's different from what I'm thinking, but I have a feeling it's not just about control. It's not like they stop you from modifying the registry however you please. And yet they pretty adamantly steer clear of any apps that claim to fix the registry.

Can't blame em for that. For you or me, it's an easy fix... if not very annoying. But perhaps not something fixable by a reboot... and also something that can be a real nightmare to troubleshoot over the wire, depending on who's on the other end. So in general I tend to steer people who don't already know what it is and what it's for away from it. Basically all it does in my book is simply things that most power users already do as a matter of optimizing machines, so for them it's just a handy gui that saves some time. I imagine that is especially true for a guy like you, who does things like that for a job. It's also pretty aggressive and powerful. It really can get a lot done when it comes to cleanup, optimization, privacy stuff, removing stubborn unwanted apps. Great for slimming down, and really making sure you're not leaving unwanted footprints and orphans about. But for that same reason, people can and do screw things up in ways they don't always know how to fix.

Back in the day I actually used it and found it helpful. Also worth mentioning though... it did do a number on my registry the first time I used it, more than I had the knowledge or patience to fix at the time. A fresh install was easier. So I can say for sure that it is possible. For all I know it has changed drastically since then. Doesn't seem to work differently though. It's still a file and registry cleaner at heart.

Gotta consider that hardware was also a lot more limited in that app's heyday, software was a bit... 'needier' and so there was sometimes a noticeable benefit to cleaning up. Especially for 32-bit, memory limited systems. But these days, I don't see it being necessary, let alone likely to resolve whatever performance issues a person might be having on current hardware. So it's probably not worth the risk of unwittingly deleting or modifying the wrong thing.

Honestly, I think the fairest thing I could say is it had it's time. For some it is still useful, but it's a lot less relevant and still not the best thing for users not versed in registry to be messing with. I'd rather, if they have an interest in making their PCs run better... especially their CUSTOM PCs, that they stay away from tools like that until they learn how to do the things it does in OS so that if something does go wrong, they understand it well enough that it's as trivial for them as it would be for you. At that point I can see the benefit in using it.

That's me. One thing I know we agree on, this is not the place for it.

 

[thesmokingman]

I need a hardware health diagnostics utility, for every hardware part - mobo,cpu,gpu,ram etc.

That stuff was snake oil from the 90's.

 

[robot zombie]

That stuff was snake oil from the 90's.

My mom used to install them all of the time. And then I'd go to use the computer, hoping to play some games and find that barely anything works and what does run is unplayable lol. At some point, I told her that all those programs were doing was installing viruses and emptying the recycle bin. I went over to her C drive properties and explained the charts, then cleared the bin and showed her again. She was satisfied and from then on ONLY cleared the recycling bin. She swore it made everything run phenomenally better (makes ya go "hmmm...") Eventually I got her in the habit of defragging and using the built-in cleanup tool, uninstalling junk, NOT installing junk. Those were real problems with that machine. Calling back to what I just said, this was a 32-bit system with a small, slow spinner. So even a little too much bloat could easily bring it to its knees. But of course you never needed magic one-stop apps making grand claims to deal with that. Even my generally PC-illiterate mom was able to get that going, with the help of a 12-year-old no less.

 

[Athlonite]

What should I check in Task Manager?


How to test for errors? With which software?

there is no software for testing all hardware at the end of the day it comes down to knowing what part is playing up by the symptoms it is causing
1: MemtestX86 for memory testing
2: Checkdisk for Hard disk problems
3: Unigen Valley or Heaven for the GPU
4: Aida 64 or HWiNFO64 for temps and voltages on GPU, CPU and Voltages on PSU mainly the 12V Rail but 5V, 3.3V rails can also cause a problem if they're going out of spec

So what sort of problems are you having that is causing you ask about testing software in here give details of the problem/s and we'll do our best to help you diagnose the issue

 

[abactuon]

Only the hard disk makes sense to check. If something else doesn't work, the computer won't work.

chkdsk

Reference article for the chkdsk command, which checks the file system and file system metadata of a volume for logical and physical errors.

docs.microsoft.com

 

[Frick]

there is no software for testing all hardware at the end of the day it comes down to knowing what part is playing up by the symptoms it is causing
1: MemtestX86 for memory testing
2: Checkdisk for Hard disk problems
3: Unigen Valley or Heaven for the GPU
4: Aida 64 or HWiNFO64 for temps and voltages on GPU, CPU and Voltages on PSU mainly the 12V Rail but 5V, 3.3V rails can also cause a problem if they're going out of spec

So what sort of problems are you having that is causing you ask about testing software in here give details of the problem/s and we'll do our best to help you diagnose the issue

It should be noted that a PC that clears those programs might still crash under other loads, like games, and software voltage monitoring is essentially useless.

Dunno if the OP is still around, but the step after Event Viewer is debugging, which sometimes give more detail.

 

[delshay]

Note to conclusively test your RAM, you need to use sophisticated and very expensive test equipment, like this $2,495 Memory Tester (and that's for the cheap model)! So it is usually easier (and cheaper!) to swap in known good RAM and see what happens.

I have the RAMCHECK LX with all the adaptors barring anything DDR4. It's very good, but I have had conversations EMAILS with the company over their product.

First the unit does not give you access to "TRCD" timings on anything related to DDRx, but it's there for SIMM Memory Module. This may have changed, but I can't update to the latest firmware as the last time I checked it broke one of my chip adaptors.

The unit is very good, it seems to be looking at the data lines very vigorously.

What I really like about this unit is, if you have a short somewhere, it knows where it is with location or with contact slot pin number. This saves you shorting out your Memory Controller on your CPU. If you short-out the complete unit by inserting a Memory Module the wrong way, the unit shuts down. So the unit is very good also at protecting itself if you make an error.

 

[Jetster]

Nothing is free. It ether has ads, malware or is poorly written Just talking about the AIO types

 

[ralfy]

Open Hardware Monitor with CPU and GPU temperature icons in the system tray

CrystalDiskInfo with alarm setting for health activated for all drives

 

[xtreemchaos]

can you tell us your specs ie cpu/motherboard/gpu/psu/ram/drives "make and model" . and which operating system .

 

[vectoravtech]

this can help you keep track of old hardware but its linux called netdata https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/netdata.254988/

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

Op was suspecting his motherboard
which you cant really identify with software

 

[R-T-B]

Op was suspecting his motherboard
which you cant really identify with software

Sounded to me more like a failing HDD from his symptoms. He said it would run CHKDSK on boot randomly.
I think OP suspects a lot of things, but has no real skill to diagnose a fix. Unfortunately, in that boat the only real answer is to go to a professional. We aren't a "become a tech overnight" school, really.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

Imho most diagnostic software is garbage
there is a few good ones but they wont tell you whats wrong

 

[HiTech_32]

It has been the PSU.

I replaced it, and the PC works great now.