SANS ISC: Tell us about your Christmas Family Emergency Kit

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> Knoppix live disk
> Puppy Linux live disk
> Canned air / screwdriver kit
> Flash drive or USB hard drive

...business cards.

8^)

Happy Holidays!

Usually depends on the problem but, in general;

1. Toolkit
2. Laptop
3. Linux live CD's (got around 300 of them, some work on older machines, some don't ;o))
4. Flash drive (contains security/diagnostic apps etc)
5. Windows SP CD's (grabbed the SP ISO's from MS for everything from 2000 -> Vista)

Laptop, BB, various LiveCDs, usb drives / sd cards, various cables, torch, 3G modem... claw hammer, valium and beta-blockers. Relying on them (and Sainsbury's) to supply the alcohol.

Malware removal software and Alcohol

None!! this year excuse is that I'm mentally stress recovering from drugs abuse.

Nothing, they know better than to ask during the
holidays. If they mention it i tell them to call me after.

2 CDs (Not USB because of malware issues) containing:
(CD1)
Firefox
Malwarebytes

(CD2)
Ubuntu 9.10 live boot
First thing, see if you can find the orginal restoration CDs, as you probably will need them anyway.

Second thing, boot the Ubuntu CD and check the hardware for compatibility.. try to convince your family member to switch. If they refuse, go to step 3.

Third, try to assess the scope of the damage and attempt to clean the PC. This will inevitiably fail. Proceed to step 4.

Step 4, backup data and reload the OS. Spend the rest of the afternoon downloading 80+ updates to Windows.



Second thing,

The address of the local Apple store.

I hate to sound like the stereotypical fanboy, but the people I've convinced to switch from Windows to a Mac have not had problems. And if they did, I would just direct them to the Genius Bar.

Unfortunately, one of my regular clients was an attractive sports massage therapist who used to barter with me for computer services. My back hurts just thinking about it now. I should have told her to upgrade to Vista instead.

Back when I actually cared enough to help Windows users with their home PCs, this is what I carried:

1. Some type of Live CD(s). In the day, I used Knoppix. Nowadays, it would probably be xubuntu and/or <a href="http://sysresccd.org/">System Rescue CD</a>. I tried using BartPE, but it never had the network drivers I needed.

2. A laptop. I'm trying to convince my boss, who is also in charge of desktop support, to issue cheap netbooks to everyone in his group. This should allow the technicians to determine if they're dealing with a PC issue or network issue.

3. Some type of router with extra ethernet ports. This was in case I wanted to connect both my laptop and the user's PC to the network at the same time. (Not a problem in a work environment, but home users don't have multiple network jacks, and didn't always have routers back in my day).

4. An extra USB hub, and some extra USB cables. I've been to enough homes where people had several USB devices, but the furniture did not allow for slack in the cables. Did I mention that I really hate desks with back panels that I can't reach over or under?

5. Although they weren't available back in my day, portable USB powered hard drives, in case I have to back up data on the spot.

Helix CD FTW.
Also, Knoppix... Several copies of Each, on business card CDs so I can leave them behind...

Screwdriver kit, BartPE, laptop, and OS X install disk for the relatives with Macbooks

XP / Vista / 7 (32/64 Bit)
Ubuntu / Ophcrack / G-Parted / D-ban nuke
Driver backup utility
driveimage xml
system internals toolkit
MalwareBytes
Firefox w/ NoScript
Ccleaner
7Zip
Ninite.com - quick install apps
LogMeIn - Free (for later support if I'm lazy)

Before leaving, I load up the following on CD.
Malwarebytes app as well as the most current rules
CCleaner

After cleaning, I download PSI from Secunia to hopefully help them keep their 3rd party apps up to date. Also suggest to switch to a different OS like Ubuntu. Also suggest using Firefox with several add-on's like NoScript, ABP, and Flashblock.

I'm getting to old for that. I bring a sledgehammer.

They are forgetting the most important tool, an invoice. I may never collect however, they do appreciate what my time is worth after I am done.

They are forgetting the most important tool, an invoice. I may never collect however, they do appreciate what my time is worth after I am done.

none, the holidays are at my place and the bringing of dying computers does not constitute the bearing of gifts. Of course after the holidays...

Essentially the same as MysteryFCM's but with a multi-interface (2.5 and 3.25 IDE and SATA) to USB2 drive sled.