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From my experiences it seems that there are some Admin Tools that just work no matter the version of Windows I’m working on, so long as I have the GPOs set correct and limited like all Best Practices.
PowerShell, for all its worth, is quite the powerful tool and I’m glad to have it in my handy-dandy tool bag o’ stuff, but there are just some programs that just seem to do it better. I know I can script out PS to do just about anything with the details I’m looking for, but sometimes I just need something quick and the Systernals Tools still hold up. To this day I can’t find a better alternative to PSInfo to get quick specs and uptime of a machine that’s one simple line, and PSExec still is able to pass some of the information that PS just can’t do for (obvious) security reason.

Does anyone have any tools that just seem to do the deed without extra fluff and is something you hold on to even though there could be other alternatives?

EDIT: I’m not looking for a solution to any problem as some posts have pointed out to me. I’m currently remarking that when it comes to Administration, there are several softwares out there that can do a lot and across many areas (PDQ is well known for this) and many come with a cost associated with them. These are great for places that can afford them. My discussion here is more like, Yea these are great, but this one tool still works really well for X when all you’re really looking for is X.

I’m not trying purchase anything, but want to discuss some program(s) that have stood the test of use that even the fancy new software just seems too much.

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Maybe i misunderstanding something but now we use NinjaOne for monitoring (testing actually the remote support) and we have information’s for every PC (and you can download a CSV with that info), the uptimes, last logins, specs, obviously i don’t have full access yet, so, i think has more things to do.

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PDQ mostly fits this bill however that’s going to be for supported operating systems and .net versions unless you go back several major versions. The current version for example might not work on 2008 or 2003, but those shouldn’t be in service anymore. (We all know they are out there though.)

Softperfect netscan, at least the older version I have runs on anything and does not require an install. Great for scanning the network for hosts and certain open ports, file shares etc.

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Hey OP,
Kaseya 365 seems like it could be a great solution for what you’re looking for. It offers a seamless way to manage, secure, back up, optimize PC deployments, and automate your endpoints from a single interface, all under one subscription for less than $3 per endpoint.

You mentioned that you sometimes need something quick, and the automation capabilities of Kaseya 365 could help you achieve that. Kaseya 365 has built-in automations to help you save time and automate workflows.

In case you might be interested, my colleague, @Keanan-Kaseya will be hosting a live webinar tomorrow, December 5 at 2 PM EST on automation and patching wit Kaseya 365. Feel free to register to join us, but you can also reach out to us anytime with a private message. Hope this is helpful! You can explore more info or sign up for a demo here.

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putty

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I think I am at the point where notepad++ is in my toolbag. Even notepad in windows 11 is getting to have more than I want, and getting complicated for a simple text editor.

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I clicked to post about SysInternals utilities, but I see you’ve already mentioned them. One of the first things I do when setting up a new computer is put the whole suite in a folder on my desktop.

I also like Wireshark and Nmap.

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SpaceSniffer is a handy utility.

http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/

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Remember when you could fit everything you’d ever need with select Norton Utilities on a 1.44mb floppy? Spiceworks Tinder is scary so I’m dating myself here.

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Thank you!

Very nice, I’ll find this handy, it’s better than what I was using for this purpose.

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Belarc Advisor is a nice one for environments that do not have Asset Management. It will tell you most of the system\driver information you need without all the menus and extras that HWInfo gives you.

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Hey @moorebeers! For anyone that hates network diagramming and maintaining documentation? Auvik is a pretty simple solution that help discover, map, and update your network diagram. We can also isolate network pathways to help root cause analysis and also provide insights and alerts. We don’t cost a ton because we’re really focused on solving specific but common issues for people.

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Sometimes when working with the files I need to do the file movements as a more privileged user so instead of logging into the computer as that account I’ve used explorer++ since I can also look at the properties of the files/folders I’m moving as that user as well. Helps when I’m multitasking as well.

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Did you know that you can just open file explorer to view them, and not save them on your computer? I use it from time to time. Just go to the address bar and use [ \\live.sysinternals.com\tools ] ** Fixed the url, that should work **
I just had to add that, I thought it was cool.

I also have started to use Chris Titus’ tool on some machines, just open powershell and run [ irm christitus.com/win | iex ].

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I like using MSConfig because it has a batch of tools that are all basically available on all versions of windows.

Since I script, I also love powershell, vbscript, batch files, and task scheduler.

GPO’s are great, as well as a management tool of some sort (RMM).

EDIT:
I also love macro scheduler. It just works, and you can “record” macros.

and windirstat I think that’s what it is called. I just love those pretty pictures. Just make sure to run it as admin :slight_smile:

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I have been using BatchPatch for years. While the interface is reminiscent of the late 90s, the program is relatively cheap and has a lot of functionality.

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If you’re looking at lots of scripting, one Program that I’ve gotten really attached to is the VSCode that Microsoft put out. It’s cross platform so it doesn’t matter what machine I have, it will run and the interface stays close to the same. Really flexible for the PS Scripting to Linux or Bash, even JScript if I felt like suffering.

Edit: Site for VSCode - https://code.visualstudio.com/

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I find this to be incredibly useful in giving me machine health at a glance. Easy RDP access and a number of other tools.

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and, or Course, Wazuh. A needy child to be sure but well worth it.

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this works well to, for the same reason: