The video provides practical, free tools that solve common IT problems, presented in a concise and engaging format. The creator's direct and informative style, combined with the utility of the tools, makes it highly shareable and valuable for the target audience.
Summary
The video showcases five free Microsoft Sysinternals tools that IT professionals should know. These tools help with tasks like securely deleting files, managing alternate data streams, analyzing RAM usage, diagnosing hung applications, and creating separate virtual desktops. The creator emphasizes that these tools are portable, free, and can significantly boost productivity.
Structure
1Introduction to free IT pro tools
2Tool 1: sdelete for secure file deletion
3Tool 2: streams for managing alternate data streams
Original caption
5 more free Microsoft tools almost nobody opens. Files hidden inside files, why your 16GB machine still feels slow, and what that frozen app is actually waiting on. All portable, all free. Save this one. #windows #tools #itpro #techtok #sysinternals
More from @joecoxtech
More breakout videos from this creator.
4Tool 3: RAMMap for analyzing RAM usage
5Tool 4: proc dump for diagnosing hung applications
6Tool 5: Desktops for creating separate virtual desktops
7How to download and use Sysinternals tools
Product placement
Microsoft tools (ACTS - they are software tools that IT pros can use to perform various tasks. Removing them would change what happens in the video.)
sdelete (ACTS - it is a command-line tool used to securely delete files. Removing it would change what happens in the video.)
streams (ACTS - it is a command-line tool used to view and manage alternate data streams. Removing it would change what happens in the video.)
RAMMap (ACTS - it is a utility that shows what is actually in your RAM. Removing it would change what happens in the video.)
proc dump (ACTS - it is a command-line tool used to create dump files of running processes. Removing it would change what happens in the video.)
Sysinternals (APPEARS - it is a suite of utilities from Microsoft. It appears as a website/brand name. Removing it would not change what happens in the video.)
Call to action
Link in description or just search "Sysinternals"
On-screen text
Free IT Pro Tools You Should Know By Now
ACTUALLY ERASE IT
sdelete -p 3 file
DELETE ONLY FORGETS WHERE IT WAS. THIS OVERWRITES.
01
FILES HIDDEN INSIDE FILES
streams -s folder
ALTERNATE DATA STREAMS. RUN IT ON YOUR DOWNLOADS.
02
"ALTERNATE DATA STREAM"
WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN YOUR RAM
RAMMap
TASK MANAGER SAYS HOW MUCH. THIS SAYS WHAT.
03
WHY THAT APP IS HUNG
procdump -ma <pid>
A DUMP FILE THAT NAMES WHAT IT IS WAITING ON.
04
FOUR REAL DESKTOPS
Desktops
TRULY SEPARATE. NOT THE BUILT-IN VIRTUAL ONES.
05
LINK IN DESCRIPTION OR JUST SEARCH "SYSINTERNALS"
BY
THE
TOOL
DOWNLOAD,
THIS
AND
YOUR
MIND,
THESE
REQUIRE
AND
PORTABLE.
FOR
A
THIS
OUT,
DISCOVER
THIS
FOLLOW
KNOW
NERDY
Transcript
First IT people have never used these free Microsoft tools that I'm going to tell you about today. And if you're planning to start a career in IT or if you're already working in the field, I think you should know about these. These are all part of Sysinternals, completely all free. They're all portable, so you can just drop the whole folder on a USB stick and walk into any machine anywhere with all of these in your pocket. After I give you this list, I'll show you how to get these tools. Tool one is sdelete. So some people don't seem to realize that deleting a file does not really delete the file. It just tells your system to forget where the file is, but the data is sitting there until some other new data happens to overwrite it. And that's why I like sdelete because it overwrites immediately. That means when you want something gone, it's actually gone. The second one is called streams. So there's this thing called "Alternate Data Stream" and it's a Windows feature that feels like nobody knows about it anyway. Malware loves this feature. So what streams does is it lets you see what's hiding in there and it will delete it for you, whatever it is. If you wanna have some real fun, run streams on a downloads folder for somebody who deletes the crap they've downloaded off the internet. You might find some interesting stuff in there. Next, we have RAMMap. So you know how Task Manager tells you how much memory is used? The problem there is that Task Manager does not tell you what is in memory. RAMMap breaks your RAM down by what's actually holding it and it shows you the junk your system is holding onto that it doesn't need anymore. So if you've ever heard somebody say, "Why is my memory tapped out when I have 16 gigs of RAM?" This tool is going to solve that mystery for you. Fourth one is proc dump. So somebody's app is hung, it's not necessarily crashed, it's just hung up and it's making your user lose their freaking mind. You can point proc dump at it and you'll get a really useful dump file that tells you what it is waiting for and why it's stuck. Like between actually fixing it and rebooted. Also, when you get that dump file, throw that file at an LLM like Claude Opus or Chat GPT and have it analyze the file for you. You can actually do anything you've done. Productivity. Finally, on our list, we have Desktops. You separate those virtual into this different one, each one. You can hot-key between them. Some tech guys will separate their workflows with this tool. Maybe put your tickets on one and your remote sessions on another, to different windows. It might be my favorite tool on this list. Okay, that's our five tools for the day. But how do you get these? Link in description or just search "Sysinternals". So just go to this link right here, the tool bar. Click the result, download, and then click this download button and throw that file on your USB. Keep in mind, like I said, that all of these are free and they require no install and they're completely portable. So don't go paying for stuff when you have a toolkit like this quietly hanging out, waiting for you to discover it. If you found this helpful, make sure you follow so you'll always know when I drop more nerdy stuff.
