Recently I have been to build my hardware testing skills using only a Linux/GNU live boot USB of popular distributions like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. While I know there are specialized tools I could purchase or download, I’m trying to see how much can be done without having to buy anything or have a huge amount of technical knowledge. I’ve had some success doing the easy things like SMART tests, memory testing, checking temperatures, and battery capacity BUT there are 2 areas where I’m still building my skills – flashing the BIOS and GPU testing.
Am I making things more difficult for myself by trying to use open-source tools primarily? Probably but I am learning a lot so for me it’s a win.