What is on Your PC?

Why would you want to know?

Answer: You need to know when you go to purchase software or hardware.

You need to know "When" not, "If" you need technical help.

You need to know when you brag to your PC illiterate friends about having a PC.

Windows 98 has improved the access to what you need to know about your PC to purchase additional software. You have learned how they show you the "Path" to a file or program. So, here is the Path to most of the information needed. Select: Start / Programs / Accessories / System tools / "System Information"

This brings up a window that looks like a "windows explorer". In the left window you see a menu starting with "System Information" and 3 sub menus labeled; "Hardware Resources", "Components" and "Software Environment".

If it is not already selected, Select, "System Information".

This will show the System Information in the right window. At this point you should either write the info down or if you have a printer, Select the "Printer Icon" or Select "File" from the pull down menus and Select "Print". Most of this info is needed to purchase new software, but not all. And unfortunately Microsoft left out a very important piece of info necessary. That is the speed of the CPU. You may already have that info because it is a main selling point of a PC. For example, the ads for the PC may say; "This is a 233 Pentium". Meaning it has a Pentium processor that has a clock speed of 233 MHz. If you look carefully at the small print on the box of a piece of software you are thinking about purchasing you may see the figure quoted as "133 MHz required, 230 MHz recommended". Or just a minimum quoted.

RAM is also quoted. And as with the other requirements if you have more, you are OK. The other requirement usually quoted is "Hard-drive free space" If you are down close to the min. required free space, you are already in trouble and need to do something about it even if you don't buy the software. (See the section 11,"Free up hard drive space")

 At this point you do not need to concern yourself with the 3 sub menus under "System Information". You can look but the info will not be of much use to you unless you are in contact with a tech that is requesting that info. As you become proficient at diagnoses of PC problems you will then have a use for that info. More information on the hardware in your PC can be found by selecting: Start / Settings / Control Panel / System (double click) / Performance / File System (button) / CD-ROM (tab).

Look in the window labeled: "Optimize access pattern for:" Even though is not necessarily the speed of your CD-ROM. It is the configuration for it. Which will usually give you the minimum speed info needed.

Other things required or recommended sometimes are: sound cards, modem or Joy Stick. If you have speakers then you know you have a sound card. If you have a telephone wires connected to you PC then you have a modem. If the software requires a specific kind of modem, Voice, FAX, Data then you should look in your paper work that came with the PC. A Joy Stick is obvious.

Review!

Before you go looking at software to purchase. Go to: Start / Programs / Accessories / System tools / "System Information"

Write down the amount of RAM in Megabytes (MB). And amount of available free space.

Free Hard Drive space is quoted as: "Available space on drive C:" xxx MB of xxxx MB.

After the "of" is the size of the drive. The size of your drive is of no use to you when purchasing software, only how much space is free.

If you have more than one drive, they each will be listed the same way.

The other item needed is the speed of your CPU, quoted in MHz. You will need to look in your paper work that came with the PC or sometimes it is written on the PC itself.

Some software requires a minimum speed CD ROM. Quoted: "Min. 4x CD ROM". First look on the front panel of your CD ROM. Many times it is written there. 4x , 20x or 40x. If it is not written there, go to: Start/Settings/Control Panel/System Icon (double click) /Performance/File System (button)/CD-ROM (tab).

Then look in the window labeled: "Optimize access pattern for". This may say "4 speed CD-ROM or better".