Newbie Guides A Trouble Free PC Know What You've Got

Know What You Have Got

One of the first things you should do once you get to know more about your computer is make a written note of all the hardware inside the system case and what devices or peripherals are attached to the computer, such as printer, modem, monitor and scanner. When you need updated drivers or technical help, you will find this worthwhile.

Make a note of component serial numbers and model numbers, as well as the slot each expansion card uses, the number of RAM sticks and type used, if the PC uses a modem - which COM port it uses and which IRQ, while you have the case open - make a note of the size of PSU and any detail about the motherboard. If the system you bought is branded, such as a Compaq or Packard Bell you will only need to note the model number from the back and the manufacturer can determine what components are in the system. If you have added components to the system, make a note of the model and serial numbers. Most manufacturers supply poor manuals, but they should detail each component in the system. Most have a web site you can go to too and find out more. If you have a PC that has been built for you, as we often do at Scotsmist, ask the place you bought it from, for as much information as you can get or better still ask for the manuals. They will not be able to tell you serial numbers without looking at your machine, but they should be able to tell you the manufacturer and model numbers of components they used and details such as the number of RAM sticks installed.

Next, you need to note the details of the system's configuration. On Windows PC's, this means opening, reading and if you can, printing out a few important system files. The quickest way to open the most common system configuration files is to run the Sysedit program. Click on the Start Button and select Run. Type sysedit in the text box and then click on OK. It will bring up four of the system files. From there, you can make a note of the file contents, save them to a floppy disk as well as print them out.

There are utilities that are commercial, shareware and freeware that will do most if not all of this for you.. One such suite of tools we at Scotsmist use is Norton Utilities. It is a boxed job, but you can download other similar tools such as Cleansweep and SiSoft SANDRA. Go to our downloads page and try some of the links or use one of the search engines to locate these utilities.

Create Start-up Disk