Most owners of computers or laptops wonder about viewing the main characteristics of their system, perhaps out of pure interest, and sometimes to find out the parameters in order to replace a component. But it also happens that the user does not know where the properties of the computer as such can be found for viewing. There are several ways to access this information.
How to view computer properties in the simplest way?
First of all, we will consider the simplest method for viewing information of interest to a user, which is used in all Windows systems without exception.
So, for example, the properties of a computer (Windows 7 on board or any other OS) can be found in the right-click menu on the “My Computer” icon (in Windows 10 - “This Computer”), where the property bar is selected. Only minimal information is shown here, including the type of processor (manufacturer, number of cores, clock speed), the size of RAM, the model of the system unit or laptop, and the type of operating system (version, bit depth).
Similar actions in the "Control Panel"
Exactly the same actions can be performed if you go, so to speak, in a roundabout way. In the standard "Control Panel", called from the Start menu or the control command from the "Run" console, you can find the corresponding link.
The section is called the “System”. When clicking on this link, the user enters the same window that was called in the previous case.
Computer System Properties : Device Manager
However, this was only basic information. In order to find out the properties of a computer in terms of installed hardware and software components, and even view information about installed device drivers, you should use the so-called “Device Manager”, in which you can even troubleshoot if a component does not work, reinstall drivers, etc.
Access to this section can be obtained from the same “Control Panel”, in the administration section, which is located in the submenu of the right-click on the computer icon, or enter the devmgmt.msc command in the “Run” menu bar. Here you can already see all the devices and software components that are initially sorted by type. The sorting type can be changed in the corresponding menu on the top panel.
But there is one caveat. The fact is that not all devices are displayed in the list. In order to see hidden components, you need to use the corresponding line in the view menu.
Each device has its own submenu from which you can select the property bar, and then access the driver information, enable or disable the device, remove or update drivers, etc. This section is convenient in that you can immediately identify devices with problems in it - they are marked with a yellow marker. The properties section will provide a brief description of the problem.
System Information
Another method that allows you to view the properties of a computer is to use advanced information about the system. In previous versions of Windows, it could be found under the name "System Information." In later versions, the easiest way to access is to use the msinfo32 command, which is entered in the Run console.
There is already much more information here (there is even information about the BIOS version and other related components). More widely presented and information about driver files and their location. In the section itself there are three main categories: hardware, components (devices) and software environment. In the component category, you can find a special section of devices with problems, where all problematic devices will be displayed.
DirectX Dialog
There is also an unfamiliar or simply forgotten method for many people, which allows not only viewing the properties of a computer, but also making a complete diagnosis of some components. This is the so-called DirectX dialog.
It is impossible to call it using standard methods using the “Control Panel” or accessing other sections of system information. You will have to enter the dxdiag command in the Run menu. This section mainly presents the characteristics related to multimedia, not counting the main parameters of a computer system.
As mentioned above, here you can diagnose some components. For example, on the monitor properties tab, there are video chip characteristics and a state of support for components of the DirectX bridge itself. But you can easily carry out a test of support for Direct3D, DirectDraw, AGP acceleration, variations in the use of ffdshow, etc.
How to find out non-displayable characteristics?
It turns out that Windows-systems are initially limited in their capabilities. After all, the properties of a computer that can be viewed using the system’s tools are not able to show the user the same processor temperature, fan (cooler) speed, and a whole host of hidden parameters.
In this case, to get to them, you should use special programs like Everest, CPU-Z, GPU-Z, CoreTemp, SpeedFan, etc. Some of them provide information on the hardware, including the characteristics of the motherboard with the names of equipment manufacturers and its main parameters. Others have a narrow focus and are able to determine temperature indicators. Finally, most of these utilities can be used to test equipment, and even to overclock a processor or video card, which, in fact, is done by overlockers who prefer software rather than physical methods.