Know your system
One of the first things you want to know is what OS (operating system) you use. Most new PCs come with Windows XP Home Edition. You'll still find Windows 98 and Me on many newer models. It is important to know the exact OS version number, so you can upgrade properly, or deal with defective units. You definitely do not want to try to install an older version as an upgrade if you already have an older version on your computer.
You can find the OS and the exact version by clicking Start, Settings, Control Panel and opening the System icon in Control Panel. Thi
s will bring up a window that gives you the special version of the OS and registration information, and the equipment manufacturer, model, and amount of RAM installed.
What about peripherals
Device Manager tab in the System Properties window gives you information about different types of installed peripheral devices including modems, CD-ROM drives, network cards, etc. Besides the basic information, the Device Manager tab an icon for each device attached to your computer. Clicking the icon opens a window that tells you the details of the device and whether it works properly or not.
Final Performance Tab under System Properties you can know how much memory you have available and allows the advanced user make manual adjustments to the Graphics Display, Virtual Memory, and File Systems. If you decide to try these types of adjustments, so make sure you have saved information on the settings.
Using the System Information Tool
If you want to see more than what the System Properties will appear, use the System Information utility. Access by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and System Information, this program gives you the complete information on all the settings for your hardware and software.
It is important to know these options exist because the information may be necessary when you insert a call to technical support.
These do-it-yourselfer's who like to take things out to see what makes them work want to print the settings in these files, and information in the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), so they will be available for to restore these settings later. Simply select System Information and then click File and Print. It is a good idea to have this printed information and stored away if you have a large bang, and the need to reinstall everything on your system.
Know your BIOS
BIOS can be described as a computer's central nervous system. That is what makes your computer run. Working as an intermediary between the OS and applications, translating BIOS program commands into a common format and sends commands to the computer peripherals through the motherboard. It also detects errors and reports them to the user. For example, when an error message telling you your printer is not ready, the BIOS works.
When the computer starts, you will usually see the reference and version of BIOS that is running. The system will then proceed to detect installed devices and start them up. The computer will also run through a boot (startup) sequence, to check all input devices for boot information to determine what commands to follow, as it has begun.
BIOS resides on a chip that is either connected directly to the computer's motherboard as part of a card or integrated with the motherboard. Some installed equipment, including advanced or specialized sound and graphics cards have their own BIOS, which enables devices to initialize the RAM on your own.
BIOS controls the computer's clock and the boot order of the drives and peripherals. If one reason or another computer to reset, you must have the BIOS information to bring it back to life. For most computers, you can assess the BIOS by pressing F2, ESC or combination CTRL, ALT and ENTER keys, depending on the type of BIOS your computer uses.
Before you start tinkering with your BIOS settings, a word caution is in order. First you write down the information displayed on the screen. Hold it with the printout of System Information utility information. Keep the prints in a place where you could find them when you need. Second, many of the changes you might consider making your BIOS instead be made through the System control panel GUI (Graphical User Interface) that Windows offers. For example, the system can effect change on the control panel and using the Windows control panel means you will not be as likely to change somewhat inadvertently, not realizing it.
There may be times when it is appropriate to work directly in the BIOS interface. If you want to completely wipe out your main disk drive and install another OS such as Linux, you may need to reconfigure your BIOS information to get the system to load the new OS.
BIOS chip needs a constant electrical current running through it to maintain its data settings. A battery supplies power when the computer is idle, and if the battery dies, the current interruption and data loss. You can install a new battery, but you must then reset the BIOS manually.
The information here is only the beginning of what is presented on the BIOS. Whole books have been written about each of these topics. If you need further information you can see in your computer's manual or if you do not have a manual for your computer, you can access the manufacturer's website will generally have downloadable manuals. Internet search engines like Yahoo, Google, AltaVista, HotBot, will return hundreds of websites with information about the OSes, BIOS, and much more. Just point your browser to http://www.google.com, type in the BIOS and see what happens.
