Question

Find PC Specification

Asked by: CORBETTMJ

Hello Experts

We've been given a task of checking the specification of all the Laptops/Desktops in the office to identify those most in need of replacement.

Although we've got a reasonable idea of what we're looking for (we think!!)

Processor Type and Speed
Cache Size
RAM Size
Hard Disk

is there anything else that we should be capturing and what is the easiest way of obtaining this information.

They seem to be primarily HP's(of varying ages) with a smattring of Dells and Compaqs, running Windows 2000 and XP

Unfortunately we're restricted from installing any software to help with this.

Any pointers would be most appreciated

Cheers

Mark


This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2007-08-02 at 03:37:54ID22737014
Tags

pc

,

find

,

specification

Topics

Personal Computers

,

PC Laptops

,

General Computer Systems

Participating Experts
6
Points
500
Comments
9

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. compaq pc companion
    I have a compaq pc companion 120+ and I have alwalys had trouble with the batteries draining after only a few hours of minor use. I don't use the backlight and have installed their so-called patch but nothing helps. Is there anyone who has had this trouble and can help? Ma...
  2. Modem Driver for Compaq in HP
    I pulled a 56K modem out of a Compaq Presario (motherboard was shot, but the PCI modem was okay). I put it in another machine (HP Brio), but it doesn't connect to Prodigy. It makes a bunch of modem noise, but ends in an error 650 (says check the server types tab, which I di...
  3. computer age
    is it possible to tell the computer age from any info such as the setup etc?

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2007-08-02 at 04:58:54ID: 19616033

Use MSINFO32 form the command line to get the details you require or  you could try lansweeper http://www.lansweeper.com/ its free and means you can do it without having to get out of your seat !

 

by: michkoPosted on 2007-08-02 at 06:40:19ID: 19616758

Here's what I keep on my inventory list to help identify those pcs that need to be at the top of the replacement schedule:
Processor
RAM
HD
OS (W2K goes first, even if hardware is better than Win XP system)
Date pc was purchased

I use these factors as a basic guideline for which pcs need replacing first.  Obviously, trouble pcs go first (you know, those few that something seems to go wrong with on a regular basis).  Past that, I first look at OS.  Getting everything on a standardized platform (i.e. Win XP) makes support easier.  Next, I kind of weigh date of purchase, RAM, and CPU.  Older pcs get first consideration if everything else if fairly equivalent.  RAM is an important consideration, with CPU a close second.  HD is probably the lowest priority.  Mostly because we have network storage for all documents, Exchange for email, etc.  My users won't fill up a 20GB hard drive, let alone the 80+ that are pretty standard in new workstations.

Hope this kind of information is what you were looking for.  Let me know if you need any clarifications, or further information.

michko

 

by: achcheePosted on 2007-08-02 at 11:40:27ID: 19619667

we use SMS from Win 03 server to list specs.

 

by: nobusPosted on 2007-08-03 at 00:58:28ID: 19623217

open device management, in the general tab it displays processor type, Ram
in the hardware section, it lists the disk, and cd models
then google the cpu model for the cache size

 

by: lauchangkwangPosted on 2007-08-03 at 07:26:55ID: 19625233

You can have a try with SIW software to check for your system information too:
http://www.gtopala.com/siw-download.html (It is free)

PC that should be get replace most of the time base on its performance, for example the PC running very slow ...... etc ........ Those Pentium 1, 2 and 3 should consider "Old model" already, can put it under "need to upgrade" categories. You can keep the RAM and used into another PC (Hopefully your company PC is not using the SD RAM, it is consider very old model already)

Normally the PC with the performance below should be far enough to used in the office:
                     Hard Disk = 80GB
DDR RAM / DDR2 RAM = 256 MB
                    Processor = 1.8 Ghz or above
        Operating System = XP SP 2 (not vista for now, Vista still not stable and still not get supported by
                                                        most of the hardware and software)

I would recommand DELL, the service from DELL is the best for me, if you have any problems, you can just go online and chat with the Technical Support from DELL which others brand does not provided this kind of service. And the DELL technician will come to your house to pick up the PC if your PC break down (No need you to bring that heavy PC from here to there)
   

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2007-08-03 at 07:44:37ID: 19625405

I know you said you don't want to install any software but LANSWEEPER which I mentioned in my first podt only needs to be installed on one machine for it to geather details from the rest of your network - it does not put anything on any of the other systems and the software is FREE http://www.lansweeper.com/

If you really don'twant ANY additional sofyware then MSINFO32 from the command line gives the most comprehensive list.

 

by: AlbertaBeefPosted on 2007-08-03 at 17:03:35ID: 19629296

Cache size doesn't tell you a whole lot unless you have a very sound understanding of it.

For example, is it L1 or L2 cache?  Does it run at the full bus speed or at a fraction of the bus speed?  Although cache is an important factor in determining cpu performance, if you don't have a background in cpu design, it doesn't necessarily tell you much of anything...

Processor type and speed can also be misleading, as it depends not just on it's speed, but how many instructions per clock cycle the processor performs, so make sure you do your research on the processors before making a determination based solely on clock speed.

One of the BEST ways to tell the relative age and performance level of the computer is by the type and speed of memory in it.

IE:  Does it have Single-Data-Rate SDRAM (ie: PC133 spec, etc.) or Double-Data-Rate (DDR SDRAM, ie: PC2700/PC3200 spec, etc.) or DDR2 Memory, etc...  That can really shed light onto the age and general performance of a system...

 

by: michkoPosted on 2007-08-03 at 17:13:05ID: 19629322

AltertaBeef - very nice post, very good information.

michko

 

by: CORBETTMJPosted on 2007-08-07 at 09:40:50ID: 19647503

Thanks for the help
Much Appreciated
Mark

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...