How to Check the Hardware Components of a PC

The hardware demands of computer software programs tend to increase over time, meaning that older PCs may not meet the latest software programs' requirements. If you plan on buying a new program or upgrading your current software, it is important to know what hardware components you have installed to make certain that your computer will be able to run the program. Checking your hardware information is also important if you plan to upgrade your PC.

Instructions

Check Hardware Using Device Manager

1. Click "Start," right click "My computer," and select "Manage."

2. Click on "Device Manager," in the left pane on the computer management window.

3. Click on the plus (+) sign next to any hardware device category to expand a list of your installed hardware components. For instance, of you want to check what kind of video card you have, click on the plus sign next to "Display Adapter."

Use the DxDiag Command to View System Information

1. Click "Start," and then click "Run."

2. Type "dxdiag" into the run text field and click "Ok." For Windows Vista, you can type this directly into the search field under the "Start" menu. A diagnostic box will appear with some basic hardware information.

3. Click on the "Display" tab to check information about your video card, the "Sound" tab or tabs to check information about your sound devices, and the "Input" tab to view information about other connected devices such as mouses and keyboards.

Tips & Warnings

• While in the device manager, you can right click on any device and select "Update driver software..." to have Windows attempt to locate and install available driver updates.

• You can right click on any device in the device manager and select "Properties" to view more detailed information about the device.

References

• Microsoft: View your computer information