This chapter provides instructions for learning about your hardware and a
system requirements table which will help you keep a record of your
current system settings and requirements.
If your computer is already running Windows
9x, you can use the following steps to get
additional configuration information:
In Windows, click on the My Computer icon
using the secondary (normally the right) mouse button. A pop-up
menu should appear.
Select Properties. The System
Properties window should appear. Note the information
listed under Computer — in particular the
amount of RAM listed.
Click on the Device Manager tab. You will
then see a graphical representation of your computer's hardware
configuration. Make sure the View devices by
type radio button is selected.
At this point, you can either double-click on the icons or
single-click on the plus sign + to look at each
entry in more detail. Look under the following icons for more
information:
Disk drives — the type (IDE or
SCSI) of hard drive will be found here. (IDE drives will
normally include the word "IDE," while SCSI drives will not.)
Hard disk controllers —
information about your hard drive controller.
CDROM — information about any
CD-ROM drives connected to your computer.
 | Note |
|---|
| | In some cases, there may be no CD-ROM
icon, yet your computer has a functioning CD-ROM drive. This is
normal, depending on how Windows was originally installed. In
this case, you may be able to learn additional information by
looking at the CD-ROM driver loaded in your computer's
config.sys file.
|
Mouse — the type of mouse
present on your computer.
Display adapters — if you are
interested in running the X Window System, you should write
down the information you find here.
Sound, video and game controllers
— if your computer has sound capabilities, you will find
more information about them here.
Network adapters — information
on your computer's network card (if you have one).
SCSI controllers — if your
computer uses SCSI peripherals, you will find additional
information on the SCSI controller here.
This method is not a complete substitute for opening your computer's
case and physically examining each component. However, in many cases it
can provide sufficient information to continue with the installation.
| Note |
|---|
| | This information can also be printed by
clicking on the Print button. A second window
will appear, allowing you to choose the printer, as well as the type
of report. The All Devices and System Summary
report type is the most complete.
|
If your computer is already running Windows 2000, you can use the
following steps to get additional configuration information:
In Windows, click on the My Computer icon
using the secondary (normally the right) mouse button. A pop-up
menu should appear.
Select Properties. The System
Properties window should appear. Note the information
listed under Computer — in particular the
amount of RAM listed.
Click on the Hardware tab. You will
then see your computer's hardware configuration options.
Click on the Device Manager tab. You will
then see a graphical representation of your computer's hardware
configuration. Make sure the View devices by
type radio button is selected.
At this point, you can either double-click on the icons or
single-click on the plus sign + to look at each
entry in more detail. Look under the following icons for more
information:
Disk drives — the type (IDE or
SCSI) of hard drive will be found here. (IDE drives will
normally include the word "IDE," while SCSI drives will not.)
Hard disk controllers —
information about your hard drive controller.
CDROM — information about any
CD-ROM drives connected to your computer.
Mouse — the type of mouse
present on your computer.
Display adapters — if you are
interested in running the X Window System, you should write
down the information you find here.
Sound, video and game controllers
— if your computer has sound capabilities, you will find
more information about them here.
Network adapters — information
on your computer's network card (if you have one).
SCSI controllers — if your
computer uses SCSI peripherals, you will find additional
information on the SCSI controller here.
This method is not a complete substitute for opening your
computer's case and physically examining each component. However,
in many cases it can provide sufficient information to continue with
the installation.
