There is a need for all of us to own a system these days. Be it just for checking our mails and keeping in touch with friends or shopping online and making the best of your time, a computer seems like a necessity and less of a luxury these days. But not all of us are computer geeks and troubleshooting seems like a feat we dare not try too!
For all of those who want to own a computer but do not know much about it, here are a few tips that will help you know your system better and hence give it a more friendly touch.
Know what it is made of!
You do not have to fret on reading this! It does not mean you need to know your system in and out, it only means you need to know some basic information about it. Just like each of us is identified by a unique name, the computer too will have a unique identity. This is through the serial number and the model number of the system. This information which seems so trivial can actually help the manufacturers know exactly all the components of your system. There are a few among us who love to add and remove various components into the system. If this be the case, make a note of the model number of the components you add to your system. This information will come handy when you call the help-desk for any computer related services or troubleshooting that you may need to do.
Knowing your computer would also mean that you be aware of the hardware and software installed on the system. If you are no computer geek, you may find this task pretty challenging and hence there are programs like Belarc Advisor which will list this information for you and simplify your job. The most obvious threat when using the Internet is that of viruses that may attack our system and render it useless. Even tasks like updating you with the latest anti-virus softwares and installing all their latest fixes is taken care of by this software program.
Knowing your system configuration is another crucial step. In fact, it is best to save this information so that you can keep it handy when talking to the tech-support people for some query. This can be done in a few steps as follows:
If you have Windows 95/98/ME, here are the step to follow:
1) Click on Start
2) Click the option RUN and type SYSEDIT in the window that appears followed by OK
3) You will now see a list of system files which can be transferred to a floppy and kept safely for later use or you could even choose to print all this information
If you have Windows XP/2000 installed, you will have to follow a different set of steps:
1) Click on Start
2) List all programs and among them, click Accessories
3) Now select System Tools and the System Information to get all information on your system configuration.
If you do not have a Windows, but a Mac, then it is not the system files, but the INIT and CDEV files that you must be bothered about. The Extensions Manager Control Panel is Macs comes with the specific purpose of not just listing these extensions for you, but for turning them on or off too. This feature is specially useful when troubleshooting your system.
If you familiarize yourself and keep this basic information of your system handy, it means you have taken the very first step towards knowing your system and safeguarding it too.
