Most owners of computers or laptops are wondering about viewing the main characteristics of their system, maybe out of pure interest, and sometimes to find out the parameters in order to replace one or another component. But it also happens that the user does not know where the properties of the computer as such can be found for viewing. There are several ways to access this information.

How to view computer properties in the simplest way?

First of all, let's consider the simplest method of viewing the information of interest to the user, which is used in all Windows systems without exception.

So, for example, the properties of the computer (Windows 7 on board or any other OS) can be found in the right-click menu on the My Computer icon (in Windows 10 - This Computer), where the property line is selected. Only minimal information is shown here, including the type of processor (manufacturer, number of cores, clock speed), size of RAM, model of the system unit or laptop, and type of operating system (version, bit depth).

Similar actions in the "Control Panel"

Exactly the same actions can be performed if you go, so to speak, in a roundabout way. In the standard "Control Panel", called from the "Start" menu or by the control command from the "Run" console, you can find the corresponding link.

The section is called "System". When clicking on this link, the user enters the same window that was called in the previous case.

computer: "Device Manager"

However, this was only basic information. In order to find out the properties of the computer in terms of installed hardware and software components, and even view information about installed device drivers, you should use the so-called "Device Manager", in which you can even troubleshoot if some component does not work, reinstall drivers, etc.

This section can be accessed from the same "Control Panel", in the administration section, which is located in the right-click submenu on the computer icon, or enter the devmgmt.msc command in the "Run" menu bar. Here you can already see all devices and software components that are initially sorted by type. The sorting type can be changed in the corresponding menu on the main panel at the top.

But there is one caveat. The fact is that not all devices are displayed in the list. In order to see hidden components, you need to use the corresponding line in the view menu.

Each device has its own sub-menu, from which you can select a property line, and then access driver information, enable or disable the device, remove or update drivers, and so on. This section is convenient because you can immediately identify devices with problems - they are marked with a yellow marker. The properties section will provide a brief description of the problem.

System Information

Another method to view the properties of a computer is to use advanced system information. In previous versions of Windows, it could be found under the name System Information. In later modifications, the easiest way to access is to use the msinfo32 command entered in the Run console.

There is already much more information here (there is even information about the BIOS version and other related components). Information about driver files and their location is also more widely presented. In the section itself, there are three main categories: hardware, components (devices) and software environment. In the component category, you can find a special section of devices with problems, where all problematic devices will be displayed.

DirectX Dialog

There is also an unfamiliar or simply forgotten method for many that allows you not only to view the properties of the computer, but also to make a complete diagnosis of some components. This is the so-called DirectX dialog.

It is impossible to call it in standard ways, using the "Control Panel" or accessing other sections of system information for this. You will have to enter the dxdiag command in the Run menu. This section mainly presents the characteristics related to multimedia, excluding the basic parameters of the computer system.

As mentioned above, here you can diagnose some components. For example, on the monitor properties tab, there are characteristics of the video chip and the state of support for the components of the DirectX bridge itself. But you can easily test Direct3D, DirectDraw support, AGP acceleration, ffdshow usage variations, etc.

How to find out non-displayed characteristics?

It turns out that Windows systems are inherently limited in their capabilities. After all, the properties of the computer, which can be viewed using the system tools, are not able to show the user the same processor temperature, fan (cooler) rotation speed, and a number of other hidden parameters.

In this case, to get to them, you should use special programs like Everest, CPU-Z, GPU-Z, CoreTemp, SpeedFan, etc. Some of them provide information on the hardware, including the characteristics of the motherboard with the display of the names of the equipment manufacturers, and its main parameters. Others have a narrow focus and are able to determine temperature indicators. Finally, most of these utilities can also be used to test hardware, and even to overclock a processor or video card, which is what overlockers, who prefer software rather than physical methods, actually do.