Question Regarding Kodo's Post: "TIPS TO USE WHEN ASKING FOR SUPPORT"

[LCH]

Not being familiar with "computerese", I do not know what all of these specs mean. How do I find out what my own computer's specs are? I would like to add them to my signature if I can figure out what they are! TIA.

Kodo's Example:

Kodo's Specs:
WindowsXP
AMD 1800+
384MB DDR
40G Western Digital Hard Drive
Toshiba DVD
Lite on 24x.10x40 CDRW
EPOX 8k7a motherboard
Hercules GTXP
3com 3xp NIC 10/100
Hercules GeForce2 Ultra 64MB

[acejones]

Download and install Aida32 from http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=181&cat=9
it will tell you anything you need to know about your computer.

[LCH]

I downloaded Aida32, as instructed but when I tried to install it, I got a window that said, "Open With....Click the program you want to use to open the file aida32pe_350zip". Then there was a list of programs to choose from, but I don't know which one to use for this - if any.

Where should I go from here?

[goldfish]

oh dear!

you need to download winxip.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=525
or winrar
http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=524

most things are in zip format these days, its an essential part of downloading stuff from the internet!

You should be able to open any zip file then

[Major Attitude]

Also, the System Info category at MajorGeeks http://www.majorgeeks.com/showfiles.php?cat=9&sort=5 has many system info tools that do tell you whats inside and quite a few freeware ones, but Aida is good. .zip files need a program to open them, as mentioned above. Often, many files are .exe and execute by double clicking them.

Thats a good question, perhaps ill amend Kodos post to have this information in it. Thanks!

[LCH]

When I saw the "open with" window, I inadvertantly clicked on one of the programs while intending to close that window. Now Aida32 is glued to a program that won't open it and I don't know what to do to reverse this situation! (I'm not even sure which program I clicked - I only know that the mouse slipped from the place I was pointing to and selected something so fast that I couldn't stop it!) Now, when I click on the Aida32 icon, nothing happens at all!

Is there a way to uninstall this program and reinstall it from scratch? I tried downloading it again, but the new download only reattached itself to this accidental program. Bummer!

[Kodo]

hold the left shift button down and right click on the AIDA.ZIP file .. choose open with .. then choose the zip program that you downloaded and INSTALLED from the list of programs and check the box on the bottom left that says to associate files of this type with the selected program. then hit ok or apply etc. then try to open AIDA.

[LCH]

Thanks for all your help. I installed winzip and successfully opened AIDA32.

Unfortunately, I did not have a clue about what the results meant and I have the feeling that I'n in WAAAY over my head! I don't know if any of the information displayed in the AIDA report coresponds to the things listed in Kodo's example, but I am not finding my way through this. It seems that the deeper I get the murkier it all seems.:

I will try one of the other System Info downloads that Major Attitude suggested. Maybe one of those will make sense to me!

Thanks anyway to all of you for trying to help me. I will keep slugging my through the confusion and perhaps at last I will see some light at the end of the tunnel.

[Major Attitude]

Look for a small, free one thats more basic, Aida is a bit more advanced.

Belarc Advisor is popular:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=1385&cat=9

A newer one I added called System Info might work nicely for you:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=3773&cat=9

[Draith]

hey LCH, maybe this'll help you out some. I'll try and give you a brief explanation of each of the specs given out in your posting, if you're still not clear on something, please ask:

WindowsXP
This is the operating system on the computer

AMD 1800+
This is the processor of the computer - aka the cpu or computer chip.

384MB DDR
This is the amount of RAM on the computer, in addition to the type of RAM.

40G Western Digital Hard Drive
The Harddrive - how much space it has and the manufacturer of the harddrive.

Toshiba DVD
The DVD drive manufacturer

Lite on 24x.10x40 CDRW
The CD drive in the computer with manufacturer, speeds (24x. 10x40) and the type of CD's the drive can "burn" RW

EPOX 8k7a motherboard
This is the motherboard that the computer uses and manufacturer (essentially the main component of the computer)

Hercules GTXP
No clue what this is...Kodo?

3com 3xp NIC 10/100
This looks like an ethernet card, 3com is the manufacturer, 10/100 refers to transfer speeds (10megabits per second/ 100 mbits per second)

Hercules GeForce2 Ultra 64MB
This looks like the graphics card on the computer.

Heh, apparently I need to brush up on my computerese as well. I'm willing to bet that whatever I got wrong on this list will be cleared up by people in the know. I hope i wasn't speaking in a computerese you couldn't understand, but please say so if I was.

ciao!
o Draith

[Major Attitude]

Draith,
Nice bit of help there, thanks. I didnt think to do that. The Hercules in question (Hercules GTXP) is a Hercules Game Theater XP, a sound card.

[LCH]

Draith! That's exactly what I needed! A GLOSSERY! :D Thanx a bunch! That clears up a lot.

[LCH]

OK, guys. I did a little research and came up with some information. Is this the kind of thing that you all are looking for? I couldn't get specs to match KODO'S exactly, but this comes pretty close:

HP 6644D Computer
Operating System - Windows 98
Base Processor and Speed - Intel Celeron 600 MHz processor
RAM - 64 MB SDRAM standard
Hard Drive - 15 GB
CDRW Drive: Speed - Write: 4x, Rewrite: 2x, Read: 24x

Motherboard and Manufacturer ?????? Still Unknown (I suppose the manufacturer is HP)

Network interface card - HP 10/100 BaseT LAN Adapter (Ethernet)

Thanks, ROBO for the website suggestion. That was a simple solution, and the page I found listed every minute detail of our computer, including the specialized componenets that were built in as part of corporate deal with my husband's company! There was far more info than I have listed here, but I only tried to match KODO's list.

[acejones]

those are your system specifications. the only thing that seems missing would be a sound card.

[dalic]

prolly onboard

[acejones]

thats what I was thinking

[LCH]

Thanx for the encouragement, ROBO. I've had this computer for almost three years and always had the feeling that "it" is "the boss"! : But the last few days have been kind of fun with swell people like you pointing the way. For the first time, I am having a small sense of being in control. Maybe if I hang out here for awhile, I'll really be a geek! :D