Second Article
Just What Makes Your Computer Tick?
Maybe you want to upgrade your system and you’re
spending the weekend trying to make it work. Or perhaps, your system is
acting strangely and you are pulling your hair out trying to figure out
what to do. Regardless of the reason, it’s important to know how your
computer works in order to do anything with it, especially in a
technical manner.
Know your system
One of the first things you’ll want to know is what OS
(operating system) you are using. Most new PCs ship with Windows XP Home
Edition. You will still find Windows 98 and Me on many recent models.
It’s important to know the exact OS version number so you can upgrade
correctly, or deal with bug issues. You definitely would not want to try
to install an older version as an upgrade if you already have an older
version on your computer.
You can find the OS and the exact version by clicking
Start, Settings, Control Panel, and opening the System icon on the
control panel. This will bring up a window giving you the specific
version of the OS and the registration information, as well as the
equipment manufacturer, the model, and the amount of RAM installed.
How about those peripherals
The Device Manager tab in the System Properties window
gives you information about the types of installed peripheral devices
including modems, CD-ROM drives, network cards, etc. In addition to the
basic information, the Device Manager tab has an icon for each device
attached to your computer. Clicking the icon brings up a window that
tells you the specifics of the device and whether it is working properly
or not.
Finally, the Performance Tab under System Properties
lets you know how much memory you have available and lets the advanced
user make manual adjustments to the Graphics Display, Virtual Memory,
and File Systems. If you decide to try these types of adjustments, make
sure you have saved the information about the settings.
Using the System Information utility
If you want to see more than what the System Properties
will show, use the System Information utility. Accessed by clicking
Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Information, this
program gives you the complete details for all the settings of your
hardware and software.
It is important to know these settings exist, because
the information may be needed when you’re placing a call for technical
support.
Those do-it-yourselfer's who like to take things apart
to see what makes them work will want to print out the settings in these
files, as well as the information in the BIOS (Basic Input/ Output
System) so that they’ll be available to restore these settings later.
Just choose System Information, then click File and Print. It’s a good
idea to have this information printed and stored away in case you have a
major crash and need to reinstall everything on your system.
Know your BIOS
The BIOS might be described as your computer’s central
nervous system. It’s what makes your computer run. Working as the
middleman between the OS and the application programs, the BIOS
translates program commands into a common format and sends the commands
to the computer’s peripherals through the motherboard. It also detects
errors and reports them to the user. For example, when an error message
tells you your printer is not ready, the computer’s BIOS is working.
When the computer starts, you’ll usually see the
reference and version of the BIOS that is running. The system will then
proceed to detect installed devices and start them up. The computer will
also run through a boot (startup) sequence, checking all input devices
for boot information to determine what commands to follow as it is
starting.
The BIOS resides on a chip that’s either plugged
directly into the computer’s motherboard as part of a card or integrated
with the motherboard. Certain installed devices, including advanced or
specialized sound and graphics cards, have their own BIOS, which enables
the devices to initialize RAM on their own.
The BIOS controls the computer’s clock and the boot
order of the drives and peripherals. If for any reason the computer
needs to be reset, you'll need to have the BIOS information to bring it
back to life. For most computers, you can assess the BIOS by hitting the
F2, ESC, or combination CTRL, ALT, and ENTER keys, depending on the type
of BIOS the computer uses.
Before you start tinkering with your BIOS settings, a
few words of caution are in order. First, you should write down the
information that appears on the screen. Keep it with the printout of the
System Information utility information. Store the printouts someplace
where you’ll be able to find them when you need to. Second, many of the
changes that you might contemplate making to your BIOS can instead be
made through the system control panel GUI (Graphical User Interface)
that Windows provides. For example, the system date can be changed at
the control panel, and using the Windows control panel means that you
will not be as likely to change something inadvertently and not realize
it.
However, there may be times when it is appropriate to
work directly in the BIOS interface. If you intend to completely wipe
out your main disk drive and install another OS, such as Linux, you may
need to reconfigure your BIOS information in order to get the system to
load the new OS.
The BIOS chip needs an electric current constantly
running through it in order to maintain its data settings. A battery
supplies the current when the computer is idle, and if the battery dies,
the current is interrupted and data is lost. You can install a new
battery, but you’ll then need to reset the BIOS manually.
The information here is only the beginning of what is
presented about the BIOS. Whole books have been written on each of these
topics. If you need additional information you can look in the
computer's owner's manual, or if you don't have a manual for your
computer, you can access the manufacturer’s Web site will usually have
downloadable manuals. Internet search engines such as Yahoo, Google,
AltaVista, HotBot, will return hundreds of Web sites with information on
OSes, the BIOS, and more. Just point your browser to www.google.com, type in BIOS, and see what
happens.
**************
Harry is a
freelance writer. His credits include articles for Internet Day,
WebProNews, L-Advertising, and more. He also published a computer repair
and copywriting book. Go to
www.writeformedia.com for samples.
Web Sm@rts is a publication of Paradigm Web Design. All
rights reserved. ©2004
am a man who loves his job. Even during my sleep, visions of code dance in my head. I've also dreamed up some of my best designs during sleep.
he point I'm trying to make here is that you should always give your body it's proper rest. Your body as well as your mind needs time to generate and perform essential maintenance each day.
ith any luck you'll also be able to sleep during your prime time, so to speak. My internal clock is set opposite of most of the "normal" world. It simply doesn't work for me to be up and about in the morning. I detest mornings. In the brick and mortar world, I always worked the grave yard shift whenever possible because that when I function best. I hope you can do the same.
