I recently got a computer at a yard sale, but it doesn't have a hard drive. I was planning on getting one and installing windows xp on it, and I need to know what hardware the computer has. Like, what kind of video card, sound card, processer, display driver(like, mine has an intel 845g...that kind). But how do I find that out?
2007-09-19 00:34:05 · 8 answers · asked by corvettecraz92 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Open it up and look on the cards that are installed. There is usually a small tag or marker on them by the manufacturer stating who made it and what model it is.
2007-09-19 00:38:27 · answer #1 · answered by Runa 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Since the computer you're talking about doesn't have a hard drive, a software utility to identify the PC's components is out of the question.
Unfortunately you have to get down and dirty and open up the case and identify the components by eye. Usually the parts have labels or part numbers to identify them.
If you can get Windows XP up and running, the easiest way to identify the components is to go to the Control Panel, then System, then Device Manager. Unfortunately if the drivers aren't installed for a particular device, this method won't identify that particular component.
There may be no way around your problem than to just crack open the case, and have a look see at what's inside. Good luck. What you may need to identify for driver purposes is the motherboard, the video card, and the sound card. Hard drives and optical drives, as well as the CPU and memory complement are usually identified by the BIOS upon boot up.
2007-09-19 07:51:35 · answer #2 · answered by ronallan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Open the case and see what's inside.
Or get the hard drive and install XP. Installation process will most likely recognize hardware and install appropriate drivers for them. After installing XP you'll see from Device Manager what devices you have
2007-09-19 07:42:30 · answer #3 · answered by Timo J 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you're not real familiar with computer hardware, a good source to learn about each component inside is to go to YouTube.com and in the search box, type "How to build a computer" or "How to build a computer tutorial". These will show you the different components step by step to make you more familiar with them so that you can easily identify each piece.
Hope this helps!
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2007-09-19 07:56:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it has no Windows to begin with your option is a Linux Live CD, I am myself using one to boot a hard drive-less Pentium 2 for a DivX player, but also it can produce such hardware list.
I recommend Puppy Linux for it has a small utility doing just that shipped within its control panel (kernel stuff).
2007-09-19 07:43:29 · answer #5 · answered by Andy T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since there isn't a hard drive so that you can install software that can assist you with the info the only other way is to take the case off and inspect it yourself
2007-09-19 07:40:04 · answer #6 · answered by techchick 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Still plug it in, and access the bios, this can be done by pressing f12 upon startup, or a similar button, it will usually say in the corner when you first switch it on. There, it usually tells you details of your computer.
2007-09-19 07:43:52 · answer #7 · answered by Doyle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Open it up, read the labels.
2007-09-19 07:38:53 · answer #8 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋