The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Identify system components

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Nightuser, Oct 9, 2009.

  1. Nightuser

    Nightuser Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Iam about to buy a notebook, how do i look at a detailed configuration of a notebook before buying?
     
    Nightuser, Oct 9, 2009
    #1
  2. BobXX

    BobXX Newbie

    Reputations:
    132
    Messages:
    1,097
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I would recommend posting in the What Notebook Should I Buy? section and letting people suggest models you should look at. It would really help narrow down your choices IMO.
     
    BobXX, Oct 9, 2009
    #2
  3. Nightuser

    Nightuser Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    no i don't need help in choosing a notebook.

    What i need to know is how can i look at detailed system info of a notebook before purchasing it.
     
    Nightuser, Oct 9, 2009
    #3
  4. BobXX

    BobXX Newbie

    Reputations:
    132
    Messages:
    1,097
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    From where? Manufacturer sites all list detailed specs. Otherwise, you can just google the model number and find the specs. elsewhere.
     
    BobXX, Oct 9, 2009
    #4
  5. TabbedOut

    TabbedOut Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    144
    Messages:
    494
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Device manager within windows would tell you, but some stores lock you out of that. You could ask to see a box that it comes in, a lot of the information about the computer (processor, HDD, etc) is found on the side of the box.
     
    TabbedOut, Oct 9, 2009
    #5
  6. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,779
    Messages:
    7,957
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    216
    If you're in a store, I find that you can usually open command prompt.
    So that is one way to access system info.
    I usually just run dxdiag.
     
    moral hazard, Oct 9, 2009
    #6
  7. Nightuser

    Nightuser Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    What if the notebook has freedos installed?

    How to see system info?

    Is there a linux distribution that would help me look at system info?
     
    Nightuser, Oct 9, 2009
    #7
  8. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    828
    Messages:
    2,303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I take it you are buying it used from an individual and want to make sure he or she isn't lying about the specs? Are you sure it only has free-dos installed? That is pretty weird.

    Anyway, run a live Linux CD of your choice and the system information commands are pretty easy to find online.
     
    Trottel, Oct 9, 2009
    #8