The Msinfo32.exe System Information tool
The System Information tool Msinfo32.exe that is included with Windows XP will gather information about your computer, to diagnose issues with your computer, or to access other tools that are included with Windows XP. To start Microsoft System Information, use either of the following methods: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information or you can Click Start, click Run, type msinfo32.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
The information that is displayed in System Information is divided into the following five categories:
Hardware Resources The Hardware Resources category displays hardware-specific settings, such as assigned, or used interrupt requests (IRQs), input/output (I/O) addresses, and memory addresses. The following list provides the sub-categories that are included in the Hardware Resources category.
Components The Components category displays information about your Windows XP system configuration. This includes the status of your device drivers, network components, and multimedia software. There is also a comprehensive driver history, and a summary of devices that may not be working correctly. The following list provides the sub-categories that are included in the Components category.
Software Environment The Software Environment category displays the software loaded in your computer’s memory.
Lists network adapter, client, and protocol information. Network protocol information is now presented in much greater detail than in Microsoft Windows 98. The new presentation of network protocols includes much more granular configuration information on the protocol, related to how it operates on the network.
Lists information about hard disks, floppy drives, removable media, and controllers. Each drive is presented with information including drive letter, total size, free space, file system, compression status, drive type, and volume letter.
The System Summary category provides a general profile of your computer. This information includes: The version of Windows, OEM System Information (manufacturer, model, and type), The type of central processing unit (CPU), The amount of memory and system resources, BIOS version, Locale, Time zone, User name in the format DOMAINNAME\USERNAME (only present if the computer is configured to log into a domain), Boot device (if multiple devices are present on the computer) and The path to the Page file.