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Chapter 2. Hardware Information and System Requirements Tables This chapter provides instructions for learning about your hardware and a
system requirements table which will help you keep a record of your
current system settings and requirements.
2.1. Learning About Your Hardware with WindowsIf your computer is already running Windows
9x, you can use the following steps to get
additional configuration information: In Windows, click on the My Computer icon
using the secondary (normally the right) mouse button. A pop-up
menu should appear.
Select Properties. The System
Properties window should appear. Note the information
listed under Computer — in particular the
amount of RAM listed.
Click on the Device Manager tab. You will
then see a graphical representation of your computer's hardware
configuration. Make sure the View devices by
type radio button is selected.
At this point, you can either double-click on the icons or
single-click on the plus sign + to look at each
entry in more detail. Look under the following icons for more
information: Disk drives — the type (IDE or
SCSI) of hard drive will be found here. (IDE drives will
normally include the word "IDE," while SCSI drives will not.)
Hard disk controllers —
information about your hard drive controller.
CDROM — information about any
CD-ROM drives connected to your computer.
 | Note |
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| | In some cases, there may be no CD-ROM
icon, yet your computer has a functioning CD-ROM drive. This is
normal, depending on how Windows was originally installed. In
this case, you may be able to learn additional information by
looking at the CD-ROM driver loaded in your computer's
config.sys file.
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Mouse — the type of mouse
present on your computer.
Display adapters — if you are
interested in running the X Window System, you should write
down the information you find here.
Sound, video and game controllers
— if your computer has sound capabilities, you will find
more information about them here.
Network adapters — information
on your computer's network card (if you have one).
SCSI controllers — if your
computer uses SCSI peripherals, you will find additional
information on the SCSI controller here.
This method is not a complete substitute for opening your computer's
case and physically examining each component. However, in many cases it
can provide sufficient information to continue with the installation.
 | Note |
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| | This information can also be printed by
clicking on the Print button. A second window
will appear, allowing you to choose the printer, as well as the type
of report. The All Devices and System Summary
report type is the most complete.
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If your computer is already running Windows 2000, you can use the
following steps to get additional configuration information: In Windows, click on the My Computer icon
using the secondary (normally the right) mouse button. A pop-up
menu should appear.
Select Properties. The System
Properties window should appear. Note the information
listed under Computer — in particular the
amount of RAM listed.
Click on the Hardware tab. You will
then see your computer's hardware configuration options.
Click on the Device Manager button. You
will then see a graphical representation of your computer's hardware
configuration. Make sure the View devices by
type radio button is selected.
At this point, you can either double-click on the icons or
single-click on the plus sign + to look at each
entry in more detail. Look under the following icons for more
information: Disk drives — the type (IDE or
SCSI) of hard drive will be found here. (IDE drives will
normally include the word "IDE," while SCSI drives will not.)
Hard disk controllers —
information about your hard drive controller.
CDROM — information about any
CD-ROM drives connected to your computer.
Mouse — the type of mouse
present on your computer.
Display adapters — if you are
interested in running the X Window System, you should write
down the information you find here.
Sound, video and game controllers
— if your computer has sound capabilities, you will find
more information about them here.
Network adapters — information
on your computer's network card (if you have one).
SCSI controllers — if your
computer uses SCSI peripherals, you will find additional
information on the SCSI controller here.
This method is not a complete substitute for opening your
computer's case and physically examining each component. However,
in many cases it can provide sufficient information to continue with
the installation.
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