How to find out what Windows is on your computer? Instructions for action! How to find out the version of Windows installed on your computer? How to find the operating system

21.09.2023

Sometimes there is an urgent need to find out the characteristics of your computer. For example, in order to update drivers, upgrade some parts of the system unit, or simply show off to your peers, and in many cases you just need to find out the markings of a particular system component. There are only two ways to do this: and read the markings or check them using software.

The first method, although simple, in most cases may not be available due to a violation of the warranty (if the computer is under warranty). Therefore, let's take a closer look at the second method, how to find out the characteristics of your computer using programs, both built-in operating system tools and additional specialized software.

We look at the characteristics of the computer using the operating system

1. In order to find out the three main system parameters, just go to the “My Computer” tab in the “Start” menu. To do this, you need to hover the cursor over it and right-click on it; in the list that opens, select “Properties”.

This can also be done in one more way: from the “Control Panel” tab, select “System”. In the window that opens below, you can view the same parameters.

2. You can find out what equipment is installed on your computer, but without detailed characteristics, through the “Device Manager”.

To launch it, you can simply type the key combination “Win+Pause”. In Windows 7, in the window that opens, you will need to select the “Device Manager” tab. Now we can see what devices are installed on your computer and their names, for example, processor type and frequency, video card, sound card, network adapters, disks, etc. The Device Manager in XP can be launched using the key combination “Win+Pause” “, then at the top you need to click on the “Equipment” tab, and already launch “Device Manager” in it.

3. This method involves using the integrated “System Information” software. To launch it, you need to click on the “All Programs” drop-down list in the “Start” menu, then “Accessories”, open the “Utilities” tab and launch the “System Information” utility there. You can also do this faster by pressing the Win+R key combination. The program launch window will open. In the “Open” line you need to type “msinfo32.exe”. This is the same utility, only launched through the console.

Using this built-in software, you can obtain basic information about the system and components. But this utility is quite inconvenient due to the complexity of the branches of transitions along the tree. This software can be used in the absence of other software that is easier to understand and read.

4. You can also view system characteristics through the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. This utility is used mainly for testing both video and audio cards. The utility window displays general information about the system and, more specifically, about the video card.

5. You can find out the characteristics of your computer from the BIOS. To do this, when booting the computer, you must press the F1, F2, Del or Esc key. It all depends on the version of the BIOS itself. Further, some knowledge of English is required.

Programs for viewing computer characteristics

For more detailed system performance diagnostics, you can use special programs. For example, AIDA64, ASTRA32, PC-Wizard programs are excellent software both for diagnostics and for testing all components separately.

To begin with, let's say that the AIDA64 (formerly Everest) application belongs to the paid category. However, it is possible to take advantage of the free 30-day period provided by the developers so that the user can familiarize himself with the capabilities of the program. This is quite enough for us. In our case, we will use the AIDA64 Extreme Edition to familiarize ourselves with the basic parameters of the computer. There is, of course, a business version of this application, but for our purposes the Extreme version will suffice. This application must be downloaded from the developer's website (www.aida64.com) and installed on your computer.

AIDA is very simple and easy to use. The main application window is divided into two parts: the left side displays a tree of the main subsystems of the computer, and the right side displays detailed information about the subsystem selected on the left side. To view summary information on your computer, just expand the “Computer” section, and then select the “Summary Information” subsection.

Selecting this subsection will allow you to find out all the characteristics of your computer: the type of computer, information on the installed operating environment, information about the system board, available partitions, network, peripheral devices, etc.

You can view data on your computer's central processor by selecting the "CPU" subsection in the root "System Board" section. The right side of the application will display the parameters of all processors installed on the PC. This data will tell you about the type of processor installed, its model, clock speed, supported instructions, cache of different levels. You can also find information about the load on the microprocessor cores. If you need more detailed information about the functions supported by the system microprocessor, then feel free to click the “CPUID” subsection.

If you move a little further in your selection and select the “Motherboard” section, then detailed information on the motherboard will be displayed in the main application window. For a desktop PC, AIDA64 will display the properties of the board with its name, the properties of the system bus with its real and effective frequencies. Data on the properties of the memory bus with its width, frequencies, and bandwidth will also be demonstrated. Equally important technical information on the physical parameters of the board: supported CPU socket, installed connectors for expansion cards, the number of slots for RAM sticks, as well as the type of sticks themselves and the type of supported memory. In the same section, the application will show data about the form factor of the motherboard, its physical dimensions and the chipset.

Selecting the “Memory” subsection in the “Motherboard” section will display summary information about the computer’s RAM. Here you can find out information about the RAM and virtual memory available in the system: how much has already been used and how much is currently available for use by the system and applications. Also, this section shows the path to the system swap file.

You can easily find out about the properties of installed RAM modules by clicking the “SPD” subsection. This action will allow the application to show all memory modules installed on the PC, which are displayed at the top of the main window area. Selecting one of the displayed modules will allow you to obtain data that is shown in the lower part of the main area of the program window. By default, when you go to the “SPD” subsection, this part displays the data of the first module displayed in the list. Here you can find the following data about the properties of the module: its type, the amount of memory it provides, the type of this memory, its speed. Also, the width and voltage of the module, timing characteristics and functions supported by it are displayed here.

Video card

In order to view data on the characteristics of the video adapter, you need to go to the root section “Display”. Among its subsections you need to find “Graphics Processor”. Selecting this subsection will allow you to display data about the video adapter installed on the PC in the main area of the program. Among them is information about the type of video chip, its BIOS version, the memory of the graphics card (volume, frequency, type), some characteristics of the graphics processor (frequency, technical process).

The “Monitor” subsection of the same root partition will allow the user to become familiar with the main characteristics of the system monitor. These include model, resolution, aspect ratio, vertical and horizontal scan.

AIDA64 allows you to get a wide range of information about your computer's hard drives. To view information about the HDD, click on the “Windows Data Storage” subsection of the root “Data Storage” section. At the top of the main area of the application window, a list of all devices that are associated with data storage will be displayed. The hard drives will be displayed first, and information about the characteristics of the hard drive designated first in the list of devices will be displayed at the bottom of the main area of the window. Among the most useful characteristics: hard drive form factor, spindle rotation speed, read/write speed, etc.

Sensor data

It is necessary not only to be able to view data about the system, but also to analyze the current information provided about the system by its sensors. Data on sensors can be found by going to the “Sensors” subsection of the “Computer” section in the general subsystem tree.

The main sensor information window displays data on the temperature of the microprocessor, as well as its cores. The “CPU” designation shows the temperature of the processor under its cover. Traditionally, this indicator is lower than the temperature indicators of the processor cores, displayed as: “CPU1”, “CPU2”. This is due to the fact that the cover is in direct contact with the heat sink of the heat sink unit. Do not be afraid of the high parameters of the “AUX” indicator, since it means practically nothing. If its values never change, then it is not used by the system. The GPU Diode sensor shows the temperature on the GPU.

Using the ASTRA32 program you can also find out the characteristics of your computer. Like the previous program, ASTRA32 is paid, but the demo version is enough for us. Its interface is similar to AIDA64, also so simple and clear. Download the program from the official website: www.astra32.com and install. By clicking on the link you will see two versions - one for regular installation, and the other is portable, that is, it does not require installation. I will use the second version of the program.

I run the program file astra32.exe as administrator.

In the window that opens, all information about my computer is immediately displayed (the “General Information” tab), namely:

what processor is installed, its operating frequency, cache levels;
brief information about the motherboard;
information about RAM;
what disks are installed and their capacity;
information about the video card and sound card;
information about the operating system, etc.

You can stop there, but for those who want to study the components of their computer in detail, you can select the appropriate section in the left column and study the data that is displayed in the right column.

For example, you need to find out more detailed information about the processor: what Socket it has, how many cores, what power consumption, dimensions, etc. Go to the “Processor” tab and then “CPU”. In the Right window we look at detailed information about the processor.

Finally we come to free programs. PC-Wizard is one of the best utilities for determining the characteristics, configuration and testing of a computer. It can be downloaded by following the link - http://www.cpuid.com.

The program interface is similar to the previously discussed utilities. The only difference is that instead of boring lists, icons are displayed in the right column, and there are also tips for almost every action.

OC is an acronym for operating system, which is software that instructs the computer on how to run a queue of tasks. The OS manages the computer components and all peripherals, launches and executes programs, manages tasks and resources, and provides the user with an interface for working with the computer.

The number of existing operating systems reaches several dozen, if we take into account computer and mobile OS releases.

Let's find out what operating system is installed on your device: computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet.

Windows

Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016- Open the menu Start, enter About the computer. In the window that opens Options find the line Release, in which your version and edition of Windows is written below.
For Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2 move your mouse to the bottom right corner of the screen, then up, click Options and then select Change computer settings. Click Computer and devices and select Computer information. In chapter Windows
Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012- Open the menu Start, enter Computer, press and hold a key or right-click on Computer, and then select Properties. In chapter Windows Find your version and edition of Windows.
Windows 7 And Windows Server 2008 R2 - Click Start, right-click on Computer, select item Properties. In the window About Windows Check the version and edition of Windows OS installed on your computer.
Windows Vista And Windows Server 2008- Click Start, Select Control Panel -> System and service -> System.

For all the above options, you can try pressing the button Start and then enter the command WINVER and select in the search results winver.exe.

Windows XP And Windows Server 2003- Click Start -> Execute, enter WINVER and then click the button OK. Alternatively, you can try entering msinfo32 or sysdm.cpl, as an additional option. Finally, you can try entering DXDIAG. In this case, Windows may prompt you to check your drivers, click the button No.
Windows 95/98/ME- Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel. Next double click System select tab Are common. Find the version number under the system title. To more accurately determine the version of Windows installed, follow the link.
Windows CE- Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel, select applet System. If it doesn't work, check the system version on the tab Are common.

Using exactly the same methods, you can find out the bitness of the Windows operating system: 32-bit or 64-bit.

Macintosh

OS X (Mac OS X)- Select menu button Apple at the top of the screen, then click About this Mac. To find out if your installed version of Mac OS X is up to date or if it is possible to update to the latest OS, please visit the following link.
iOS (iPhoneOS)- on your iPhone select Settings -> Basic -> About this device. In chapter Version the current version of the iOS operating system is specified.

Linux

Launch a terminal (command line on Linux), enter username -a and press Enter. The output will contain the kernel version. You can try entering in the terminal lsb_release -a or cat /etc/lsb-release or cat /proc/version if you have Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora or Alt Linux installed.

FreeBSD / NetBSD / OpenBSD / DragonFlyBSD

username -a. The command will tell you the version (release) and type of BSD system installed.

Android smartphone

Open Main screen. To do this, click on the button home or button back(repeatedly). Then open the screen Applications. Find the icon Settings. Scroll to the end of the list and then tap About the phone. Look for the lines that will say firmware version or Android version.

Blackberry (RIM OS)

Go to menu Settings and select About the phone. In the first line you will see the model of your BlackBerry smartphone, in the third line - the firmware version.

Solaris (SunOS)

Open a terminal (command prompt on Linux) and type username -a. The command will tell you the version (release) and type of BSD system installed. For a large amount of information (on new Solaris machines) enter showrev -a.

AIX

Open a terminal (command prompt on Linux) and type oslevel -r or Username -a or lslpp -h bos.rte.

iOS (Cisco)

On the command line in mode enable enter show version.

XOS (Extreme Networks)

show version.

IronWare OS (Foundry)

At a command prompt with administrator privileges, enter show version.

If you don’t want to deal with the intricacies of the listed methods in order to find out the version of the operating system, then simply go to the article in which I talked about several useful resources on the Internet, including those that help you find out what operating system you have installed.

Competition among manufacturers of both computers and smartphones and tablets has led to the market being overcrowded with a huge number of applications that are not compatible with a particular device. As a rule, the compatibility criterion is the operating system installed on it. In this article we will try to find out what operating systems there are and how to find out which operating system you have installed.

How to find out your computer's operating system

In Russia, most computers run the Windows operating system. If, when working with a computer, you see a button with a four-color flag and/or Start in the lower left corner, then this is the brainchild of Microsoft. If you are interested in how to find out what operating system is installed and how to find out the bitness of the operating system, then right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “properties”. In the window that appears, you will see all the information you are interested in. The same window will appear if you click on "System" in the Control Panel.

If there is no Start button, and the taskbar is at the top, and instead of a checkbox there is an apple, then most likely you have an Apple computer with MacOS installed. To find out the version of the operating system, click on the apple in the upper left corner and select "About This Computer". A window will appear with the product version and the characteristics of your computer.

If neither option suits you, then most likely you have Linux installed, which has various shells that simulate both Windows and MacOS. Go to the console and type the command “cat /etc/issue” there, after which you will find out the answer.

How to find out the operating system of a smartphone/tablet

Before we find out the operating system of your device, let's first figure out who its manufacturer is. If you have an iPhone or iPad, then you have one of the versions of iOS (this, of course, does not apply to Chinese crafts like CiPhone with a built-in TV). To find out which operating system is installed, go to “settings - general - about device”, or go to iTunes, where you can also see the OS version.

If you have a Nokia smartphone, then most likely it has Symbian OS installed, the version of which can be found out from the description of the characteristics of your smartphone in the documentation or on the seller/manufacturer’s website. The version will also be displayed when you connect your smartphone to your computer via Nokia Suite.

Many manufacturers, including Nokia, install mobile versions of Windows on devices. It can also be identified by the famous colored flag. You can find out the specific version from “settings - more details - about the device”.

One of the most popular mobile OS is Android. If the above options do not suit you, then most likely you have this particular OS. To find out its version, go to settings and select "Information about phone (tablet)". The line "Android Version" will contain the value you are interested in.

Which is installed on the computer, can arise in a variety of situations. For example, in most cases, in order to download, you must first specify your version of Windows.

If you find yourself in a similar situation and don’t know your version of Windows, then this article should help you. We offer you several ways to find out which Windows is on your computer.

Method number 1. Computer properties.

If there is one on your desktop (namely an icon, not a shortcut), then you can find out which Windows is on your computer using it. To do this, right-click on this icon and select the “Properties” menu item.

After this, a window will open with information about your computer. The Windows version will be indicated here, as well as basic information about the computer (processor name, amount of RAM).

There is also information about the bitness of your operating system. Almost at the very bottom of the window, opposite the “System type” item.

It should be noted that if you do not have a computer icon on your desktop, then you can call up this window using the Windows key combination + Pause/Break.

Method number 2. WinVer command.

The second way to find out which Windows is on your computer is the WinVer command. Press the Windows + R key combination and enter the WinVer command in the menu that appears.

After this, a window will appear on the screen with basic information about your operating system. Here you can find out which Windows is installed on your computer, as well as its version and build number.

Method number 3. Systeminfo command.

Another useful command that will allow you to find out which Windows is installed on your computer is the systeminfo command. To use this command, type systeminfo and press enter. After this, basic information about your computer will appear on the screen. Among this information you will be able to find your Windows version.

You can also execute this command in another way. To do this, press the Windows + R key combination and enter cmd /k systeminfo in the window that opens.

In this case, the Command Prompt will be launched first, and only then the systeminfo command will be executed in it.

Method number 4. System Information window.

The last method we'll look at is the System Information window. To open this window, press the Windows + R key combination and enter the command msinfo32 in the window that appears.

After this, the “System Information” window will open in front of you, in which you can find out which Windows is installed on your computer. Finding this information will be easy because it will immediately appear before your eyes.

If you have any difficulties executing the msinfo32 command, you can open this window by searching in the Start menu. To do this, simply enter “System information” into the search and open the found program.

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