System Information collects your system configuration information and displays it in a very clean and neat package.  This information is very helpful when troubleshooting configuration problems you may be having.  The main window is organized into three categories: Resources, Components and Software Environment. 

The Resources view is useful when checking DMA, IRQs, I/O addresses, and memory addresses.  The Conflicts/Sharing view can be used to identify problems that you may be having with your devices.  This view will show you what resources your devices are using and any that are conflicting or trying to use the same resources of another device.  There is also a section that will show you which item are using forced resources instead of the resources that Windows and your system would like them to use.  Sometimes it is necessary to force items to use a particular resource but for the most part, it is best to let them use the resources that they want to use to avoid conflicts. 

The Components view shows you information about your Windows configuration. This is where you would look to find the status of the files that run the hardware in your system.  There is also area that will show you the changes that have been made to your hardware drivers over time.  You can get a quick overview of the files that your devices are using as well as the dates and versions. 

The Software Environment view gives you a quick look at the software that is loaded in computer memory.  This can be useful to see if a program is running or to check version information.  It very informative to look at the process that are running and to look at the description of what that file is for.  You can never know enough about you software. 

The Tools menu lists twelve other tools that can be very helpful in diagnosing problems that you may be having with your system.  There is the Internet Explorer Repair Tool, DirectX Diagnostic Tool, Windows Report Tool, Update Wizard Uninstall, System File Checker, Signature Verification Tool, Registry Checker, Automatic Skip Driver Agent, Dr. Watson, System Configuration Utility, Scandisk and Version Conflict Manager.  I will give you a little information on a few of these that have the most use in resolving the majority of the problems that are encountered in our everyday lives. 

The DirectX Diagnostic Tool give information about the Microsoft DirectX application programming interface (API) components and drivers on your system and lets you test sound and graphics output.  The first thing you need to do if you are having problems with sound or graphics is to go to the Windows update page and get the latest version of DirectX that is available.  That would be version 7 at the time of this article.  If you are still having problems then this is where you would go to try to track down what the problem is. 

The System File Checker is a program that can be run without going into the System Information program.  You would click on the Start button and then Run and type in sfc to start the program.  This is one of the most useful tools that is available to fix problems with Windows 98.  Three settings need to be changed from the default. Click on the Settings button and then change the backup option to Always back up before restoring.  The two options at the bottom need to be checked.  I like to check if there are files that have been changed and deleted.  This program will check all of the main system files against a default file from when Windows was installed.  It will then give you the date, size and Version information of the current file and the file that was previously listed in the default file.  You the have the option to Update the verification information, Restore the file to the previous version, or ignore the error.  Usually you will want to update the verification information because the current file will have a newer date and version number.  Sometimes you will need to restore the original file because the current file is older that the previous one.  If you need to restore the file you can browse to the location of your installation files in the Windows\options\cabs folder or if you have upgraded to Windows 98 then the CDROM drive with your copy of Windows 98 Upgrade in it.  There will be some of the files that will have an earlier date but a newer version.  Most of these I have found to confuse me so I will try to use my judgment on these.  If the dates are close the use the version information as your guide.  If the current file is dated in 1995 or 1996 then you will probably be all right if you restore the file.  If you cannot come to a definitive conclusion then Ignore is the option that you should take. 

The System Configuration Utility is the last program that we will discuss this month.  This program can also be run from the Start, Run and type in msconfig.  This will give you a chance to trouble shoot your system by not starting some of the items that may be giving you problems.  You have three choices on the first page of the program.  Normal, Diagnostic and Selective Startup.  Normal is as it sounds, with everything starting that is listed in your Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, System.ini, Win.ini, and the Startup Folder as well as the programs that start up from the Registry.  This is a very good tool because you don’t have to take the chance of removing something and then not being able to get it back into one of these files correctly if it isn’t the problem.  It also allows you to not start some of the programs that are running from the Registry to see if they are the ones that are causing you the problems.  When you are through you simply click on the Normal Startup and everything will be back to where you started. 

Remember to make a backup copy of any files that you want to change so that if you need to come back to the original you will have the option.  It is always better to have an extra and not need it than to need one and not have one.  Don’t be in a hurry to change everything you see.  My motto is and always will be If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.