home > A computer > How to find out what Windows is on the computer? Instructions for action! How to find out what Windows is on your computer How to find out what Windows is worth.

How to find out what Windows is on the computer? Instructions for action! How to find out what Windows is on your computer How to find out what Windows is worth.

Very often at work, I come across such a situation that many users do not know basic things about their computer, namely, they do not know which version operating system Windows installed. Therefore, in this article I want to tell you in detail how to find out which Windows is on your computer. You need to know this information in the following cases:

When installing drivers for equipment;
When installing a game or program, you need to know if it is compatible with your version of the operating system;
If , you need to know the version of Windows in order to insert the desired one later boot disk and restore work.

In general, there are many examples, and if you got to this page, then most likely you need this information now. By the way, it is also important to know what bit depth is 32 or 64 bit, your system, because if you need to install drivers for equipment, then when downloading, you need to select a driver depending on the bit depth of Windows.

We find out the version of Windows in the properties of the computer.

Probably the very first thing that comes to mind where to look at the Windows version is the system properties. You can enter the system properties in several ways:

Through the control panel;
Through the "My Computer" icon;

In order to enter the system properties through the control panel, follow the steps:

In order to open "System Properties" using the "My Computer" icon, perform the following steps. On the desktop, right-click on the "Computer" icon and select properties from the drop-down list. This will open the System Properties window.

This is one of the options on how to find out which Windows is on the computer. Let's look at more examples to have a complete understanding of this issue.

We find out the version of the operating system using the "WinVer" command.

The next option, how to find out the version of the system, is to use the Winver utility utility, which is just designed to provide the user with information about the system.

To find out the information we need, we perform the following steps:

This method is also quite simple, but not all of you probably know about it, so I consider it my duty to enlighten you.

How to find out what Windows is on the computer using the command line.

It is possible to view the version of Windows through the command line, how to do this, read below:

Note! You can run the systeminfo command in a slightly different way.

Open the "Run" window, in the "Open" field, write the command cmd / k systeminfo

In this case, first run command line, and the systeminfo command will be executed in it.

In this option, information about installed system obtained in a couple of clicks.

Let's look at another way to find out which Windows is on your computer using the System Information utility. To open it, you need to launch the "Run" line by pressing the "Win + R" key combination. Enter the command "msinfo32" and click the "OK" button.

A new window will open in which you will get all the information about your installed operating system.

If for some reason the msinfo32 command does not work for you, then you can open the "Start" menu and write "System Information" in the search bar. After the search finds matches, run the utility.

If you do not have enough information about Windows that you can view using the system tools, then you can use various utilities. I use the AIDA64 program for this purpose ( old version Everest). You can download it on the official website - www.aida64.com/downloads

The program is paid, but has a 30-day trial period, this will be enough for us. Therefore, download and install the program. After launching it, go to the "Operating System" item. The program will provide you with all the information that it was able to collect.

Also in this paragraph there is an interesting tab "Working time". There, the program shows information about failures, "", as well as the percentage of system health. I don't know how much this information objective, but pay attention to it. AIDA program provides the user with more detailed information about the system than the built-in Windows utilities.

Brief conclusions.

As you can see, it is not difficult to find out which Windows is on the computer using the system tools, as well as using third-party utilities. In fact, this information is available to the user in a couple of mouse clicks, but not everyone knows about it, and they face difficulties when searching. I hope the information in this article was more than useful to you.

The very first Microsoft logo was somewhat similar to a frame from a movie, but it is not clear which one:
either "Jaws" or "Deep Throat"

2015 is a double anniversary year for Microsoft: firstly, in July, the operating Windows system at number 10; and secondly, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Windows in general. Yes, the first version of Windows was released back in 1985. In this regard, we decided to remember how it all began and show you what Windows 10 0 looked like. That is Windows 1.0.

From the point of view of a modern user, Windows 1.0 can hardly be called a "graphical shell", rather it is a "pseudo-graphical" one. This is due to the fact that the most advanced graphics standard at the time of its release was EGA, which meant a resolution of 640x350 pixels and support for a color depth of 4 bits (in other words, EGA video cards and monitors could display as many as 16 colors). By the way, this is also related to the fact that in the first version windows windows could not overlap each other, but could be located exclusively side by side. The button in the upper right corner of the windows was used to expand to full screen. Windows could be resized using the corresponding widget in the lower right corner, but all the rest were automatically resized open windows. Such is the interface know-how.

The role of the shell (Windows shell) in Windows 1.0 and 2.0 was played by a utility called MS-DOS Executive (very intuitive and beautiful name), which was the most primitive file manager that allowed you to perform basic operations on files and launch applications by double-clicking on them. No start button menu or even Program Manager.

Let's briefly list some of the programs that came with Windows 1.0.

Calculator and clipboard (which was a separate application in Windows 1.0):

Control Panel:

Write text editor, clock and reversi game. The time for solitaire games and the unsinkable Minesweeper has not yet come:

In addition, Windows 1.0 supported a print queue and the ability to run MS-DOS applications from a command prompt window.

Well, as a worthy end to this session of nostalgia, here is the best ad that Microsoft has ever aired. Personally, Steve Ballmer, with his characteristic provincial ease and commercial excitement, sells (there is no other word for it) to buyers of Windows 1.0, and makes a special emphasis on reverse.

Just in case, we recall that in those days Microsoft was not an all-powerful monopolist, but a small development company, and Windows competed with other graphical shells for DOS, such as GEOS or Desqview. Therefore, Ballmer's pressure is quite understandable.

When creating the material, screenshots from the site were used

The other day at the Build conference, Microsoft representatives showed the latest version of Windows 8, released the Windows 8 Developer Preview distribution, and distributed 5,000 tablets preinstalled with the next generation OS. This gave interested people a chance to look ahead a bit and see what Windows 8 will look like. But since we didn’t get a free tablet from Microsoft, we will test Windows 8 on a virtual machine running 64-bit Winodws 7.

Testing platform: MB: M2N68, CPU: AMD Phenom 8450 Triple-Core 2.1-GHz, RAM: 4096 MB, VIDEO: nVidia GeForce 9800 GSO, SSD: SATA-3 120Gb OCZ Agility 3, Index Windows performance: 6.2 (minimum, on the CPU line). Software: Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit 6.1.7601, Service Pack 1, VMware Workstation 8.0.

Use of the Windows 8 Developer Preview has been recommended for informational purposes only. To run the system on the current platform (Windows 7), we used virtual machine VMware Workstation. After starting the system, we turned on full screen mode. Time Windows startup 8 on virtual platform took 32 seconds. It doesn’t match the promised 3 seconds, but it’s too early to judge this, so we’ll omit the difference by 10 times and go directly to the interface. After the long-awaited loading of the system, a screen appears in front of us with a landscape that vaguely resembles the cover of the famous book by Bill Gates "The Road to the Future", a digital clock and an icon network settings.

Windows 8 user welcome window

Next, a nice green Windows login window appears, where a pre-prepared user asks us to enter his password. Naturally, there is a form of denial and shutdown/reboot of the system, as well as accessibility options for visually impaired users. All items of this menu for the same purpose are pronounced by voice. Here you can also call on-screen keyboard. It is likely that on tablet computer it will appear automatically. After successfully logging into Windows 8, we are presented with new interface Metro.

Metro interface in Windows 8

Outwardly, UI Metro strongly resembles interface 7 and differs from it, in addition to visual changes, increased button functionality is noted. In general, the Metro interface looks more dynamic than on mobile devices. The comparison of operating systems gives an overview of both interfaces. All icons can be dragged and sorted. Unlike, again, from iOS, Metro interface icons have two types: in the form of a square and in the form of a rectangle. In this regard, the user has more opportunities to realize a flight of fancy and express his own taste. After launching any application, the icon changes and begins to display some information about a particular application. So, for example, the icon with the game starts to show the maximum score scored by you, the notepad shows the number of entries in it, and the weather icon, after adjustment, regularly updates the weather information.

The weather utility, by the way, in Metro is made quite original, but, as you might expect, damp. So, a video loop is used as a background on the theme of nature, which enlivens the picture and makes the waves beat against the shore, and the fog floats over the stones. Moscow was found in the database without problems, but we failed to switch the program to the Celsius scale, so the weather utility showed 52 degrees Fahrenheit. In general, it is convenient, beautiful and, most importantly, informative. However, the video slowed down a little, but for now let's write it off for system virtualization and move on.

Weather program interface in Windows 8

Embedded applications in new Windows 8 is enough to start comfortable work on the tablet. There are built-in Facebook and Twitter clients, RSS reader, browser Internet Explorer, stock prices, touch-screen drawing, several arcade toys, an alarm clock, an RDP client and much more, there is even a built-in piano. The Windows Store is not available on this version of Windows.

Cooper game on Windows 8.

The drawing application in Windows 8 is PaintPlay.

What immediately catches the eye is that the interface is designed primarily for touch and voice control. In the first minutes of using Metro, you want to run your fingers across the monitor, but common sense still prevails. Not all applications work fully. The new Internet Explorer looks extremely minimalistic, using black by default, which is very unlike Microsoft. However, the official release is still far away, although, perhaps, IE 10 will be just like that and will not change outwardly. There is no flash player for IE 10, so we have not been able to thoroughly test the functionality of the browser.

So, apparently, Internet Explorer 10 will look externally.

At first glance, it might seem that all the novelty of the operating system lies in this green Metro interface, and a reasonable question arises: "What does Windows have to do with it?". This is where the fun begins. The Metro bar has several icons that lead not to applications, but to the system itself. Outwardly, apart from Metro, Windows 8 is very similar to its predecessor - Windows 7. But, as the developer claims, the new operating system has a completely rewritten kernel, but the Aero interface that has already become familiar has its place in Windows 8. It has been stated more than once that the new Windows will be without the windows that everyone is so used to. This is not true. All windows remained and fully work in Windows 8 with minor changes in the interface. Also, the Taskbar and the Start button have not gone away. Is that the latter now carries new feature: it brings up the same Metro main screen and is analogous to the "Home" button on mobile devices Apple.

As you can see in the image, the Windows 8 desktop interface has not undergone major changes. Recall that the Start menu now invokes the Metro interface, so in new version Windows will not have the usual utilities that you have been accustomed to since version 3.11 ... This means the presence of the "Standard" and "Utilities" packages. Most likely, they will appear in the Metro interface closer to the release of the first beta version in some original form. It is possible that they will not be at all, but an alternative replacement from third-party developers will be offered. Of the usual things in the new Windows 8, Explorer remained, which was outwardly. The Control Panel with system settings has also been completely preserved.

System properties and configuration virtual system in Windows 8.

This concludes our first acquaintance with the Windows 8 interface, you can download the distribution kit for your own experiments with the new OS. It is too early to draw conclusions, because in order to adequately evaluate the new OS, you need to wait for at least the first beta version, but the first impressions of Windows 8 are purely positive.

11.01.2015

In the first minutes of acquaintance with Windows 10, I felt real envy. The system looks much better than the previous version, and I wanted to install it on my PC right now.

Mark Hachman. Hands-on with Windows 10: Looks great at first blush. PC World, November 2014.

Initial experience Windows usage 8 caused me bewilderment and disappointment. And in the first minutes of acquaintance with Windows 10, I felt real envy. The system looks much better than the previous version, and I wanted to install it on my PC right now.

In the face of Windows 10, a new look will take on both Windows itself and Windows phone. Microsoft Executive Vice President Terry Myerson, who oversees the company's operating systems division, called the new OS "the most open, shared project that has ever been implemented." Indeed, here we can talk about a common project. Developers are constantly supporting feedback with users, and the system I briefly tested may not be what users will get this year.

In Microsoft, its current state is not even called the alpha version, but the "assembly". And given that Windows release 10 is scheduled for the middle of this year, many system functions can still be changed, removed or added.

Revamped Start Menu: Transparent and Intuitive

To be honest, I didn't really like the new Start menu. From an aesthetic point of view, it looks like a surgical stitching together of pieces cut off from Windows 7 and Windows 8. Such a trip to the past does not seem very elegant, but it can not be denied usefulness. On the left is a list of frequently used applications, links to PC settings, as well as folders with documents and images. At the bottom we see a shortcut to go to the Applications view.

The live tiles on the right reproduce the functionality home screen Windows 8: Resizable tiles let you know at any time, for example, how many unread emails you have. Live Tiles are more like notifications than app shortcuts, although they can be used as such. In the Microsoft demo, a huge calendar tile lists all scheduled events, which seems fitting.

If you want to resize the Start Menu itself, there's nothing stopping you from doing so.

As evidenced by the leaked videos, if desired, the user can also go to the Windows 8 Start screen. However, attention is not focused on this feature, and therefore I realized that most people still prefer the Desktop view.

The New World of Windows: Task View, Virtual Desktops, and +

One Microsoft executive I spoke with called the new Task view "poor man's multi-monitor configuration." And I understand why.

In fact, all Windows users are accustomed to accessing the + key combination to quickly switch between applications. A great way to move from one task to another. This feature is also supported in Windows 10.

But now the Task View button has appeared on the screen. Look down at the Windows 10 taskbar, and third from the left you will see a button that, when clicked, displays an array of virtual desktops on the screen.

What is a virtual desktop? You can think of it as a virtual display. If you have multiple monitors connected to your computer, chances are you already have different apps on different screens: a browser window on one display, Outlook on another, and a chat app on your laptop screen. AT Windows environment 10, Microsoft allows you to snap more than one app to a screen. So if you want, you can populate the second monitor with an Outlook panel and a PowerPoint file that a colleague emailed you.

If there is only one monitor, the Task View button (or the keyboard shortcut + , which seems to me more convenient) will switch between the Desktops that are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Thus, from a "project" screen with PowerPoint, a browser window and OneNote, you can instantly switch to a completely different virtual desktop or workspace, where, say, Facebook and Xbox Music will be presented. The applications themselves are displayed only on the Desktops, and you can see which of the Desktops the application you are interested in is located on only by switching to it.

The next function will probably not make it into the final version. On the previous taskbar Windows versions you can observe several open browser windows at once, located next to each other. In a Windows 10 environment, such an application will be underlined horizontal bar, indicating that it is on the virtual desktop.

Currently, virtual desktops are mainly for convenience, but they can also perform security functions if the user has different access rights to different desktops. Whether desktops will be completely isolated from each other, like in a sandbox, we don't know yet.

The new Task View button displays an array of "virtual desktops".

Snap Assist and Window Applications

What to say about the Snap function that allows you to fill half Windows screen eight? AT new system it has also been improved. Dimensions Windows applications 10 in the window can change dynamically. It remains only to see how well it all looks in practice.

In the Windows 8 environment, you can snap applications to one side of the screen by pressing the left or right arrow keys while holding windows keys- the application in this case is attached to the left or right side of the display, respectively, occupying half the screen. Windows 10 lets you display up to four apps on your screen to help you be more productive.

After binding Windows programs 10 offers to place another, similar application next to it. This feature saves you from having to wade through menus when setting up a virtual desktop. Time will tell whether such a proposal will justify itself, but so far the start seems to be quite good.

You can see that a number of features - Snap Assist, applications in windows, virtual desktops - organically complement each other. It would be interesting to experiment with them and see what new things they bring to my daily activities.

Search Improvement

The Windows 10 taskbar has a search button that brings one of the main functions of the Windows 8 Start screen to the desktop environment. Personally, I no longer need to click on the application icons on the home screen and use bookmarks when searching the Internet. Returning to recently used applications and documents is much faster now.

Everything about Windows 10 is built around this. Microsoft announced that the search function and File Explorer now display recently opened files and frequently visited folders, making it possible to access necessary files much easier and faster.

The Windows 10 demo offered by Microsoft is structured to highlight the best features of the new OS first. And now that the developers have added millions of interested users, any shortcoming will be revealed very quickly. It's encouraging that Microsoft welcomes criticism, encouraging its "development partners" (i.e., Windows users) to share their opinions more actively.

Do you love or hate the new system? Microsoft wants to know. But I still think you'll enjoy Windows 10.

The design of Windows 10 contains elements of both 7 and 8 versions of the operating system. For example, the Start menu returned again, but in a slightly modified form. On the left side are recently open programs, and live tiles appeared on the right side instead of the list of applications.

Despite the fact that the developers listened to users and made the design more familiar - they changed the start screen, returned the Start menu, and so on, not everyone is satisfied with the existing system design. Therefore, there are several ways to make Windows 10 look like Windows 7.

Appearance

At the first login on the desktop, the user will see nothing but the trash. In version 7 of the system, in addition to it, there were desktop shortcuts on the screen, network environment and user folders.

The new version of the system has changed themes and icons. This setting is the easiest to change. The Internet is full of themes, among which there is Aero 7 - the standard design of the seven. It changes in the same place as the shortcuts - in the "Personalization" section.

Taskbar settings

In Windows 10, the taskbar contains some elements that were not in version 7 - the search bar and the task view. These functions are more convenient for tablets than for the desktop version, and therefore they can be hidden.

The search bar occupies a significant place on the panel. To save space and to work Windows table 10 was more similar in design to the seven, you can do two things: either completely remove the search bar, or make it as a small icon that will be pinned to the taskbar.

For the first option, you need to right-click on the panel, click on "Search" and check the box next to "Hidden". If necessary, it can be called up with the Win button. To leave the search in the panel as an icon, instead of Hidden, select Show Search Icon.

The task view button shows all open processes and allows you to create a virtual desktop. You can remove it by right-clicking on the taskbar and unchecking the box next to "Show task view button". You can see open programs and windows using the standard Alt+Win command.

The Return of the Standard Start Menu

You can make the Start menu like Windows 7 either using the system tools or using third party programs. You can return the Start menu using the system tools or using additional utilities. In the first case, you just need to remove all unnecessary tiles from the right side of the Start.

Open Start and right-click on the icons in sequence, selecting "Unpin from Start Screen". The tiles will disappear and the menu will become more similar to version 7 of the operating system. You can also resize the menu so that empty space from tiles doesn't take up much space.

For quick access to programs, you can pin them to the left side. Right-click on any empty space in the menu and select "Properties". In the window that appears, go to the "Start Menu" and select "Settings". Next, another window will appear with a list of applications that can be placed in the menu. It can be Control Panel, Documents, and so on.

If this method is not suitable and you want standard menu Start, then only help here special programs. For example, you can use Classic Shell is the most popular utility.

Download any of the above programs, run the installation file and follow the instructions of the program. Many of them have flexible Start settings.

Windows 10 provides more ways to return to familiar look than Windows 8. Some innovations may appeal to users, and they decide to leave everything as it is, some come to completely redo the look.