An Inventory of What's On or In Your Computer

Introduction

This means:

• Every Windows and installed program, the version, and how often the program is used.
• If the program has a key, the key.
• Detailed information on every hardware component

I'd like to highlight two programs I use for this. One, Belarc, does everything listed above; the other, called CPU-Z, focuses on hardware. You can save the results of either program as a "complete web page."
{Note: The links on this page go to a web service called "CNET." Whenever possible I get my downloads from this site. The primary reason is safety. If you run a search on a program name, say "Belarc," the search will return pages of links. In today's predatory environment, it's possible, even likely, that some of those links lead to infected pages, resulting in either an infection on your computer or some creative rerouting of query to a poison page. So, when I am looking for an application, I type "cnet [program name]" into the browser's search field.}

Belarc

Belarc gives the best summary of software on your computer, and does a good job of outlining the hardware and network setup as well. Once you download it from CNET, it takes just a minute to install and run. As it installs, it will ask to update to the latest definitions. Say yes to that. Once it runs, the results are shown directly in your browser. The web page itself is on your computer, not on the internet. (The url shown in the address field of this figure is a file on your C: drive:

You will want to save this web page as a "complete" web page in a place that will be backed up. Or, print it. Run the program every so often, to give you an audit of the applications, system file versions, and hardware on your computer. (If you have more than one computer, do this for each one.)
Rather than give further instruction in this blog entry, I refer you to a bunch of utube "lessons" here.

CPU-Z

This program provide a geek with a wealth of knowledge about the hardware:

It can be obtained from CNET by typing "cnet cpu-z" into your search bar.  Or use the link in the Introduction. As with Belarc, there are a number of Youtube tutorials (here). If you want more RAM memory or a better video card for your computer, then this program is a must to help select the right memory or card!