An operating system is the software that manages the interactions between hardware resources and the various programs or applications you use on a computer. Most PCs will have one of several versions of Windows as their operating system, but Macintosh, Linux, and UNIX are other popular operating systems. In addition to learning the name of your operating system, which could be Windows 7, for example, you will be able to find other useful information about your system. If you are afraid of putting too much strain on your computer's processor (CPU), for example, you might want to check the version of your operating system. A 64-bit version of Windows can handle large amounts of random access memory (RAM) better than the 32-bit version. Read on to figure out how to find out what operating system is installed on your computer.
Steps
Step 1. Turn on your PC
Observe it during the startup phase.
Step 2. Check to see if the name of your operating system appears, which could be, for example, "Windows Vista"
If you don't see the name of your operating system or if you want more details about it, wait for your PC to fully power up.
Step 3. Click on the "Start" button, if there is one
It is located in the lower left corner of the desktop. Having the "Start" button will mean that your PC is running a version of Windows equal to or higher than Windows 95.
- If you don't have the "Start" button, look for other clues as to which operating system you have.
- A Microsoft Windows logo or flag may mean you have a version of Windows earlier than Windows 95, such as Windows 3.11.
- If you see a red hat in one of the corners of your screen, you are using the Red Hat Linux operating system.
- If you see a green or blue "L" in the corner of the screen, you have Lindows or Linspire.
- A gray or black footprint in one of the corners of the screen indicates that you are using a graphical interface (GUI) called the GNU Network Object Model Environment (GNOME) on some version of Linux or UNIX.
- You are using Sun's Solaris operating system in conjunction with X, a graphics system for UNIX, if you have a purple background that says "Sun" or "Solaris".
Step 4. Check if there is any text written next to the "Start" menu
The text may indicate the name and version of your PC's operating system, such as "Windows 95", "Windows 2000 Professional", "Windows XP Home", etc.
If you are unsure whether the text shown is the name of your operating system, or if you want more information, please follow one of the options below
Step 5. Type "winver" without the quotes in the search box of the "Start" menu, then press "Enter"
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You may need to choose "Run" in the "Start" menu, then type "winver" without the quotes in the box that appears. Then press "Enter".
Check a PC Operating System Step 5Bullet1
Step 6. Wait for a window called "About Windows" to appear
The operating system name should be at the top of the window.
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The version number of the operating system will be found after the word "Version", and any service pack installed as an update will be shown in parentheses. An example would be: "Version 6.0 (Build 6001: Service Pack 1)".
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Step 7. Alternatively, click inside the "My Computer" icon or even just "Computer", depending on the version of Windows installed
It is usually found on the desktop or in the "Start" menu.
Step 8. Select "Properties" from the menu that will appear
Step 9. Look at the "System Properties" window that will appear
You will find more detailed information about your operating system under the "General" tab, after the word "System", such as whether you are using a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows.
- You will be able to see which edition of the operating system you are using by reading at the top of the window, under the heading "System" or "Windows edition". An example is: "Windows XP Home".
- If you are using one of the versions of Windows XP, look for "x64 Edition" to find out whether or not you have a 64-bit version of Windows. If it doesn't, you have a 32-bit version of Windows XP.
- If you are using one of the editions of Windows Vista or Windows 7, look for "64-bit operating system" or "32-bit operating system" next to "System type".
Advice
- Service packs contain downloadable updates aimed at improving your operating system, some programs, or others.
- An apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen indicates that you have a Macintosh or an Apple computer, rather than a PC. On a Mac, you can find operating system information by clicking on the apple icon and then "About This Mac" or "About This Computer".
- If you know that your PC has a Linux or UNIX operating system installed, try running the "uname" command. Type "uname -a" without the quotes to get the system version information.
- Try typing the "ver" command without the quotes in the search box as an alternative to the "winver" command.
- If typing "uname" without the quotes doesn't work, try running the following command to find information about your Linux version: "cat / etc / issue" without the quotes.
