Is there a system analyser that can be run from a floppy?

[Robin S_]

I made a post on this last night but it has disappeared - apparently along with anyhing else that was posted between 9:24 last night and 3:04 this morning, so if the lost post gets retrieved there will be duplication.

Does anyone know of a system analyser utility that can be run from a floppy, so that it can be used to check out systems on cptrs that have no (working) CDs and sometimes no OS installed? I am looking for something that will display just the basic features of a system (eg RAM, OS version etc) along with the size/speed, make and model of hardware and cards etc. I don't need all the technical details such as interrupts and stuff.
I have Aida16 on a DOS boot floppy but on 1 cptr it chokes and freezes when trying to determine the Soundblaster page.

[SurferJoe46]

Maybe if you blow gently into it's ear, Belarc Adviser will run off'n a floppy...but it needs a browser to show the results.

[Terry Porritt]

I've just downloaded and tried Astra sysinfo tool for dos, the free limited demo version, it seems to work ok.

http://www.sysinfolab.com/

[Graham L]

MSD? Free with MSDOS up to 6.2, certainly, but I think it might have been removed from MSDOS7.0 It might be on the "Olddos" area of the W9X CDs.

[beama]

I sometimes use aida16 (16 being 16bit) its hard to find but if you google hard you wil reap the rewards It works on modern system as as you ask it runs off floopy

[gibler]

I usually throw on Knoppix and have a look through the output of dmesg (or use the GUI control panels if you want).

Or use the tools on the Ultimateboot CD ......


Opps - you need something to run off a floppy ...ek.

[zqwerty]

Aida 16 download here, this is the download, the page is too big to find the download easily:

http://shinobiresources.com/Download...aida16_214.zip

[Robin S_]

Thanks for your replies, chaps (and chapesses if appropriate).

Surfer, my understanding of Belarc is that it only "sees" what Windows "sees" which is apparently not necessarily everything. Besides, it requires Windows and a browser to work, so cannot be used on a system without those installed.
Terry, Astra looks good. I have downloaded it and given it a rushed run on the cpter that 'stopped' Aida 16. It didn't choke on the Soundblaster page and completed its analysis. Haven't had time to study the results yet but they look promising.
Graham - have tried 6.22 MSD but it is a bit too basic and presumably couldn't properly identify anything more recent than itself.
Zqwerty - thanks for the Aida16 link. It is for v. 2.14 whereas the one I have is only 2.12. Will download and try the newer one. If it works the combo of that and Astra should be pretty good.

[Greg]

SIW will also do what you want.

[vinref]

I made a post on this last night but it has disappeared - apparently along with anyhing else that was posted between 9:24 last night and 3:04 this morning, so if the lost post gets retrieved there will be duplication.

Does anyone know of a system analyser utility that can be run from a floppy, so that it can be used to check out systems on cptrs that have no (working) CDs and sometimes no OS installed? I am looking for something that will display just the basic features of a system (eg RAM, OS version etc) along with the size/speed, make and model of hardware and cards etc. I don't need all the technical details such as interrupts and stuff.
I have Aida16 on a DOS boot floppy but on 1 cptr it chokes and freezes when trying to determine the Soundblaster page.

I always open the box and eye-ball the bits and pieces inside. Almost everything I see indicates size, capacity, speed etc., but not the OS. I don't quite trust those software hardware detectors. Some I have used seem to report the brand names, but not the chipsets of some components.

What I cannot immediately identify, a quick google of incriminating serial numbers usually turns up the culprit. I then chuck in a *nix boot floppy and that simply confirms what I saw.