System Spec is a portable utility for the gathering of info about your PC

Overview:

What is System Spec ?, A utility to produce a specification of your system’s hardware and software.
With System Spec you can see, save and print a complete spec of your PC. This standalone, system information utility can also perform various windows functions. Additional advanced info includes CPU, drives, applications, display, memory, networking, internet, CD / DVD drives and more.

Features:

System Information Shown

* Computer Name
* Username
* IP Address
* MAC Address
* Windows version and service pack
* Windows Serial Number
* Internet Explorer Version
* Memory
* CPU Type and speed
* Calculated CPU Speed
* Sound card type
* Video and virtual video adapters
* Screen Resolution
* Network Present
* Network Adapters
* AC Power Status for laptops
* Battery Charge Status for laptops
* Time Zone
* CD / DVD Make and model
* COM Ports
* LPT Ports
* Mouse capabilities
* Hard Disks
* Hard Disks Serial Number
* BIOS Date
* PC Serial number
* Manufacturer
* PC Product
* PCMCIA Laptops
* USB ports
* Firewire ports
* Motherboard
* Modem

Windows function such as shutting down and run can be performed from the System menu. The Control Panel menu allows you to quickly open items from the Control Panel.

Other screen and system information shown.

* Personal
* Memory
* Display
* Drives
* CD / DVD
* CPU
* CPU Meter
* Processes
* Services
* Internet
* Programs
* Start-up
* Network
* Network Adapters
* Browse Network
* User List
* Printers
* Sound
* Devices

Review:

Knowing your computer is important, it allows you to know its capabilities if you want to upgrade your computer or in looking a specific driver. With that said one of the most simple and straightforward ways of getting to know your PC has to be system spec, just run it and system spec will show a basic overview of the hardware and software that you have, you can see more advanced reports using the icons on the upper right, in addition you can run several windows functions from one place making this a good method of running those services.
In conclusion system spec is pretty awesome and portable too, so use it if you want learn more about your computer hardware. Available for Windows 98/2000/XP.

Get it at http://www.alexnolan.net/software/sysspec.htm

Control your system via email

Certainly you’ve run into this situation before: you are over here, and your computer is over there. We’re not talking about you and your system being across the room from one another, although that might apply too. We’re thinking something more along the lines of your computer is at home in New York, but you’re at a meeting in California. Now that’s serious “over there.” Now that you and your computer are physically remote from one another, you decide that there’s something you need to do on or to get from that remote system. That’s where the trouble starts.

There are several remote control tools out there. Some of them will cost you a pretty penny. Others are available at a much more modest cost, but there may be configuration headaches involved in getting them up and running, whether it’s with the app itself, or tweaking firewalls between here and there. What if there were a solution that didn’t require any of that?

RemoteByMail is an interesting tool that lets you control your machine remotely via email. You’ve already got email on your system, and there’s no problem with its working in your computing environment. With RemoteByMail, you send an email to your computer, and within minutes, it will respond to your request. You can grab files or folders, or even run applications on your system. Did you forget an important file? No problem—it’s sent to you. Do you need to run a backup on your hard drive? Done.

RemoteByMail is a free Windows application.

Download RemoteByMail

Check Your PC’s Ability to Run Games Online

Need to know whether or not your rig can handle the new game you’re eyeing up? Head over to System Requirements Lab and fire up Can You Run It.

The browser-based utility will check your hardware configuration against the requirements for the game you select and quickly tell you whether or not you’re good to go. The assessment runs very quickly (about 30 seconds) and provides both an overall mark and individual ratings for each component (cpu, ram, OS, video, hdd).

SRL already has an impressive list of games to rate against, including titles like Spore, Bioshock, GRID, and (sigh) Second Life. Speaking as a tech, this is a great way to quickly show a customer why their new game won’t run on their haggard old PC.

Can You Run It works in both Firefox and IE.