Finding hardware specs on wiped computers

My friend's husband was a retired IT person. He left 12 computers, and she said I could have one. I'm looking for one that would have the minimum requirements or better for Win 10 and I would use this just for work. A user on sevenforums has a highly customized Win 10 with a tutorial, and I want to buy 10 and install it.

Problem is, my friend had someone come over from my computer club and wipe all the HD's because she's planning of taking them to Staples for recycling.

Now I have to go into the BIOS of each machine and look at the hardware, except the one I know was XP.

1--if I don't know what brand of BIOS is in a machine, is F10 universal?
2--I'm not an expert on reading a BIOS. Aside from the size of the HD, what else should I look at? I don't need high-powered graphics cards or sound.

I can't edit the post. I wanted to explain that my friend's husband had passed on.

What brand is the computer you want specs on?

If a brand name you go to the brand name's site and look that up. If home built, the BIOS will not tell you what specs are in the computer, you have to open the case and look at each component.

If the OS has been wiped, then you cannot use a software tool like Speccy to scan for the hardware specs. You have to open the case and look at the components inside to check for make and model numbers. A flashlight will be helpful for this task.

She didn't say whether they were self built or branded. I've known IT techs to buy branded computers. Namely, Train. And ones I knew in Texas when I worked the computer shop there, that bought Dell.

One other idea might be to use the Ultimate Boot CD tools to check the hardware specs.

https://www.ultimatebootcd.com

Scroll down to the bottom of the page at the above link to see what tools are available.

Hey, guys, having a nice conversation? Went over there today. I don't know of his building any himself recently. I skipped the ones that said "boot from a floppy to start."

And I think this is the best one. BIOS (F2) says

ASRock EUFI MSI
3400 MHZ
MS update 306A9 (is this a code for the OS?
RAM 8193MB
It looks glossy and new compared to the others, and think this the only that one had the Win10. That &##$@&&!! wiped it instead of just wiping the data, and my friend didn't know the difference.

Now even the dedicated Win7 users in my club won't take any of the other computers. There aren't many who know how to install an OS from scratch and legal Win 7 discs are rarer than hen's teeth.

not EUFI, UEFI. I also need to find out if the HD is SSD or not, but I'm not familiar with UEFI. This machine is actually too good for Win10, being used just for work.

The 306A9 code would indicate an LGA 1155 motherboard. That should be a decent computer. 8 GB of memory.

The motherboard may be one of these:

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157230

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813157249

The BIOS should indicate whether it has an SSD or HD, if you check the boot devices.

Thanks, have to wait till I go over there again, because I'll need my luggage carrier to get it to my place. And wouldn't there be a label on the case with a Win 10 product key?

J, you have no idea how much computer stuff we're cleaning out of 3 offices + the garage. My friend doesn't do much more than email and an occasional web lookup, and she's anxious to get rid of the clutter. She's not a geek, doesn't want to use Freecycle, and she says the club and I can take whatever we want. Yesterday we did just piles of floppies, CD's and DVD"s.

Windows 10 product key info:

https://www.techspot.com/guides/1760...s-product-key/

There may not have been a sticker on this computer with Windows 10.

Thanks. So glad M$ simplified the process :D

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Hey, guys, having a nice conversation? "

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I was waiting to see if this was a branded computer. I see by your answer that he hasn't built any recently. So I still don't know if it's branded, the one you picked for the best one to use, and keep yourself.

I've never know him to be a builder; he could have bought any computer he wanted. So it's branded. Because of its position on the floor (yes, I know, don't say it) I haven't crawled down there yet and get the brand.

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Originally Posted by foxy

I've never know him to be a builder; he could have bought any computer he wanted. So it's branded. Because of its position on the floor (yes, I know, don't say it) I haven't crawled down there yet and get the brand.

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When you get able to crawl, bend, or whatever to get the brand name, you can go there and get the specs.

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Originally Posted by photolady

I was waiting to see if this was a branded computer. I see by your answer that he hasn't built any recently. So I still don't know if it's branded, the one you picked for the best one to use, and keep yourself.

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Update October 10--
Just a recap--both machines, originally owned by my friend's late husband, had been completely wiped, then were given to me. One has better hardware than the other.

The 2 computers in question are now living in my apt. The better one, which probably had Win 10, has NO Windows label, brand name or model # label, so maybe it was custom built by the owner. There's a 3x3" clear panel on one of the sides, why doesn't sound especially commercial. . It has a tiny HD, about the size of a laptop HD, so would that be an SSD? I have to hook it up to get all the UEFI stats.

It might actually be a laptop HD, or it could be an SSD. If you can't boot the machine, you may have to take the side panel off and check the label on it to find out what it is. It is possible that the BIOS might recognize it also and be able to give you at least some info on it. You could also try booting the PC using a live Linux disc or USB drive.

Didn't say I couldn't boot it. Last time I booted it into UEFI. Don't know how to do the USB or Linux.

Definitely a build.
HD: https://www.pcmag.com/review/345726/ocz-trion-150-480gb (I use only about 100GB)
PSU:https://www.newegg.com/thermaltake-t...82E16817153166
An extra fan
DVD drive
Case has room for 6 more HD, 4 more optical drives, but I know the owner didn't game.

I'm having 2nd thoughts about using this only for my work at one website.

How to make a bootable Linux Mint disc or USB drive:

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=240428

https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/1784

https://www.fosslinux.com/274/how-to...on-windows.htm

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I'm having 2nd thoughts about using this only for my work at one website.

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It sounds like you could use that PC for just about anything you wanted.

Mobo: https://www.asrock.com/mb/intel/z77%20pro4/ with USB3
Can't get at the CPU yet.

>It sounds like you could use that PC for just about anything you wanted.

I'd like to install whatever's coming after Win 10.:D:D

Actually the thought of installing an OS again from scratch makes me want to stay in bed.

2nd machine is https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02031797.

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Originally Posted by foxy

Actually the thought of installing an OS again from scratch makes me want to stay in bed.

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Me too!!!

I have a new motherboard to replace the one that has defunct ram slots. But, I'm just getting my health in order, been a month lying in bed and can't drive yet because my legs are unsteady. I have no interest in changing this motherboard out of the case and adding the new board. Then having to either reinstall Windows 7 or go Windows 10.

Wait till you're feeling up to it, so you don't tear out all your hair. You probably have other functional machines to use meanwhile.

There's no particular hurry with mine, as I have 2 working machines. I call the 2nd one my hardware backup. And I can't access the original owner's MS account for his Win 10 # because he's deceased. Don't even ask me if he left notes... You have no concept of what his widow is having to dump from his 2 offices +garage. She might have even dumped his original W10 CD. And then there's their home in Florida...

The only other machine I have is my tablet. But this one works fine on 16GB of ram for what I do. Photo processing, and check websites I am moderator on. But I'd like take advantage of the cheap DDR3 ram now.