HiBit System Information — Meet your computer

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ISSUE 20.31 • 2023-07-31 FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT By Deanna McElveen A modern Windows PC has hundreds of hardware components and even more software programs
[See the full post at: HiBit System Information — Meet your computer]

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WSGeo, Perq, lmacri, AusJohn, TechTango, fisher75, schmootoo, SueW, Kathy Stevens, creem, Chris Greaves, Pepsiboy, abbodi86, Fred

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Interesting design!

The application appears to be a read-only operation; that is, its job is to obtain data and present that data to the user.

If that is so, I am left wondering why the display screens can not be maximized.

Your screen shots, and my limited experience of the product, suggest that I am forced to take mechanical action (arm, wrist, fingers) scrolling up and down to see data that my eyes and brain could scan effortlessly were I able to maximize the windows.

Can you think of a good reason for NOT allowing any display window to make full use of the computer screen? I cannot; but thought to ask you before I fire off a complaint/suggestion to the manufacturers.

Thanks, Chris Greaves

Unless you're in a hurry, just wait.

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Please stop comparing code-signing to extortion.  While no security mechanism is absolutely fool proof code-signing does serve a valid purpose.

I don’t take issue with complaints that a more expensive certificate needs to be purchased in order to get instant reputation that will be recognized by Microsoft’s smartscreen.

But that doesn’t invalidate the usefulness of code-signing in general.

 

1 user thanked author for this post.

b

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So what is wrong or deficient with the venerable but regularly updated SIW from http://www.gtopala.com?

I have used SIW, developed by Gabriel Topala, for many years; since way back in the noughties anyway. I have old SIW reports still from well over a decade ago. The copyright date stamp says 2005.
I have regularly paid the modest license fee to have an up-to-date and portable analysis tool.

Windows worried about Hibit and there’s a Malwarebytes warning about the gtopala website, but SIW itself passes Malwarebytes’ scan. And Defender did not object in any way.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Awilliams

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bbearren wrote:

What can this tell me that System Information cannot?

Davidhs wrote:

So what is wrong or deficient with the venerable but regularly updated SIW from http://www.gtopala.com?

Is there a free version? I am a long time fan also! I bought the lifetime tech years ago.

Looking now, there’s (only) a free viewer but, I know if my license file isn’t in place, the app works, I think except for passwords?  Is it in trial mode that way?

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I just ran HiBit as I would like to add RAM to my laptop but I find conflicting information about having an unused slot.

The HiBit memory slot count response is puzzling:

• available memory: 7.71
• total memory: 8GB
• memory slot count: 8
• capacity: 128GB

Especially since this is a laptop, I don’t believe the slot count. (~2 year old Asus).

Anyone have any insight to this puzzling response?

Thanks.

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Runs OK on my system but, for some strange reason, the “Storage” tab doesn’t show any info about my 3 internal drives (2 Samsung SSD’s and a Hitachi HDD.) They do show up in the drop-down on that tab, but all the info below it remains empty; even if I select the “Refresh” option under the Menu drop-down.

FYI, Windows itself, as well as several other hardware info utilities I use, show all the info for them just fine.

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What can this tell me that System Information cannot?

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Awilliams, NaNoNyMouse

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From my quick scan of the screens shown in the article, the difference is that HiBit provides more detail.

 

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Need to download and try HiBit System Information, and maybe add to my collection of diagnostic software.  Thank you.

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I couldn’t find the download file anywhere on the link given to the site.  I gave up.

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At the very BOTTOM of the page – in BIG GREEN letters
Scroll down.

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I clicked on the first link in the article:  HiBit System Information and somehow ended up in the master catalog of downloads with about 80 topic headings.  I couldn’t locate “HiBit” anywhere, even using the find search feature.

You inspired me to try it again and this time I found it no problem.

Thanks!

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We use Belarc Advisor – in short – builds a detailed profile of a PC’s installed software, hardware, network inventory, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, and security benchmarks.

And it is free.

Belarc Advisors system information includes the PC’s:

• System Model,
• Operating System,
• Hardware including:
  • Detailed processor information,
  • Main Circuit Board,
  • Local Storage including size and usage,
  • Memory
  • A list of Printers,
  • Controllers,
  • Graphics card and display(s),
  • Multimedia,
  • “Other Devices”.
• System Users
• Virus Protection,
• Communications,
• USB Storage Use in past 30 Days,
• A Network Map,
• Missing Security Updates
• Network inventory,
• Installed Microsoft hotfixes and security vulnerabilities including installed Microsoft Hotfixes – past 90 days, and
• Software including:
  • Installed software (Software Licenses), and
  • Software Versions and Usage.

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Alex5723, SueW

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Kathy

Belarc Advisors  is free for personal use only. It’s a great product and I’ve used it for years, personally.

From their website:

Can I purchase a license to run the Belarc Advisor on my corporate network, or my customer’s network?

We do not permit use of the Belarc Advisor for commercial purposes, however we suggest that you take a look at BelManage.

We offer some charitable organizations a license to use the Belarc Advisor at no cost, under certain conditions. Please send us some information about your charity, a URL and the number of PCs and servers.

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I find HWiNFO does this job extremely well.

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Just another Forum Poster, Alice

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Chris Greaves wrote:

…before I fire off a complaint/suggestion to the manufacturers.

“Unfortunately, due to the design structure of the program, it is not possible to change the size of the window. To implement it, a fundamental change is needed, which is not possible now.”

Which leaves me wondering about the rest of the fundamental design!

Cheers, Chris

Unless you're in a hurry, just wait.

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The program has some serious shortcomings. What can one expect for free? Just don’t tout this program as the wonder of wonders that you claim.

Example: The program does not properly identify the socket in my system stating just “CPUSocket”. Well, duh.

Example: One of the disk drives shows a queue depth of 31 when the drive is not even being accessed.

Example: Only one of my monitors is displayed, the secondary monitor. The primary does not exist according to the program.

Example: Up time shows 3 days and 10+ hours when the machine was booted this morning about 12 hours ago.

Example: Closing the program produces a run time error 216 at 001286D2

The program is not ready for prime time. Pick something else, something that works, to be your spotlight program

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Cybertooth, Andy M

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Hi Deanna:

Thanks for your review. I had never heard of HiBit System Information and it looks like a handy way to quickly summarize all the information about your system that is scattered in different locations in Windows and can sometimes be difficult to find.

Like BATcher, I normally use the free HWiNFO utility (I prefer the portable edition) for general hardware diagnostics and noticed that the information that HiBit System Information displays is quite limited in comparison, especially for my Toshiba SSD (e.g., HiBit  System Information is unable to display S.M.A.R.T. info for my SSD at Hardware | Storage | Disk Drive – see image below). The only problem I’ve ever encountered with HWiNFO is that the real-time sensor readings are unable to monitor the fan speed on my Dell Inspiron 5584, but according to developer Martin Malik’s reply in my Oct 2021 thread HWiNFO64 v7.12 – How to Monitor Fan Speeds that is because Dell uses a proprietary fan control method on my laptop model and won’t reveal the algorithm.

The free Belarc Advisor utility Kathy Stevens mentioned isn’t my first choice for hardware diagnostics but it gives you an overall security score for your system and is very useful if you want to look for problems (e.g., missing Windows updates, outdated virus definitions, Windows configuration settings) that could affect the security of your system.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3208 * Firefox v116.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23050.9-1.1.23060.1005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.34.275-1.0.2089 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * HiBit System Information Portable v7.60 * HWiNFO Free Portable v7.60-5170 * Belarc Advisor 12.0.0

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth

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