Look In My PC is a mix of both categories as it generates a report that combines hardware and software information.

The computer program displays a list of report options upon startup. All options are selected by default. They range from antivirus information over cpu and bios information to open network connections and the users of the system.

The report generation takes about a minute if all options are selected. The generated report will be created as a local html file that is opened in Internet Explorer, even if another web browser is the default system browser.

The information provided in the report are extensive. They range from specific hardware information like the motherboard and cpu manufacturer to the motherboard model, bios version or system memory and their capacity.

Software makes up most of the default report. The program lists default browser and email client information, open desktop applications, installed hotfixes, all installed programs with links to perform a Google search, installed services and information about them as well as the running processes and Registry run entries.

The report can also be generated and emailed which is handy in a remote session or if another person wants to take a look at the report.

Look In My PC has still some quirks. The report looks out of line for instance.  The program did not detect the installed antivirus software on the test system and opened the report in Internet Explorer although it detected Firefox as the default system browser.

Look In My PC can be downloaded from the developer’s website. It is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 2000 to Windows 7.

The five events that are monitored are application failures, Windows failures, miscellaneous failures, warnings and information. Here is how the information that the reliability monitor offers can be accessed in Windows 7.

The easiest way is to open the Windows Control Panel, click on the Action Center entry, expand the maintenance tab and click on View reliability history under Check for solutions to problem reports.

The computer reliability and problem history report displays a timeline that is divided into days by default. Each of the events that are monitored are listed in their own row with icons indicating that that an event occurred in the selected time period. There is also a graph on top that displays the total number of events that have been recorded in the time frame.

Detailed information about the events are listed in the lower half of the report window sorted by event type. The information displayed include an event name, which can for instance be the name of a process or hardware device, a short summary describing the event, the data and time the event took place and an option to take action or view additional details about the event.

The information can be sorted by clicking on the table headers. It is furthermore possible to click on any column to display the events for that specific date.

Events that are monitored are successful and unsuccessful application installations, processes that stop working, successful or unsuccessful driver installations or application reconfigurations.

Depending on the event Windows might propose to search for a solution for the problem online or display technical information about the event.

There are additional options to view all problem reports at once for a better overview and to check for solutions for all problems that have been recorded.

The Reliability Monitor is available for Windows 7 and Windows Vista users. It can aid the user in discovering specific problems and issues with the operating system. The online lookup on the other hand does not usually come up with a solution but it can still be worth a try. A search on the Internet usually yields better information on how to resolve a problem listed.

The software provides access to various tools that repair so called “problems”, make the computer faster and fix security vulnerabilities. You are asked for example at the first start after installing System Mechanic 8 to perform a scan of your system.

That scan is detecting security vulnerabilities (automatic updates service not running), Registry problems, System Clutter but also unnecessary startup items and an unoptimized Internet speed. The user has the choice to let System Mechanic handle the errors and repair them automatically or view a list of the errors that have been found and correct them on a one on one basis which is definitely recommended.

Users who download and install System Mechanic will spend some time exploring all the menus and tools that are available.

Several of those tools that are provided by the software are available in free versions as well. Say CCleaner for removing system clutter or Regfrag to defragment the Windows Registry.

Raymond discovered a way to grab a free copy of System Mechanic 8 including license code that is good for six months. Here is a quick rundown of the process. I suggest you visit Raymond’s website if you are stuck somewhere because he explains the process in details.

• Visit the System Mechanic Promotional page and click through the process. You have to enter some data like name, email. In the end the serial number will be send to your inbox.
• Grab the latest version of System Mechanic 8 from this download site.
• Install it, use the serial number from the email to activate it.